Honors Program Faculty Advisory Committee (HPFAC) - Honors Program

Mrs. Paige Baumann

Assistant Professor of Nursing

812-488-2009
db316@evansville.edu

Paige is a clinical assistant professor of nursing at the University of Evansville. She graduated from the University of Louisville with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2017. She graduated from Ball State University with her Masters of Science in Nursing (Nurse Educator Concentration) in 2021. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Paige’s clinical background is in medical-surgical nursing, including neurology, oncology, orthopedics, and trauma. She is credentialed as a Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses and a Certified Nurse Educator by the National League for Nursing.

In her free time, Paige enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking, and reading.

Dr. Vincent Campese

Assistant Professor/Psychology and Director of Neuroscience Program

Hyde Hall, Room 217 D
812-488-2531
vc44@evansville.edu
Campese's Personal Website

Dr. Campese earned his PhD in 2011 from the City University of New York Graduate Center through the Cognition Brain and Behavior Psychology sub-program. His thesis project examined the neural substrates involved in context-specific memory. As a postdoctoral research scientist Dr Campese joined the LeDoux lab at New York University, where he pursued questions about how associative learning contributes to aversive motivation and memory. His work has focused on how maladaptive anxiety or fear-related defensive responding is eliminated by experience with avoidance learning. In 2018 Dr Campese became an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Evansville, in Evansville, Indiana. As a principal investigator, he continues to train students to conduct research with the long-term goal of identifying brain circuits that control defensive responding and promote active coping.

Dr. Alison Jones

(she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Education

Room 322, Graves Hall
812-488-5106
aj157@evansville.edu

Dr. Alison Jones, assistant professor in the School of Education, earned a BA in History Education and endorsement in Special Education from Whitworth University, MEd in Technology in Education from Lesley University, and EdD in Educational Leadership from University of the Cumberlands.

Dr. Jones began her teaching career in Tacoma, Washington, teaching high school special education. Relocating to Orlando, Florida, Dr. Jones taught middle school social studies in the AVID program. After a move to Evansville, Dr. Jones taught high school social studies at a private online school. Dr. Jones has served in various teaching roles, including team leader, department chair, in-service trainer, and new teacher mentor. In Orlando, Dr. Jones was recognized as her school's Social Studies Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year. Dr. Jones was the recipient of the Dean’s Teaching Award in 2022.

Dr. Julie Merkle

(she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor/Biology
Co-Director of the Eykamp Center for Teaching Excellence

Room 219, Koch Center for Engineering and Science
812-488-5026
jm757@evansville.edu

Specializations:
Developmental Biology, Genetics, Stem Cell Biology, Reproductive Biology

Dr. Yolanda Obaze

Associate Dean, Schroeder School of Business
Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management
Director of the Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Guthrie May Endowed Chair in Business

Room 121, Schroeder School of Business Building
812-488-2858
yo21@evansville.edu

Yolanda Obaze, PhD, is the Associate Dean of the Schroeder School of Business and an associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the University of Evansville (UE), Indiana. Dr. Obaze obtained her two M.B.A. (Strategic Management and Marketing), and PhD degrees from the University of North Texas, Denton Texas.| Dr. Obaze also serves as the director of the Center of Supply Chain Management. Dr. Obaze teaches the core and elective Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) courses, oversees the operations of the Center, supervises the development and implementation of the LSCM program, and ensures the efficient running of the Center through cross-industry collaborations. Dr. Obaze played a major role in the launching and development of the LSCM program. Dr. Obaze currently serves as the academic advisor for the LSCM student club, Association of Supply Chain Management student chapter, Business Professional of America student chapter, and the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at UE. Dr. Obaze received the 2018 Dean Service Award. Dr. Obaze also serves on the board of the Evansville Association of the Blind and the Potter’s Wheel Ministries.

Dr. Obaze is passionate about her research in the Humanitarian Logistics field. Her doctoral research centered on the community-based context of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management. She continues her research by helping much of the community-based companies in the Evansville area. Dr. Obaze’ s research interests include social supply chain relationships, business logistics and service operations, complex systems, and humanitarian logistics and supply chain management. She has published in Transportation Journal, Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management Journal, International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, and presented at the Conexus Indiana Industry Member Event, Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), Production and Operations Management (POMS), South West Decision Sciences Institute (SWDSI), Decision Institute conferences (DSI), and Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME). Dr. Obaze received the 2019 Dean Research award in 2019, 2020 Global Scholar award, and the 2019 Annual Decision Sciences Institute Best Theoretical Paper Award for her work on Social Supply Chain Management.

Dr. Sara Petrosillo

(she/her/hers)

Associate Professor/English

Room 326, Olmsted Hall
812-488-2010
sp220@evansville.edu

Sara Petrosillo received her BA in English and Italian Literature from Colby College, and her PhD in English from the University of California, Davis. Her scholarship focuses on medieval literature and feminism and she has published articles on medieval poetry and drama in the Journal for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Exemplaria: Medieval, Early Modern, Theory, Medieval Feminist Forum, and in a 2018 essay collection, Animal Languages in the Middle Ages: Representations of Interspecies Communication (Palgrave-Macmillan). Her book about the cultural influence of falconry on medieval reading practices, Hawking Women: Falconry, Gender, and Control in Medieval Literary Culture, will be released in 2023. She teaches first year seminars, the first half of the British literature survey, world classics, renaissance and 17^th century writers, the Romantics, and medieval literature. She also chairs and teaches the introductory class to the Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies program. She received UE’s Exemplary Teacher Award in 2021.

Dr. Ying Ying Seah

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Room 258, Koch Center for Engineering and Science
812-488-2330
ys55@evansville.edu
Seah's Full Biography

Dr. Ying Ying Seah is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Evansville (UE) and holds a Ph.D. in Technology from Purdue University. Before joining UE, she served as an Assistant Professor of Creative Technologies at Oakland City University. Informed by research, Dr. Seah is committed to integrating innovative pedagogies into her classroom. Her research interests include STEM Education, Design Thinking, Argumentation, Simulation-based Learning, and Learning Analytics.

Born and raised in Sungai Besar, Malaysia, Dr. Seah is fluent in four languages. She is deeply committed to her Christian faith and is passionate about connecting with students outside the classroom, fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, DIY projects, gardening, and travelling.

Ms. Sarah J Smith, BFA, MEIM

Costume Design / Assistant Professor

Room 118 A, Hyde Hall
812-488-5868
ss662@evansville.edu

Ms. Smith joined the UE Theatre faculty in 2017, after over a decade of professional work as a costume designer, stylist, and project manager in New York City, Los Angeles, and regional theatres across the country, Ms. Smith brings her professional work to the classroom while continuing to pursue professional projects. Her theatre work ranges from small-scale new works to opera and Broadway musicals. Sarah has worked at Disney/ABC Television Studios, styled photo shoots for national print campaigns, and designed costumes for television.

Ms. Smith received her Masters and BFA in Drama/Design from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a proud member of IATSE—United Scenic Artists Local 829 and Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 764.