For a second week, Inside A-State welcomes new additions to the faculty. Dr. Heather Zeng, assistant professor in counselor education, is joining the school counseling program. She earned her Ph.D. at Colorado State University, and worked as a counselor educator for 10 years. She also was involved in supervisory counseling as a civilian in an overseas military setting. Her research interests include analysis at the intersection of counseling and career development.

Dr. Mahauganee Bonds, assistant professor of educational leadership, will teach online and help develop a higher education concentration in the doctoral program. Her research and her book published this year focus on emergency management for colleges and universities, specifically examining leadership decisions and organizational changes during response and recovery phases of the crisis management cycle. Previously Bonds was a faculty member at Miami University in Ohio.

Nobel Patil, who is joining the Art + Design faculty as assistant professor of programming, first came to A-State as an international student. With a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering earned in India, and a master’s in computer science from A-State, he has been working as a computer support analyst in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. He will teach computer programming languages.

A-State also welcomes Natalie Pittman, who is assistant professor of animation in the Department of Art + Design. Better known as Talie, Pittman earned her Master of Fine Arts in visualization sciences at Texas A&M. She previously was a lecturer at the University of Houston. Pittman’s professional creativity focuses around animation, painting and sculpture.

Dr. Brian Graiser, assistant professor in percussion, has been teaching at Sam Houston State University for the past six years. His interests as an artist and scholar largely revolve around the vibraphone; he is founder and current president of the Vibraphone Project, the world’s only 501(c)(3) dedicated to promoting that instrument. Graiser earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music.