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Celebrating Faculty Excellence Through Promotion and Tenure

Honoring the academic milestones of our dedicated faculty.

Maverick Monument on the UNO Dodge campus. There are fall colored leaves and a blue sky in the back ground.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) recently recognized the outstanding accomplishments of faculty who have earned promotion and/or tenure this year. These academic milestones were celebrated during a campus-wide reception on Thursday, August 28, 2025. The names of this year’s promoted and tenured faculty are listed below by college.

“At the heart of any great university is a community of faculty who are deeply committed to teaching, research, and service,” said Phil He, Ph.D., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “It is an honor to acknowledge these individuals whose contributions help shape the future of our students, our university, and our society.”


College of Arts and Sciences

Promotion

  • Becky Brusky, Lecturer, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
  • Mark Celinscak, Professor, History
  • Jody Keisner, Professor, English
  • Jennifer Lambert, Lecturer, Thompson Learning Community
  • Michael Perry, Lecturer, Physics
  • Melanie Seitzer, Lecturer, English
  • Jasmine Watkins, Lecturer, Black Studies

Promotion and Tenure

  • William Kramer, Associate Professor, Psychology
  • Fabio Torres-Vitor, Associate Professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

College of Business Administration

Promotion

  • Anne Herman, Lecturer, Marketing
  • Brian Payne, Professor, Finance, Banking and Real Estate
  • Ben Smith, Professor, Economics

Promotion and Tenure

  • Anh Ta, Associate Professor, Management

College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media

Promotion

  • Amy Ellefson, Lecturer, Communication
  • Mark Gilbert, Professor, Arts
  • Mary Perkinson, Professor, Music
  • Casey Riesberg, Lecturer, Communication
  • Bridget Sandhoff, Professor, Arts
  • Olga Smola, Lecturer, Music
  • Andrew Stem, Lecturer, Communication
  • Amanda VonGoodrich, Lecturer, Communication

Promotion and Tenure

  • Chang (Nicky) Bi, Associate Professor, Communication
  • Whitney Gent, Associate Professor, Communication
  • Joshua Kearney, Associate Professor, Music
  • Todd Robinson, Associate Professor, Arts
  • Sharon Storch, Associate Professor, Communication

College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Promotion

  • Jacquelin Carnes, Lecturer, Teacher Education
  • Danae Dinkel, Professor, Health and Kinesiology

Promotion and Tenure

  • Anastasia Desyatova, Associate Professor, Biomechanics
  • Paula Jakopovic, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
  • Gwenael Layec, Associate Professor, Health and Kinesiology
  • Aaron Likens, Associate Professor, Biomechanics
  • Apryl Poch, Associate Professor, Special Education and Communication Disorders
  • Lucia Scheffel, Associate Professor, Special Education and Communication Disorders

College of Information Science and Technology

Promotion

  • Derek Babb, Lecturer, Interdisciplinary Informatics
  • Thom Davis, Lecturer, Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis
  • Gregory Hoff, Lecturer, Interdisciplinary Informatics
  • Kyle Reestman, Lecturer, Computer Science
  • Jeffrey Solheim, Lecturer, Computer Science

Promotion and Tenure

  • Jorge Fandinno, Associate Professor, Computer Science
  • George Grispos, Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Informatics
  • Xin Zhong, Associate Professor, Computer Science

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Promotion

  • Amy Hanson, Lecturer, Gerontology
  • Mark Kazor, Lecturer, Gerontology
  • Justin Nix, Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice

Promotion and Tenure

  • Austin Doctor, Associate Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Carolina Hotchandani, Associate Professor, Goodrich Program
  • William Swann, Associate Professor, Public Administration

Criss Library

Promotion and Tenure

  • Claire Du Laney, Associate Professor, Criss Library