Title
School of Arts & Social Sciences Faculty

School of SASS Faculty

845-398-4155

Nina Bellisio

Office: Spellman Hall
Professor of Visual Communications, Assistant Dean Curricular Innovation and Evaluation

Nina Bellisio is a Professor of Visual Communications at St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York. She joined the faculty there in 2011 after teaching art and design for ten years at the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.

Heath Bowen

Office: Spellman Hall
Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences, and Associate Professor of History

Dr. Heath Bowen is the Dean of the School of Arts & Social Sciences and an Associate Professor of History at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

845-398-4059

[email protected]

Neerja Chaturvedi

Office: Maguire Hall 209
Professor of History

Teaching interests include European and Global History. European imperialism, post-colonial history, race, class and gender issues, human rights and social justice.

Ellen Chayet

Office: Maguire Hall 110
Professor of Criminal Justice, Director MPA-CJ

Dr. Chayet is passionate about prison reform and facilitating the experience of returning citizens. Her classes in these areas — Prisons in America, reentry (Contemporary Issues), and the effectiveness of punishment (Penology) – examine issues of race and class and identify directions to improve the criminal justice system.

Carolyn Fraker

Office: Maguire Hall 129
Assistant Professor

Carolyn Fraker (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and the Interim-Director of the Justice Studies Institute at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in sociology from Grinnell College.

Oscar González-Barreto

Office: Maguire Hall G12
Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latinx Studies

Oscar González-Barreto, PhD., is an Assistant Professor of Hispanic American and Latinx literature and culture and Film Studies at St. Thomas Aquinas College. He is a former Associate Research Scholar of the Department of Iberia and Latin American Cultures at Columbia University, and former Senior Lector of Castilian-Spanish (and Creative writing) at Yale University's Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese.

Richard F. Heath, Ph.D.

Office: Maguire Hall G12
Professor of Psychology

Dr. Richard Heath joined STAC in 1996. His previous work included Chief Psychologist of the Learning Disabilities Unit of the SUNY College of Optometry, psychologist at the Hallen School formerly in Mamaroneck, NY, adjunct instructor at Ramapo College and Mercy College.

David Keppler

Office: Maguire Hall 14
David Keppler

Dr. Keppler has taught Philosophy continuously (except for the early years which had its gaps) for 38 years. In that time he has had two children, at least one wife, and many beloved pets.

Carol Greiff Lagstein

Office: Maguire Hall 119
Director of Art Therapy

Carol Grieff Lagstein studied art at the California College of Art and received a BFA. She then studied art therapy at Pratt Institute receiving an MPS and later studied social work at Columbia University to receive an MSW.

Linda Levine Madori

Office: Maguire Hall 208 (currently on Zoom)
Professor of Therapeutic Recreation

Dr. Linda Levine Madori has specialized in the field of Gerontology since 1980. She is a two-time Fulbright Scholar, 25 years tenured professor, author, trainer and researcher of a creative arts approach to brain stimulation found in neuroscience research titled Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming.

Susan K. Marell

Office: Spellman Hall
Professor of Psychology

Dr. Susan K. Marell has devoted over three decades to teaching psychology as a professor at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She feels that the most rewarding aspect of teaching is helping students build the confidence in themselves to pursue their goals and dreams.

Craig Martin

Office: Spellman
Professor of Religious Studies

Craig Martin teaches a wide variety of classes on religion and philosophy at St. Thomas Aquinas College, from Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism to Ethics and Philosophy of Social Science. His scholarly areas of expertise include method and theory in the study of religion, critical theory and feminist theory, discourse analysis, and ideology critique.

Evan Matthews

Office: Sullivan Theatre 2
Associate Professor

Evan Matthews is a professional singer/actor and music professor. He holds several academic degrees, including the Doctor of Education, Music from Columbia University. His research interests include the observation of Flow Experience in musical improvisation and music composition using noise, improvisation and found objects.

Ira Promisel

Office: Maguire Hall 105
Visiting Instructor

Professor Promisel has been a Visiting Instructor of Criminal Justice at STAC since 2014. He holds an MPA degree from Marist College, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Albany, as well as a Master's in Philosophy from John Jay.

Maria Ann Roglieri

Office: Maguire Hall 106
Professor Global Literatures, Cultures, and Languages

Dr. Roglieri enjoys teaching Global Literature, Italian Literature, Global Cultures, and Italian and Spanish languages. She seeks to instill in her students a lifelong love of learning and a deep understanding of global cultures.

N. Amos Rothschild

Office: Borelli Hall 117
Associate Professor of English

Dr. Rothschild's courses cover a broad swath of early British literature, while his research focuses more narrowly on early modern English literature and culture. He is particularly interested in exploring connections between literary studies, the history of education, book history, and the history of science and technology.

Stacy Kinlock Sewell

Office: Spellman Hall 105D
Professor of History; Assistant Dean, School of Arts & Social Science; Assistant Dean, School of STEM

Since 2000, Dr. Sewell has been teaching courses in 20th century American history particularly as it relates to the histories of race, politics, and the built environment. She is interested in studying how cities have transformed since World War Two, and the meanings and memories former and current residents have about the places they live or have left.

Staci Shultz

Office: Maguire Hall 117
Associate Professor of English, Director of Writing

Dr. Shultz has a background in American literature, composition studies, and social science research. She teaches a variety of courses at STAC, including Writing 101 and 102, American Autobiography, Graphic Novels, American Lit to 1900, Lit & Gender, African American Lit, and First Year Seminar.

Erica Soto

Office: Maguire Hall 202
Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication Arts

Erica Soto is a television and digital media producer who has produced content for several companies, including Facebook, Instagram, NBC, Viacom and NPR. With experience in both audio and visual storytelling she strives to create stories that are accessible on a wide variety of media platforms.

Tracy Tully

Office: Maguire Hall 103
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice

Dr. Tracy Tully joined the St. Thomas Aquinas Criminal Justice faculty in 2019 from The City University of New York (CUNY), where she worked for the better part of a decade.

Benjamin C. Wagner

Office: Spellman Hall 124
Associate Professor of Psychology

Trained in experimental social psychology, Dr. Benjamin Wagner's research has focused primarily on how people’s social and political attitudes form and change. He is particularly interested in the role of emotion in persuasion, but has also explored moral judgment, stereotyping and prejudice, and the impact of fictional narratives on attitudes and beliefs.

Monica Wendel

Office: Maguire Hall 119
Associate Professor of Composition and Creative Writing

Professor Monica Wendel began her teaching career in 2008 as a Goldwater Fellow, leading creative writing workshops for patients in Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island. Since then, she has taught creative writing in a variety of settings, including St. Mary’s Health Care System for Kids, two different nonprofit children’s educational organizations, NYU, and, of course, STAC.

Elaine Winship

Office: Maguire Hall 219
Associate Professor of Communication Arts

Professor Winship earned her MA in Communications from Syracuse University, her MS in Adult Education and Human Resources from Fordham University, and her Certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers University.

EMERITUS FACULTY

Mary McGann Burns (deceased), Professor of English and Communication
John J. Casazza (deceased), Professor of Chemistry
Joseph Coyne, Professor of Psychology
M. Perpetua Deane, O.P. (deceased), Professor of Romance Languages
Marie Jean Dempsey, O.P., Professor of Humanities
John Durney, Professor of Communication Arts
Karen Edelmann, Professor of Art
Mary Ellen Ferraro (deceased), Professor of Mathematics
John Galotto (deceased), Professor of Psychology
Joseph A. Keane, Professor of Physics and Mathematics
Barbara Ward Klein, Dean of Institutional Assessment and Professor of Communications
Florette R. Koffler, Professor of Romance Languages
Celeste Leger (deceased), O.P., Professor of Social Sciences
Catherine Maher, O.P. (deceased), Professor of Spanish
Denton May, Professor of English
Ann Paul Mollman (deceased), O.P., Professor of Natural Sciences
Peter D. O'Connor (deceased), Professor of English
Charles O'Neill, Professor of English
Gonzalo Plasencia, Professor of Spanish
Marie Postner, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics
Carl Rattner, Professor of Art
Patricia Ann Reilly (deceased), O.P., Professor of English
John Rosko, Professor of Biology
Robert C. Schelin (deceased), Professor of Social Sciences
James Vendetti, Professor of Communications

Adjunct Faculty

Nora Aanonsen, Spanish
A.A., El Camino College; B.A., M.A., California State University Dominguez Hills

Vivian Altamura, Psychology
B.A., Rutgers University; M.A., Ph.D., Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology

Eileen Andreassi, Therapeutic Recreation
B.A., SUNY Binghamton; M.A., New York University

William Barbera, Criminal Justice
A.A., Rockland Community College; B.S., St. Thomas Aquinas College; M.S. /AJS, University of Phoenix

Margaret Fitzpatrick, Religious Studies
B.S., Boston State College; M.A., Fordham University; Ed.M./Ed.D., Columbia University

Daly Flanagan, Art
B.F.A., San Diego State University; M.Ed., Bank Street College of Education/Parsons School of Design

Matthew Garrity, History and Writing
A.S., Westchester Community College; B.S., M.S., St. Thomas Aquinas College

Diane Gasparrini, English
B.A., College of Mt. St. Vincent; M.A., Fairleigh Dickinson University; M.S., College of New Rochelle

Marni Gold, English
B.A., SUNY Plattsburgh; M.S.Ed., Pace University

James Houston, Communication Arts
A.A.S., CUNY Bronx Community College; B.A., CUNY Lehman College; M.A., William Paterson College; M.S., Ramapo College of New Jersey

Timothy Hull, Art
B.A., New York University; M.F.A., Parsons School of Design

Robert Ingoglia, History
B.A., William Patterson University; M.A., Ph.D., The Graduate School, CUNY

Mark Lambert, Psychology
B.A., Rider University; M.A., Psy.D., Fairleigh Dickinson University

Brandon McLauchlin, Religious Studies
B.A., Fayetteville State University; M.Div., Campbell University Divinity School; D.Min., Drew Theological School

Arlene Melillo, English
A.A., Rockland Community College; B.A., SUNY Empire State College; M.A., Iona College

Louis Muggeo, Psychology
A.A., Bergen Community College; B.S., St. Thomas Aquinas College; M.A., Fairleigh Dickinson University; Psy.D., Long Island University

James Nawoichyk, Criminal Justice
B.S., St. Thomas Aquinas College; M.P.A., Marist College

Thomas Okada, Art
B.F.A., New York Institute of Technology; M.F.A., Pratt Institute

Mark Porto, Philosophy
B.A., M.A., Seton Hall University; Ph.D., The Graduate Theological Foundation

William Quirk, Criminal Justice
B.A., The College of New Jersey; J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law

Phoebe Rosenwasser, Writing/English
B.A., Towson University; M.A.T., Fairleigh Dickinson University

Susanne Rovida, Communication Arts
A.A.S., Herkimer County Community College; B.S., Plattsburgh State University; M.S., Iona College

Susan Rucano, History
B.A., SUNY New Paltz; M.A., Fordham University

Celeste Sherry, English
B.A., SUNY Empire State College; M.S.T., St. Thomas Aquinas College

CarolAnn Slattery, Psychology
B.A., Dominican College; M.S.W., New York University; Ed.D., Argosy University

Barbara Yontz, Art
B.A., M.A., University of South Florida; M.A., Vanderbilt University; MFA, Vermont College

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Title
School of Arts & Social Sciences Faculty

School of SASS Faculty

Nina Bellisio

Heath Bowen

Neerja Chaturvedi

Ellen Chayet

Carolyn Fraker

Oscar González-Barreto

Richard F. Heath, Ph.D.

David Keppler

Carol Greiff Lagstein

Linda Levine Madori

Susan K. Marell

Craig Martin

Evan Matthews

Ira Promisel

Maria Ann Roglieri

N. Amos Rothschild

Stacy Kinlock Sewell

Staci Shultz

Erica Soto

Tracy Tully

Benjamin C. Wagner

Monica Wendel

Elaine Winship

EMERITUS FACULTY

Adjunct Faculty

About Us Menu.jpg

Admissions Menu Block.jpg

Academics Menu Block.jpg

Student Life Menu.jpg

Events Menu Block.jpg

Title School of Arts & Social Sciences Faculty

School of SASS Faculty

Nina Bellisio

Heath Bowen

Neerja Chaturvedi

Ellen Chayet

Carolyn Fraker

Oscar González-Barreto

Richard F. Heath, Ph.D.

David Keppler

Carol Greiff Lagstein

Linda Levine Madori

Susan K. Marell

Craig Martin

Evan Matthews

Ira Promisel

Maria Ann Roglieri

N. Amos Rothschild

Stacy Kinlock Sewell

Staci Shultz

Erica Soto

Tracy Tully

Benjamin C. Wagner

Monica Wendel

Elaine Winship

EMERITUS FACULTY

Adjunct Faculty

Connect with STAC

Title
School of Arts & Social Sciences Faculty