Welcoming six faculty members to new positions

Saheed Akinbode
Visiting Assistant Professor of Data Science

Saheed Akinbode earned his Ph.D. in statistics and analytics at Central Michigan University. His research focuses on statistical inference for discrete and continuous probability models, mathematical and computational statistics, and regression analysis and generalized linear models.

Roy Belfield
Associate Professor of Music

Roy Belfield earned his doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He has been actively engaged in choral conducting for more than two decades and has expertise in choral compositions and as an accompanist. His research has focused on the music of African American composers, including Undine Smith Moore.

Kami Fletcher
Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of Africana Studies

Kami Fletcher completed her Ph.D. in history at Morgan State University. She is an expert in African American deathways and death work, and she researches deathscapes at the intersection of the Black experience, intending to learn about Black life in America and throughout the African Diaspora. Her current research project, funded by a National Science Foundation grant under George Washington University, is an oral history centered on the community-building work of death care workers in Black-owned and -operated funeral homes across the mid-Atlantic and Midwest and their response to how ritual was impacted by COVID.

Patrick Kelley
Visiting Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Patrick Kelley earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Medical College of Georgia. He has taught physiology, biology, and biochemistry at higher education institutions for two decades. His research has included investigating the molecular composition of the lens capsule and the lens protein alpha B-crystallin.

Maureen Malomba
Assistant Professor of Business Management

Maureen Malomba completed her Ph.D. in strategic leadership studies at James Madison University. Her research interests encompass gender, leadership, and sustainability; organizational behavior and change management; and contemporary Africa’s strategies toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Her work focuses on how to better navigate contextual barriers using scientific and applied research toward achieving sustainable and impactful solutions.

Christopher Torres
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

Christopher Torres completed his Ph.D. in public policy and administration at Boise State University. His training is at the intersection of philosophy, environmental studies, policy studies, and public administration. His current research project is looking to better understand conservative environmental values and how they shape U.S. environmental politics and policy. Other research interests include exploring how “administrative evil,” government ethics, and the role of bureaucracy shape public trust in democratic institutions.