The Office of Academic Affairs announced the faculty joining Sterling College for the fall semester.

“We are anticipating a great semester with the incoming group of faculty joining us over the next few weeks. Their eagerness to meet students and the outstanding credentials they bring to the classroom has set up Sterling for a great beginning of the 2015-16 academic year,” said Dr. Ken Brown, vice president for academic affairs.

Aaron Brown joined the faculty as assistant professor of writing and editing. He is a published novelist and poet who completed his M.F.A. in Poetry Writing from the University of Maryland. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in English Writing from Wheaton College in Illinois. Brown grew up in Chad, Africa, which is the inspiration for his collection of poems, “Winnower,” published in 2013.

Dr. Jeff Bruns, professor of business, comes to Sterling with 17 years of experience in higher education, having taught at Southeast Missouri State University and Bacone College. Bruns holds four degrees from Illinois State University: a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, an M.B.A. in Management and Quantitative Methods, an M.S. in Criminal Justice and a B.S. in Criminal Justice. He also has an M.S. in Management from Southeast Missouri State University.

Returning to her Alma Mater, Marisa (Giorgetti) Callan ’05 is as an assistant professor of music. Callan graduated from Sterling College in 2005 with her bachelor’s in music education and completed her M.M. in Conducting from California Baptist University in 2010. She is an experienced pianist, minister of music, vocalist and professor, having taught several courses as an adjunct and full-time professor at California Baptist.

Samantha Kennedy became full-time faculty as an assistant professor of theatre arts after serving as an adjunct instructor for the spring semester last year. Kennedy received her M.A. in Theatre from Missouri State University and B.F.A. from Emporia State University. She is currently working on an M.A. in Arts Administration from University of Kentucky.

Coming from The Ohio State University where he earned his M.S. in Mathematics and served as a lecturer and graduate teaching assistant, Peter Kosek is an assistant professor of mathematics. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics from The College at Brockport, State University of New York, and has a background in teaching, tutoring, and conference presentations.

Joining Callan and Mark Clark in the Department of Music, Dr. Richard Nichols is an instrumentalist who is serving as professor of music. He earned his D.M.A. from The Ohio State University, his M.M. from Southern Methodist University and B.M. from Bob Jones University. Nichols is an experienced professor, conductor and composer. He is a horn player and has performed with the Boston Brass, Dallas Symphony, Rochester Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony and United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Keith Pfannenstiel, assistant professor of exercise science, holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at the University of Northern Colorado, an M.S. in Physical Education and a B.S. in Health Promotion from Emporia State University. He has experience teaching at Emporia State University and University of Northern Colorado.

Assistant Professor of Art and Design David Stenulson has experience as a visiting professor and adjunct instructor at Centre College, Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University, and has held workshops at Asbury University and surrounding communities. He earned his M.F.A. in Drawing from the New York Academy of Art and his B.F.A. from Asbury University. His art, which he describes as a spiritual endeavor, has been displayed in over a dozen group and solo exhibitions.

Coming to Sterling from the broadcast industry, Gorman Woodfin is an assistant professor of communication with 20 years of experience as a celebrity correspondent, reporter, producer, script writer and Hollywood screenwriter. He has both an M.F.A. in Script and Screenwriting and an M.A. in Television Production from Regent University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree and an M.A. in Interpretive Speech from Bob Jones University.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.