Meet NCSSM's New 2010-2011 Faculty and Staff
As we embark on a new academic year here at NCSSM, get to know our new faculty and staff members:
Anna Shepherd Burger
Interim Administrative Assistant
Institutional Advancement Division
Anna Shepherd Burger is a 2005 graduate of NCSSM, where she served as an Admissions Ambassador and still remains active as an alumna, serving as Secretary of the NCSSM Alumni Association Board of Directors. After her days at NCSSM, Anna, who is originally from Salisbury, N.C., went on to earn a B.S. in Criminology from North Carolina State University in 2008. During her time at N.C. State, she was selected as an ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and also worked as a student in the college’s advancement office. After her graduation, she was hired as Assistant Director for the school’s Alumni and Friends Society, where she worked in various development roles, including fundraising and event planning.
Emmie Corl
Student Life Instructor (SLI)
Office of Residential Life
Emmie Corl is the Student Life Instructor on 1st Royall. She is a graduate of Meredith College with a B.A. in Communications. At Meredith, Emmie was an R.A. for three years and “RA of the Year.” She has also facilitated a 200-person Drama Camp, served as an intern for the Events and Community Education Department, and taught drama to teens. Emmie has made an immediate impact at NCSSM, facilitating a Mini-Term trip, performing at AirBand, and helping coordinate the Student Life Retreat.
Ashley Creech
Bryan Desk Receptionist and Administrative Support Associate
Student Life Division
Ashley Creech is a graduate of Meredith College with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems and was most recently employed at the YMCA. Ashley hit the ground running in November of last year and has worked closely with the division in coordinating Supervised Study schedules and the new electronic forms used in Focus. Ashley has a high degree of technical skills and has already designed the school planner.
Michael DeHaven
Faculty
Humanities Department
Michael DeHaven comes to NCSSM from Illinois, where he taught for 17 years at NCSSM’s sister school, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. He also taught at several universities and colleges. He received his B.A. in History from Mundelein College in Chicago and his M.A. in History with a concentration in Medieval Studies from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He is a doctoral candidate in the College of Education at Northern Illinois. He has done graduate study at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, and worked as a Futures and Options Trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He was a founding Board member and taught in the Illinois Virtual High School. At the post-secondary level he has taught undergraduate honors courses and graduate courses in learning theory and assessment. Michael has received a number of teaching awards for his work, particularly in Economics, which he will teach at NCSSM along with American Studies and the Asia course.
Ryan Donaldson
Class Attendance and Textbook Coordinator
Academic Programs Division
Ryan Donaldson graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems degree from the State University of New York at Canton. Among a field of strong candidates for this position, he stood out for his energy, motivation to do an excellent job, and his background. In each of his previous positions, in a bookstore, as a buying associate in a large store chain, and as a team leader for a collection agency, he utilized skills that equip him to fulfill the varied roles of this position.
Douglas Marks
Faculty
Mathematics Department
Douglas Marks received his B.S. degree in Mathematics, summa cum laude, with a minor in Physics, and his M.S. in Applied Mathematics, from N.C. State. As a Teaching Assistant there, he taught pre-calculus, calculus and differential equations, all key courses in our mathematics curriculum. He also tutored freshmen and sophomores in the Undergraduate Tutorial Center, having received Master level tutoring certification from the College Reading and Learning Association.
Bill McNairy
Faculty
Science Department
Bill McNairy is not totally new to NCSSM, having taught previously in the Distance Education and Extended Programs Division. He received his B.S. in Physics and B.A. degrees in Mathematics and French from UNC-Chapel Hill (all in just four years!) and his Ph.D. in Experimental Solid State Physics from the University of Virginia. He has taught mostly at major universities, including Virginia Military Institute, Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But his love has always been teaching. While a graduate student, he taught hospitalized and homebound students French, math and the sciences for six years. He is well-known in the physics education community, including several of NCSSM’s Physics faculty, for his use of interactive demonstrations and high-energy style of teaching. This year, Bill will teach Physics and Physics with Advanced Topics.
Barbara Murphy
Administrative/Legal Support Associate
Office of the Chancellor
Barbara Murphy comes to NCSSM with more than 27 years of experience in administrative assistant work, many of which include legal assistance, with several universities, including Florida International University, University of Miami, UNC-Charlotte, Florida Atlantic University, University of Georgia, and Duke University with Duke Performances. She has had broad experience working with deans, department chairs, directors, attorneys, faculty, staff, students, and the public.
Patrick Rainey
Faculty
Science Department
Patrick Rainey’s path to NCSSM has been from neither the high school nor the university teaching environment, but from the research laboratory. In this, he joins several other past and present members of the Science Department, who have excelled as NCSSM teachers. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology before becoming Director of Research and Development at Vector Research, a research firm in Durham, where he led a multidisciplinary team assessing the biological effects and pathways of cellular damage arising from cigarette smoke. This work was done in close collaboration with the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research. He has also served as a coach of the U.S. National and Junior Olympic Karate teams. Patrick will teach Chemistry, Advanced AP Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.
Dave Thaden
Faculty
Humanities Department
Dave Thaden has an extensive background in teaching and educational administration, having served most recently for fifteen years as the Principal of East Chapel Hill High School. He received his B.A. in English with a minor in History from the University of Michigan, his M.A. in English from Middlebury College in Vermont, and his Superintendent Certificate in School Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. All of his time as a teacher, assistant principal and principal was in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system. When he retired from East Chapel Hill in 2010, knowing that he wanted to return to the classroom, little did he know that he would have this kind of opportunity so soon. His interests in history include the American Civil War, the American Civil Rights Movement and 19th- and 20th-Century European Intellectual History. He will teach American Studies and possibly some other courses as well.
Monique Williams
Faculty
Science Department
Monique Williams is an alumna of NCSSM, class of 1998. She received her B.S. in Chemistry/Biotechnology from N.C. State and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Florida. She has also worked as an analytical chemist for Merck and Company and a Research Assistant in Chemistry at the University of Florida. While in Gainesville, she volunteered with the University of Florida Center for Catalysis, a community outreach group of graduate and undergraduate students who taught people of all ages some of the fundamental aspects of Chemistry. She is excited about returning to her high school to share her enthusiasm for chemistry and NCSSM. This year she will teach AP Chemistry.