M.F.A., University of Oklahoma
B.A., Humboldt State University

Stewart Asprey joins the full-time faculty this year after teaching as an adjunct in 2008-09. Originally from England, Asprey grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. His recent honors include a second place award at the 2009 Feats of Clay International Clay Exhibition in California, honorable mention at the 2009 VisionMakers Biennial Exhibit in Oklahoma, and first place at the 2007 History in the Making exhibition in New York. Asprey states that his artwork “cynically questions and humorously spoofs” the traditional and contemporary stories of human behavior. His images, ideas, and compositions are carefully selected to exploit alternative realities that are omitted from the history books. Asprey’s leisure time is spent riding motorcycles, reading, working in the garden, and researching and making art.

sasprey@okcu.edu . 208-5241

Ph.D., B.B.A., University of Oklahoma
M.B.A., Oklahoma City University

Chad Autry worked in Oklahoma City University Admissions in the 1990s. He returned to the university in January 2009, to accept the position of Associate Professor at Meinders School of Business. Prior to his return to Oklahoma City, Autry taught at Bradley University and Texas Christian University, and he has professional experience in retail and restaurant management. DC Velocity magazine named Autry a supply chain management Rainmaker in 2006, and he has received multiple awards from peer-reviewed publications as an author and reviewer. Three small children keep Autry’s leisure time to a minimum, but he manages to find a bit of extra time for his beagle as well as an occasional game of golf and soccer.

cautry@okcu.edu . 208-5534

M.F.A., Goddard College
M.A., B.A., University of South Florida
B.S., Ball State University

Danita Berg joins the English Department faculty as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Florida, where she has been a teaching assistant for the past six years. In addition to her work and studies at USF, she taught at Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Berg served as advisor for a campus newspaper and co-editor and/or mentor for three literary journals. She received the Joseph Bentley Teaching Fellowship Award from the USF Department of English in 2006. Berg’s professional interest and research focuses on how the pedagogical approaches of composition and creative writing can intersect in one classroom to the benefit of a student working in any genre. She is currently working on a novel geared for young women, and in her spare time Berg works for rescue-animal advocacy.

drberg@okcu.edu • 208-5467

M.M., University of Arkansas
B.B.A., University of Central Arkansas

Lendell Black’s music has been heard around the world. In fifteen years as a composer and arranger, his work has been featured on international broadcasts, prime time national television, in award-winning independent films, and in live concert settings. He has taught at the university level, and he served as director for “Play It Again, Arkansas,” a state program which matches deserving students with musical instruments. As a recording engineer and co-owner of Solid Rock Audio, Black produced or co-produced six CDs; spearheaded audio for concerts and conventions; and compiled a mastery of digital music technology, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro Audio, and Finale.

lblack@okcu.edu

M.S.N., University of Phoenix
B.S.N., Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City University alumna, Angela Bowen, returns to the university after working at Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City and for the Shawnee Public School District as a school nurse. Bowen taught in an associate nursing degree program in Enid for four years. In the field of nursing, her special interest is in pediatrics. When she is not riding with her husband on their motorcycle, Bowen enjoys activities with her children and reading. Originally from O’Keene, Oklahoma, she and her family currently live in Mustang. She has been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society..

adbowen@okcu.edu . 208-5942

B.P.A., Oklahoma City University

Diana Brooks’ professional experience includes work with M.A.D.D. Rhythms dance company, BAM dance company, and Rhythm ISS dance company, where she also served as business manager for four years. She taught at the Lou Contes Dance Studio, Giordanos Dance Center, Joel Hall Dance Center, and Vergine’s Dance Studio. Brooks’ hometown is Midland, Texas. She moved to Oklahoma City from Soldotna, Alaska, this summer.

debrooks@okcu.edu . 208-4958

M.S.N., University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
B.S.N., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Joining the Kramer School of Nursing faculty, Dia Campbell-Dietrixhe has recently served as director of the RN/BS program at Southern Nazarene University. Her research areas include caring for an aging population and care-giving related to long-term family illness, spousal care, and adult day care. Campbell-Dietrixhe is a member of the Oklahoma and American Nurses Associations, Oklahoma and National Gerontological Nursing Associations, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She is listed in 2009 Who’s Who Among Graduate Students in American Universities and Colleges and the 2007 Golden Key International Honour Society, and she received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. Campbell-Dietrixhe is from Tuttle, Oklahoma, and enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

ddcampbelldetrixhe@okcu.edu . 208-5955

M.F.A., University of California, Davis
B.F.A., Concordia University

Paula Dawson has an ongoing career as a performer/director in theatre and film. She is co-founder of Soulfishing, Tornadotheatre.com, and Stage Left theatre companies. Dawson’s professional interests include performance/theatre ecology, postdramatic theatre and contemporary practice, conflict theory, and exilic drama. She has relocated to Oklahoma City from Davis, California, and calls Miramichi, New Brunswick, and Los Angeles, California, home.

pdawson@okcu.edu . 208-5388

M.S.N., Ph.D., University of Missouri
P.N.P., Washington University School of Medicine
B.S.N., Lindenwood College

The majority of Elizabeth Diener’s thirty-six-year nursing career has been spent as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Her research interests in caring theory applications and arts in healthcare led her to complete certificates in the Watson Caring Theory and the Caritas Coach Program. Diener was raised in St. Charles, Missouri, and most recently lived in Buffalo, New York, before relocating to Oklahoma City. She enjoys creating beaded and textile art, and her other interests include drumming circles, family, Springer Spaniel rescue, and all types of water activities.

ejdiener@okcu.edu . 208-5944

D.M.A., State University of New York at Stony Brook
M.M., B.M., Eastman School of Music

Stacey DiPaolo has played concert stages ranging from Carnegie Hall, Alice Tulley Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, and the New York State Theater. Her orchestral performances include the American Ballet Theatre, New York Pops, Long Island Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York City Opera, New York Symphonic Ensemble, and New York Virtuosi. She is interested in the development of performance skills in young musicians, and real-world preparation for music careers. Originally from Boise, Idaho, DiPaolo relocated to Oklahoma City from Reading, Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Marc DiPaolo, spend leisure time with family. Marc is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member in OCU’s English and Moving Image Arts departments.

sldipaolo@okcu.edu . 208-5314

J.D., Oklahoma City University
B.A., University of Oklahoma

Graduating summa cum laude from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, Steven Foster has most recently been employed at the Fenton, Fenton, Smith, Reneau & Moon P.C. As a third-year law student, he and his partner received the first place award at the National Native American Law Student Association Moot Court competition. Professionally, Foster pursues an interest in Native American law and rights, while his leisure-related interests lie in the sports world—mainly football and golf.

sfoster@okcu.edu . 208-5495

M.F.A., University of Central Florida
B.M., James Madison University

Paul Gebb most recently served as director of education for the Lyric Theatre and Thelma Gaylord Academy. At the academy, he managed educational programming for the theatre, wrote curriculum for the academy classes, and directed seven children’s productions each year. Gebb previously taught at the New York Film Academy and the University of Central Florida and performed at various regional and dinner theatres, theme parks, and cruise ships. He enjoys his children, musical theater, movies, working out, and attending church.

pmgebb@okcu.edu . 208-5656

For the past seventeen years, Rebecca Gordon taught English as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City Community College, Rose State College, and Oklahoma City University. This year, she has joined the English Department as a full-time instructor. She teaches students of various skill levels, traditional and nontraditional, domestic and international, in the classroom and online.

rgordon@okcu.edu . 208-5216

D.M.A., Stanford University
M.M., New England Conservatory
B.A., Southern Adventist University
B.A., Duke University

Beth Harrison has performed concerts on significant organs in the United States and Europe and has recorded three CDs. Her newest recording, released in July 2009, was performed in the Netherlands on the historical organ in Bellingwolde. She has taught at Stanford University, Westminster College, and Geneva College, and is a former senior lecturer at Cogswell Polytechnical Institute. Harrison and her cats (Arp Schnitger and Magniffy Cat) moved to Oklahoma City from New Castle, Pennsylvania. She is originally from High Point, North Carolina.

eaharrison@okcu.edu . 208-5013

M.S.N., B.S.N., Oklahoma City University

For the past four years, Nelda Hobbs has been an adjunct instructor in the Kramer School of Nursing, and this year she has accepted a full-time faculty position at the school. Hobbs previously worked as a registered nurse in several Oklahoma City hospitals. She has been inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and has recently served as chapter board member and chapter award committee chair. She has been honored by the society with a scholarship and recognized as a nurse leader. Hobbs has received distinguished alumni awards from Kramer School of Nursing and from the Oklahoma City Public Schools. When she is away from OCU, she spends her time as a parish nurse and child health advocate. She enjoys time with her family, church activities, reading, and music.

nhobbs@okcu.edu . 208-5945

M.F.A., University of Oklahoma
B.F.A., Kansas City Art Institute

Louise Jones previously taught art at the University of Oklahoma, University of Central Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Christian University. Recent exhibitions include the JRB at the Elms, the International Small Print Exhibition at the Lesedra Gallery in Sophia, Bulgaria, the Hulsey Gallery at OCU’s Norick Art Center, the Bi-National Art Exhibit in Paraguay, and the Lackenmeyer Art Center in Cushing, Oklahoma. Jones is the recipient of the Oscar B. Jacobson and the T.G. Mays Purchase Awards at the Fred Jones Jr. Art Museum, University of Oklahoma; Best of Show at Presbyterian Hospital Annual Invitation Show; Best of Show, Oklahoma Art Guild; and Best of Show, Oklahoma Watercolor Society.

lajones@okcu.edu

J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., Stanford University

Brendan Maher’s professional background is appellate litigation. Last year, in the case of LaRue v DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, he prevailed before the U.S. Supreme Court in what The New York Times described as “one of the most important rulings in years on the meaning of federal pension law known as ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act). While at Harvard, Maher won the Boykin C. Wright Memorial Prize for Appellate Advocacy, and Best Brief in the Harvard Ames Moot Court Competition Finals. His legal scholarship has been published in the Fordham Law Review, the Wisconsin Law Review, the Loyola University-Chicago Law Journal, and he has an upcoming piece in the Indiana Law Journal. Pleased with his first teaching assignment, Maher finds that engaging his students is “incredibly energizing.” He moved to Oklahoma City from Dallas, but he is originally from the New York metropolitan area.

bmaher@okcu.edu

M.F.A., University of Cincinnati
B.A., Macalester College

Karen Coe Miller served as a staff director and instructor for the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute, and she taught stage artistry at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. Miller directs work in many forms of theater including opera, musical theater, operetta, plays, and experimental music-theater. She developed a passion for working with the singing actor early in her career while on staff at the Minnesota Opera. She is co-founder of the New Music-Theater Ensemble (now Nautilus Music-Theater), a professional company in St. Paul that supports the development and production of new work. Although she is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Miller comes to Oklahoma City from Cincinnati, Ohio. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, travel, yoga, and reading.

kcmiller@okcu.edu . 208-5653

D.M.A., Eastman School of Music
M.M., B.M., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

As a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music, Sergio Monteiro taught piano performance, musicology, and theory to beginning as well as advanced students. As a performer, he has played consistently for many years, particularly in South America and Europe. In 2003, Monteiro was awarded first prize at the Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aries. Following the competition, he performed recitals and concerts in Europe and Japan and was invited to take part in the prestigious International Piano Academy at Lake Como, Italy. Monteiro moved to Oklahoma City from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

smonteiro@okcu.edu . 208-5630

L.L.M., Temple University
J.D. Harvard Law School
B.A. University of California, Berkeley

Celeste Pagano is originally from Oakland California. Most recently, she held a teaching fellow position in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Pagano’s professional interests are in contracts law, land use law, and privatization. Her 2009 publication, Proceed with Caution: Avoiding Hazards in Toll Road Privatizations, was published in the St. John’s Law Review (Winter 2009).

cpagano@okcu.edu . 208-5486

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
B.A., Rice University

After teaching science and AP chemistry at Oklahoma City’s Harding Charter Preparatory High School for six years, Stephen Prilliman has accepted a teaching position in OCU’s Chemistry Department. In 2008, Prilliman was named teacher of the year at Harding. He is a native of Oklahoma City. Prilliman enjoys spending time with his six-month-old son, and the balance of his leisure time is spent on gardening and amateur astronomy.

sgprilliman@okcu.edu . 208-5087

Dr. Adam K. Ryburn
Associate Professor of Biology

Ph.D., Oklahoma State University
B.S., Southwestern Oklahoma State University

In addition to his teaching responsibilities at the State University of New York at Oneonta, Adam Ryburn served as presiding officer of the faculty at SUNY Oneonta, as well as curator of the university’s herbarium. He was actively involved in the community, holding the position of vice president of the board of directors for the New York Flora Association and several offices with the Habitat for Humanity of Otsego County Board of Directors. Ryburn holds memberships in Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society, Northeast Herbarium Network, Botanical Society of America, Southwest Association of Naturalists, and United University Professions. Accepting a position in the Biology Department helped fulfill Ryburn’s desire to return to Oklahoma.

aryburn@okcu.edu . 208-5044

Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
M.S., B.S., Oklahoma State University

Evan Shough worked to develop tax and accounting software for two years before beginning his teaching career at the University of Oklahoma. He returns to Oklahoma after teaching for four years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Shough is a member of the American Accounting Association and Financial Executives International. He enjoys time with his wife and two daughters, aged four and two. Reading—especially world history—is a favorite pastime, and he also enjoys golfing, hiking, and skiing when he has the opportunity.

emshough@okcu.edu . 208-5486

Ph.D., B.S., North Dakota State University
M.S., University of North Dakota

Scott Staiger is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who recently held a teaching position at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. He has also worked as a personal training director and high school soccer coach. Staiger’s professional interests lie in the exercise and health area, with his dissertation focused on the effect of physical activity on weight loss in college students.

ststaiger@okcu.edu . 208-5016

M.A., Texas State University
B.A., Truman State University

Jacob Stutzman taught as a graduate assistant at Texas State University and Kansas University, and he served as a debate coach at Truman State and Texas State University. A champion debater at Truman State, Stutzman and his debate partner won the 2000 National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship Tournament, and he returned to help coach the team to a second national championship four years later. Stutzman’s research interests include argumentation theory and practice from classical times through the present day and the use of religious appeals in political rhetoric. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Kansas. Stutzman’s leisure time is spent with his wife and their dog, and he enjoys cooking and following his favorite sports teams.

jhstutzman@okcu.edu . 208-5651

B.S., Oklahoma City University

After serving as an adjunct faculty member the past four years, Tiffany Warford has joined the university’s full-time faculty and has been named director of the Community Dance Center at the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. Warford was a member of the American Spirit Dance Company as an undergraduate at the university and, after graduating, she went on to perform in Las Vegas with the Siegfried and Roy production at the Mirage Hotel. She performed and choreographed numerous conventions and shows in Las Vegas, including the Redken Hair Show, Paul Mitchell Hair Show, and the Ribbon for Life Benefit concert. Warford received the Top Choreography award at the Talent on Parade, Dance Showcase, and StageOne dance competitions, with some of her numbers chosen for overall high point awards. Originally from Burnsville, Minnesota, Warford enjoys traveling around the country teaching master classes, and spending time with husband, Travis, and her family. They are members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

twarford@okcu.edu

Ph.D., Oklahoma State University
M.B.A., B.B.A., University of Oklahoma

Michael Williams comes to Oklahoma City
University from the Illinois State University
Department of Marketing, where he was also director for that university’s Professional Sales Institute. Williams has received two National Science Foundation grants, the Leadership in Innovative Business Education Award from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and numerous honors and awards related to his business education career. He has been published in many peer-reviewed journals, monographs, and proceedings publications, and has co-authored ten textbooks. Williams is originally from Altus, Oklahoma. He enjoys family time, outdoor activities, and traveling.

mrwilliams@okcu.edu . 208-5589