Welcome to all new A-State faculty, including those featured today. Dr. Stacy Dewald joins the A-State faculty this fall as assistant professor of criminology. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has taught at the University of St. Francis the past four years. Her research interests include policing, sexual assault and problem-solving courts. A current project involves collaboration with a police department on improving police response to mental health crises.

Dr. Zhang Chiqian, a new assistant professor of civil engineering, previously taught at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, and was a microbiologist for a Cincinnati company. After earning his Ph.D. in civil engineering at Missouri, he completed postdoctoral work at Georgia Tech. A native of China, Chiqian is an environmental scientist whose research involves safe drinking water, surface quality monitoring and restoration, and environmental biotechnology.

Dr. Mary Margaret Cunningham, assistant professor of educational leadership, is a qualitative methodologist. She is joining the A-State faculty from the University of Arkansas, where she was instructor of data analysis in the Walton College of Business. Cunningham earned her Ed.D. degree in higher education administration at Arkansas, and her research areas include arts-based analyses for qualitative methodologies, grounded theory methodology, QuantCrit, and related subjects.

Dr. Eric Gotte is joining the faculty as assistant professor of special education. He has 22 years of experience in education, during which he has served in various roles including national board-certified special education teacher, public school principal, and special education designee. Gotte received his doctorate at the University of Arkansas where his research focused on retention strategies for special education teachers in rural Arkansas school districts.

Charla Bagwell is a new assistant professor of nursing at A-State. Previously she worked at a women's health clinic as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). She completed her Master of Science in Nursing degree at A-State, and her professional interests are quality nursing and women’s health.   Her career plans include continuing her education to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.