6 join College of Letters & Sciences faculty

August 23, 2024

This fall, the College of Letters & Sciences welcomes seven new faculty members to five of its departments—including one new department chair and one Columbus State University alumna. They are among the 19 new full-time faculty joining the university for the 2024-25 academic year.

“Our class of new faculty represents the diversity of our college’s various fields of study, which ranges from the humanities to STEM disciplines,” said Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, the college’s dean. “Each is destined to be an incredible mentor to our students, and many are already proven experts in their fields of study. I’m excited about the dedication they will bring to our classrooms, laboratories and many of our community partnerships and projects.”

Rebecca Dunterman joins the faculty this fall as a lecturer in the Department of Psychology. She is pursuing a cognitive and behavioral sciences doctorate at Auburn University and anticipates completing her studies later this year. This will be in addition to the master’s in general experimental psychology and the bachelor’s in psychology she earned at Western Illinois University. At both Auburn and WIU, she was a graduate research assistant and focused on cognitive processes and mechanisms across the adult lifespan, aging and anxiety sensitivity.

Ansley Felix ’20 begins her role this fall as a lecturer and forensic science coordinator in the Department of Chemistry. Her duties will include further developing the department’s Forensic Chemistry program, expanding its partnerships with area forensic labs and co-advising its American Chemical Society student chapter. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Columbus State (2020), she earned master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from Emory University. She previously taught part-time at Kennesaw State University in its Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Brennan De’Ann-Braverman Gonzalez begins her tenure as a sociology lecturer in the Department of Society, Culture & Languages. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in curriculum and teaching at Columbus State to add to her bachelor’s in sociology from Auburn University and master’s in social science with a concentration in sociology from Troy University. She previously taught courses at Columbus State while serving as an international programming coordinator for its Center for Global Engagement. Her higher education teaching experience also includes adjunct roles at Hondros College (Westerville, Ohio) and Troy University.

Patrice Kerner brings 25 years of public safety experience, leadership and teaching to her new role as an assistant professor in the School of Policy, Justice & Public Safety. She has held many public safety-related positions throughout her career: U.S. customs agent, correctional officer, deputy sheriff, police officer, firefighter and EMT. Her notable leadership roles have included deputy executive director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, director of administration of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council, and director of the General Government & Public Safety Division for the Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget; she also has served as CFO and budget director for each of these agencies. More recently, Kerner worked within the University System of Georgia, for which she has evaluated and improved upon systemwide and campus-level administrative and fiscal processes. She holds a doctor of public administration and master’s in criminal justice degrees from Valdosta State University, a master of public administration from Kennesaw State University, and a bachelor’s in criminal justice from New Jersey City University. In addition, she has earned numerous instructor certifications in law enforcement and firefighting fields, and she previously served on Georgia Southern University’s Criminal Justice Department faculty.

Jeremy Newton begins his tenure as professor and chair of the Department of Psychology—a role he previously held at St. Martin’s University in Olympia, Washington. His focus areas include memory and trauma, eyewitness testimony, interrogation and confession, cognitive psychology and psychology of the legal system. In addition to St. Martin’s, he’s held faculty and teaching appointments at Texas Wesleyan University, and DePauw University. He holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Davis, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, and an associate degree from Middle Georgia State University.

Paul Vincent begins his tenure this fall as an assistant professor in the Department of History, Geography & Philosophy, where he will teach classes in geography and geographic information systems (GIS). His academic interests include applying geospatial technologies to answer environmental questions and help with community planning. Prior to Columbus State, he taught at Valdosta State University, where he worked with a wide range of undergraduate students in environmental geosciences. That work included community-facing projects where students led data collection and data analysis efforts. He holds a bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of West Florida. His graduate work in geography and GIS includes a master’s from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate from Texas A&M University.

More than 2,300 Columbus State students and 227 full- and part-time faculty and staff call the College of Letters & Sciences and its 10 academic departments and schools home. Faculty in many of the college’s disciplines—from English and history to mathematics and the sciences—teach as part of the university’s core curriculum, so its faculty teach every student during their CSU studies. For a directory of and information about Columbus State’s faculty and staff, visit columbusstate.edu/profiles.

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Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu