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UNO Recognizes Faculty Achievements in Promotion and Tenure

UNO is recognizing faculty who earned promotion and/or tenure this year, key milestones that reflect excellence in teaching, research, and service.

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

What’s new

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is proud to announce the latest cohort of faculty to be promoted, with some also receiving continuous appointment, across its colleges, effective with the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

Why it matters

Faculty achievement drives student success, research innovation, and community impact—core to UNO’s role as a metropolitan research university. These milestones strengthen UNO’s ability to deliver high-quality education and advance knowledge that benefits Omaha and beyond.

Zoom in

Honorees include those promoted to professor and lecturer ranks, as well as faculty awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor.

College of Arts and Sciences

Promotion
  • Samantha Ammons, Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
  • Timi Barone, Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
  • Rachel Bash, Lecturer, English
  • Danielle Battisti, Professor, History
  • Elizabeth Chalecki, Professor, Political Science
  • Gwyneth Cliver, Professor, World Languages and Literature
  • Brady DeSanti, Professor, Religious Studies
  • Heather Giles, Lecturer, Psychology
  • Sara Marzioli, Lecturer, World Languages and Literature
  • Sarah Mason, Lecturer, English
  • Matthew Northam, Lecturer, Biology
  • Lana Obradovic, Professor, Political Science
  • Eric O’Brien, Lecturer, English
  • Julie Pelton, Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
  • Mithra Pirooz, Lecturer, Psychology
  • Jillian Quandt, Lecturer, English
  • Jeanne Reames, Professor, History
  • Janet Reilly, Lecturer, Political Science
  • Martina Saltamacchia, Professor, History
  • Rosemary Strasser, Professor, Psychology
  • Ryan Wong, Professor, Biology
  • Theodore Woolman, Lecturer, Chemistry
Promotion and Tenure
  • Paul Ayayee, Associate Professor, Biology
  • Jonathan Clayton, Associate Professor, Biology
  • Abigail Folberg, Associate Professor, Psychology
  • Sachin Nedungadi, Associate Professor, Chemistry
  • Mahima Saxena, Associate Professor, Psychology
  • Allison Schlosser, Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
  • Jonathan Schueth, Associate Professor, Geography and Geology
  • Karina Uhing, Associate Professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
  • Cong Wang, Associate Professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

College of Business Administration

Promotion
  • Zhigang Feng, Professor, Economics
  • Kelsey Medeiros, Professor, Management
  • Jessica Perrigan, Lecturer, Economics
  • Jamie Wagner, Professor, Economics
  • Dustin White, Professor, Economics
  • Xiaoming Yang, Professor, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
  • Yanhui Zhao, Professor, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Promotion and Tenure
  • Sona Klucarova, Associate Professor, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
  • Jinan Liu, Associate Professor, Economics
  • Zhihao (Max) Yu, Associate Professor, Marketing and Entrepreneurship

College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media

Promotion
  • William Cooney, Lecturer, Communication
  • Lisa Coutley, Professor, Arts
  • Lisa German, Lecturer, Communication
  • Traelon Graham, Lecturer, Communication
  • Katherine Storck, Lecturer, Communication
Promotion and Tenure
  • Teresa Carmody, Associate Professor, Arts
  • Caitlin Cass, Associate Professor, Arts
  • Katrina Cox, Associate Professor, Music
  • Lei Guo, Associate Professor, Communication
  • Herbert Thompson III, Associate Professor, Communication
  • Hannah Weaver, Associate Professor, Music
  • Kenneth White, Associate Professor, Arts
  • Ronald Zank, Associate Professor, Arts

College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Promotion
  • Kathleen Hinman, Lecturer, Teacher Education
  • Andrea Karpf, Lecturer, Teacher Education
  • Kay Keiser, Professor, Educational Leadership
  • Adam Rosen, Professor, Health and Kinesiology
Promotion and Tenure
  • David Kingston, Associate Professor, Biomechanics
  • Jennifer Lemke, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
  • Kailey Snyder, Associate Professor, Health and Kinesiology
  • Christina Wilcoxen, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
  • Samuel Wilkins, Associate Professor, Health and Kinesiology

College of Information Science and Technology

Promotion
  • Ashokan Ashwathy, Lecturer, Computer Science
  • Dario Ghersi, Professor, Interdisciplinary Informatics
Promotion and Tenure
  • Deanna House, Associate Professor, Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis
  • Kwangsung Oh, Associate Professor, Computer Science

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Promotion
  • Heidi Rueda, Professor, Social Work
  • Scott Sasse, Lecturer, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Promotion and Tenure
  • Liam Heerten-Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Social Work
  • Stevie Seibert Desjarlais, Associate Professor, Goodrich Scholarship Program
  • Lisa Smith, Associate Professor, Social Work
  • Yiwei Zhang, Associate Professor, Social Work

What they’re saying

Phil He, Ph.D., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs:
“Our faculty play a vital role in advancing knowledge, supporting student success, and strengthening our community. It is an honor to recognize these individuals whose work shapes the future of our students, our university, and our community.”