Wilkes University welcomed 13 new faculty members into the Bing K. Wong College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Engineering and the College of Health and Education for the fall 2026 semester.
Reem Bedeir joined the College of Business and Engineering in the Department of Accounting. Bedeir brings extensive research, academic and industry experience. She previously served as an associate professor at Graceland University and as a consultant for the Emirates Association for Accountants and Auditors. She earned her doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting from Cairo University. Additionally, Bedeir served as program director for the joint program between Cairo University and the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. She also serves on the editorial boards of two ABDC-indexed journals.
Billie Burry, PhD ’22, joined the College of Health and Education in the Department of Graduate Nursing. Burry brings academic, clinical practice and leadership experience, previously serving as chief nursing administrator and associate dean of nursing at King’s College. Burry is a licensed and certified registered nurse practitioner specializing in family practice. She earned her doctoral and master’s degree in nursing education from Wilkes University, as well as post-graduate certificates for family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner practice.
Lauralei Carden ’07 joined the College of Health and Education in the Department of Nursing. Carden brings more than 20 years of nursing experience across clinical practice, healthcare administration, nursing education, academic support and healthcare consulting. At Wilkes, she has served in several roles supporting both graduate and undergraduate nursing programs. Carden is a licensed and certified registered nurse. She earned her master’s degree in healthcare administration, her graduate certificate in public health administration from King’s College and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wilkes University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in nursing practice at Aspen University.
Dailyn Clark joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Psychology, bringing teaching and student affairs experience from the Russell Sage College and the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), where she held positions as an instructor of record and teaching assistant for the Department of Psychology and supervisor for undergraduate research assistants. Clark received her doctorate in cognitive psychology from the University at Albany, SUNY, where she also earned her master’s degree in cognitive psychology. Clark earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Robert Johnson joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences as faculty of practice and director of the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing, bringing diverse experience in higher education and in professional services. Prior to joining Wilkes, Johnson served as the director of the Bluegrass Writers Studio MFA program and was a professor of English and creative writing at Eastern Kentucky University. He also held consulting and copywriter positions throughout his career. Johnson is the author of a story collection, Delicate Men (Alternative Book); a novel, Californium (Penguin); and a forthcoming memoir, Poser (Vine Leaves). He earned his master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Arizona State University, his master’s degree in English from Kansas State University and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State Polytechnic University.
Miquela Langan ‘21, MS ‘25, joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Biology and Earth Systems Science. Langan is also the director of the We’re Empowered by Science summer camp and is a coordinator for Science in Motion. She has served at Wilkes as an adjunct professor since 2023 and was a coordinator for undergraduate biology laboratories. Langan is expected to receive her doctorate in education from Wilkes in 2029. From Wilkes, she also earned her master of science degree in bioengineering with a focus on synthetic biology and two bachelor’s degrees in biology and philosophy.
Chester Loeffler-Bell joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Division of Performing Arts. Loeffler-Bell has held several teaching positions, most recently serving as visiting professor of lighting design and production at Willamette University and teaching 3D design at Concordia University. He was also employed as an auditorium manager, production manager, finance manager and in other positions at high schools and theatre companies. He served as chair of the Summit of Players, a traveling non-profit theatre company, and is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Loeffler-Bell earned his master of fine arts degree in lighting design from the University of South Carolina and his bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Carroll College.
Shohgo Motoyama joined the College of Business and Engineering in the Department of Marketing and Sports Management. Motoyama brings research, teaching and professional experience in sports management to Wilkes. He previously taught courses in sports marketing. He also gained professional experience in collegiate sport in Japan, as well as in both Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball settings in the United States. He earned his doctoral degree in recreation, sport and tourism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his master’s degree in sports management from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Alia Shalaby joined the College of Business and Education in the Department of Elementary Education. Shalaby previously served as a graduate instructional consultant at the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State University. Shalaby earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Penn State University, as well as a master’s degree in curriculum and teaching from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Cairo University.
Mudassir Syed joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Chemistry. Syed previously worked as a graduate teaching assistant at Texas Tech University and has an extensive background in doctoral and undergraduate research, focusing in sustainable polymer chemistry, organic chemistry and developmental biology. He earned his doctorate in chemistry from Texas Tech University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from Purdue University.
Zoë Welch joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Biology and Earth Systems Science. Welch previously served as an instructor of record at Stanford University and also held teaching assistant and instructor of record positions at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Welch has also served in roles that supported advising and student services. She brings extensive experience in laboratory, field and archival research. Welch earned her doctoral and master’s degrees in ecology, evolution and marine biology, and a master’s degree in marine science from the University of California, Santa Barbara . She also holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and environmental studies from the College of William and Mary.
Stacy Wittrock joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Criminology. Wittrock previously served as assistant professor of criminology at Misericordia University and as a program analyst for the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center in Iowa. Wittrock has taught sociology and criminology at several universities, including Mount Mercy University, Iowa Wesleyan University and the University of Iowa. Wittrock will receive her doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from Southern Illinois University this year. She earned her master’s degree in sociology and her bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Iowa.
Amy Yanagitsuru joined the Wong College of Arts and Sciences in the Department of Biology and Earth Systems Science. Yanagitsuru has been serving as an adjunct professor at Wilkes since 2024 and earned the 2025 Adjunct Faculty Award from the University’s Teacher Recognition Effectiveness Committee. Before Wilkes, she served as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Nevada Reno and performed field research at different universities and organizations. She earned her doctorate in integrative ecology from the University of California and her bachelor’s degree in biology from Bryn Mawr College.