Wilkes University has announced the following faculty members who have been promoted to the rank of full professor:
Helen Davis was promoted to professor of English. Davis joined Wilkes University in 2008. She has taught a variety of courses in English composition, literature, women’s and gender studies, narrative theory, queer theory and nineteenth-century literature. Her research focuses on queer and feminist narrative theory and literature, primarily novels, as well as LGBTQ+ education and advocacy. Davis founded and co-chaired the Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (CODIE) and serves as the faculty advisor for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Davis facilitates and helped found the University’s LGBTQ+ Awareness and Safe Space Ally Program. She has been recognized by the University with awards for teaching, advising and service, as well as promotion of diversity and inclusion.
Thomas Hamill was promoted to professor of English. Hamill joined Wilkes University in 2002. His expertise is in the field of medieval and early modern English literature, and he has published articles on sport and literature and on the pedagogy of the digital humanities. Hamill teaches courses on Shakespeare, Chaucer, the history of the English language and digital humanities, and the quality of his teaching has been recognized on two occasions by the Teacher Recognition and Effectiveness Committee. He has served on University committees including Academic Standards, Tenure and Promotion and the Faculty Affairs Council, and has been a leader in the area of strategic planning, co-chairing the planning group and the Strategic Long-Range Planning Committee. Hamill was recently named chair of the English department.
Abas Sabouni was promoted to professor of electrical engineering. Sabouni joined Wilkes University in 2013. He has taught a variety of electrical engineering and bioengineering courses for more than a decade. Sabouni’s research focuses on the applications of electromagnetic waves in imaging and sensing, and he has made significant contributions to the development of microwave imaging, particularly in the area of breast cancer detection. Sabouni has been recognized by the University with the 2021 Carpenter Award, the 2020 Alumni Mentoring Award, the 2020 President’s Award, the 2017 Outstanding Scholarship Award, the 2017 Outstanding Advisor Award, the 2017 O’Hop Final Word Lecture, the 2016 Outstanding New Faculty Award, the 2014 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Teaching Award. Sabouni currently serves as chair of the mechanical and electrical engineering department.
Jennifer Thomas has been promoted to professor of psychology. Thomas joined Wilkes University in 2006. She is a developmental psychologist who specializes in the study of friendship. Most recently, she has investigated how friendships influence child and adolescent psychological development and connections between friendship and well-being in adulthood. Other research interests include understanding what motivates people to act in the face of injustice and connections between gender-based action and well-being among young women. Thomas teaches courses in developmental psychology, adolescent psychology, research methods and the psychology of gender. She also serves as the director of the women’s and gender studies program. Thomas was a recipient of the Carpenter Award for excellence in teaching.
Wilkes University has announced the following faculty members who have been promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure:
Jane Blanken-Webb was promoted to associate professor of education and granted tenure. Blanken-Webb earned her bachelor of music degree in music education with a minor in philosophy from Northern Illinois University, a master’s of music education degree and a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining Wilkes, she held postdoctoral positions with the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also partnered with cybersecurity experts to develop and teach a cybersecurity for educational leaders course for which she was awarded the Teacher Recognition and Effectiveness Committee (TREC) Interdisciplinary Teaching Award in 2022. She has been awarded multiple grants for her work in cybersecurity education from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2022) and the National Security Agency (2017-18). Blanken-Webb is currently serving as the co-chair of TREC and is also a member of the Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (CODIE).
Ty Frederickson was promoted to associate professor of education and granted tenure. After completing four years of military service, Frederickson received his bachelor of science degree in education from Emporia State University and a master of arts degree in literature from Wichita State University. He served as an educator in the United States and in international schools in Southeast Asia and the Middle East for 18 years before joining Wilkes University’s first international EdD cohort. Frederickson is the lead instructor for incoming students’ first course in our EdD residency cycle, in addition to chairing multiple dissertations and advising students. He is an active scholar in the field of education, having published several articles and presented research at 16 national/international conferences during his time at Wilkes. Frederickson has an excellent record of University and community service including current membership on Wilkes’ IRB and Honors committees.
Brenda Gruver was promoted to associate professor of pharmacy and granted tenure. Gruver joined the faculty at Wilkes University as an assistant professor in 2019 after four years of service as a clinical assistant professor at Campbell University. Gruver serves as coordinator for the Self-Directed Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (SD IPPE) program within the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, where she oversees the requisite community service activities for all students in the first through third professional years (P1-P3), In addition, Gruver serves as coordinator for the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) for the P3 class. Gruver maintains a clinical practice site and precepts students within Geisinger Health System, where she worked to grow the Transitions of Care (TOC) service to four hospitals within the system. Gruver is the chair of the School of Pharmacy Assessment Committee and sits on the University Master Planning Committee.
Saritha Karnae was promoted to associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and granted tenure. Karnae joined Wilkes University in 2018. At Wilkes, she has continued research focusing on air quality and has collaborated with colleagues to obtain external grants from the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium and internal grants from the Provost Research Committee and the Mentoring Committee. She is the advisor for the student chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association at Wilkes. In this role, she has taken students to California and Florida to participate in national design competitions sponsored by the Association. Karnae is active in University service with roles on the SRS Task Force, the search committee for the dean of the College of Science and Engineering and the Library Committee. She has volunteered for the WEBS program, STEM Discovery Day, Amazing Race and local school programs.
Troy Lynn Lewis was promoted to associate professor of pharmacy and granted tenure. Lewis joined the faculty at Wilkes University as an assistant professor in 2018. Her work in the integration of diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism (DEIA) content into the classroom was recognized with the 2021 Wilkes Diversity Faculty Award and led to her presenting on this topic at the state and national levels. Lewis maintains a clinical practice site and precepts students at the Wright Center for Community Health in Jermyn, Pennsylvania. Lewis leads the DEIA Taskforce for the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy and serves on the University Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (CODIE). Lewis completed two terms as chair of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Assessment Committee and one term as chair of the University Teaching Recognition and Effectiveness Committee (TREC).
Kimmy Nguyen was promoted to associate professor of pharmacy practice and granted tenure. She joined the faculty at Wilkes University as an assistant professor in 2018. Nguyen was awarded Teacher of the Year awards from the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy in 2023 and 2024. She maintains a clinical practice site and precepts students at Volunteers in Medicine, a free, non-profit clinic that provides care for a diverse, underserved population in the Wilkes-Barre area. Nguyen serves on the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Curriculum Committee and plays a critical role in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy Post-Graduate Preparation Program, as well as the We’re Empowered by Science (WEBS) Program and Discover Pharmacy camps. She also serves on the University Student Life and Media Committee. Nguyen was awarded the Faculty Diversity Award by the Teaching Recognition and Effectiveness Committee (TREC) in 2021 and was nominated for the Outstanding New Faculty Award in 2020 and 2021 and the Carpenter Award in 2023.
Lisa Reynolds was promoted to associate professor of integrative media, art and design and granted tenure. Reynolds received her bachelor of fine arts degree in communication design from Kutztown University and her master of fine arts degree in graphic design from Marywood University. She joined Wilkes as a faculty member after a long career as a design professional. She has taught a total of 12 different courses at Wilkes, including a design-based course for graduate students in the creative writing program. She coordinates and hosts an annual portfolio review on campus to connect students from Wilkes and other nearby colleges with local advertising and design professionals. Her most significant role has been as co-chair of the General Education Committee, which has had a busy and consequential agenda related to the assessment and reform of the University’s core curriculum.
Benjamin Toll was promoted to associate professor of behavioral and social sciences and granted tenure. Toll received his bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Taylor University, an initial master of arts degree in church-state studies from Baylor University, and then a master of arts degree and doctoral degree in political science from Indiana University – Bloomington. He joined Wilkes after gaining considerable teaching experience from full-time faculty appointments at two other universities. Toll has an outstanding record of meaningful service, including chairing two important and busy committees, serving as a new faculty mentor and working with AICUP to lobby legislators in Harrisburg on behalf of private higher education in Pennsylvania. He has taken on the role as the University’s lead commentator on political news and has done over 200 media spots with major outlets including the BBC and the New York Times.
Stephanie Wasmanski was promoted to associate professor of education and granted tenure. Wasmanski received her bachelor of science degree in psychology from College Misericordia in Dallas, Pennsylvania, and her master’s of business administration degree with a concentration in operations management and doctoral degree in educational leadership with specialization in curriculum and instruction from Wilkes University. She joined the Wilkes EdD. faculty in 2018 with over 10 years of experience in professional training and teaching. She has taught a total of 10 different courses at Wilkes at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels in the fields of leadership and educational research. Her commitment to student advising was recognized with the TREC Outstanding Advisor Award, emphasizing her student-centered approach and innovative advising practices. Wasmanski serves as a member of the Master Planning Committee, faculty representative to the Academic and Student Environment Committee of the Board of Trustees, and chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.
