Meet our new ETSU faculty - Part 3
Dr. Bernita Armstrong
Assistant Professor
Department of Graduate Programs
College of Nursing
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I have worked for 13 years as an adjunct faculty in College of Nursing. Changing roles from adjunct to full-time faculty, I look forward to working with the graduate faculty and leadership team to continue promoting the latest best practices and provide intense and varied student-experiences, so our students feel confident when they change roles from students to practicing professionals.
Where were you working most recently?
I worked for the Veterans Health Administration as a primary care provider via telehealth. I have 20-plus years of experience in oncology and palliative care organizations.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Music, reading, learning new information and skills, missions committee work – local and international.
Brad Bode
Lecturer
Department of Media and Communication
College of Arts and Sciences
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I really enjoy translating my career experiences into valuable lessons and classroom content for my students.
Where were you working most recently?
I was previously teaching as an adjunct instructor. I was also working at a local production house, Rugged Media Network, which I'm still doing.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Storytelling, writing, traveling, and building forts with my daughters.
Dr. Kristie Calvin
Clinical Instructor
Department of Educational Foundations and Special Education
Clemmer College
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I am excited to join an amazing department that values preparing teachers to meet the needs of diverse learners in K-12 education. I am looking forward to sharing my 20 years of classroom and administrative experiences with pre-service teachers. I also look forward to bringing evidence-based interventions to scale and continuing to investigate for whom and under what conditions reading comprehension interventions are effective.
Where were you working most recently?
Most recently, I was at Arizona State University completing my Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science. My research focused on developing intensive reading comprehension interventions for Spanish-English bilingual learners with reading disabilities.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy spending time with my husband of 26 years. We love hiking, traveling, and exploring areas near and far.
Marie Cantwell
Instructor
Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation, and Kinesiology
Clemmer College
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I am looking forward to meeting my students and learning about their careers and aspirations. I am also excited to be on campus and be involved in such a great community!
Where were you working most recently?
I was most recently working in Ed Tech, helping schools implement online curriculum resources that help students fill in learning gaps.
What are your favorite hobbies?
My hobbies include fitness, outdoor sports, and spending time with my three children.
Rachel Dines
Instructor
University School
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I am looking forward to building a strong French program at University School that will result in students being excellent global citizens. I also love that we get to collaborate with ETSU on projects, learning, and strategies
Where were you working most recently?
I just spent a decade at Cambridge High School in Alpharetta, Georgia, where I served
as the world languages department chair. During that time we grew from 12 to 23 languages
courses in just a few years. We also set up multiple travel and language study opportunities
and had a sister school in France that we exchanged visits with every year.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I love to spend time with family, look for antiques, hike, and listen to history podcasts.
Dr. Kristen Montgomery
Assistant Professor
Department of Graduate Programs
College of Nursing
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I stepped away from the academy for a while to pursue additional education as a nurse-midwife. I'm looking forward to returning to the endless opportunities and being involved in different projects in teaching, service, and research. Being in the clinical side of things for the last few years has generated a lot of new research and teaching ideas. I'm looking forward to implementing them with the outstanding team in the College of Nursing and beyond.
Where were you working most recently?
Most recently, I have been working as an adjunct with the College of Nursing with undergraduate student clinicals and working as a nurse-midwife.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Reading, writing, crafts, and being outdoors. We went to Maine this summer and that was the perfect outdoor vacation!
Dr. Trask Printz
Assistant Professor
ETSU Family Physicians of Kingsport
Quillen College of Medicine
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
Having been a graduate of the ETSU family medicine residency, I am excited to make the transition to faculty member. I gained a valuable education and hope to carry that forward to residents and medical students.
Where were you working most recently?
ETSU Family Physicians of Kingsport.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy hiking, caving, swimming, and spending time with friends and family.
Dr. Natalie Scott
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Quillen College of Medicine
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I love being around the students and residents who are so excited to learn. It's really incredible to return after almost 15 years and feel right at home. I'm excited to pursue my passion of taking care of breast cancer patients in a multi-disciplinary manner with ETSU. I'm looking forward to bringing my life experience to patient care and sharing how I work to balance life as a surgeon and a mom.
Where were you working most recently?
I have been working just down the road in Greeneville.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I love traveling with my husband, David, and two kids, Caleb who is 10, and Elliana, 6. We love being outdoors and trying new places and new food. We have a ton of fun together.
Michelle Sullivan
Lecturer
Department of Management and Marketing
College of Business and Technology
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I am most excited about working with students and watching their growth into their chosen profession. Nothing is more fulfilling than watching someone become successful.
Where were you working most recently?
Prior to starting as a faculty member, I have been the executive aide for the Department of Management and Marketing for the last 13 years.
What are your favorite hobbies?
My favorite hobbies include spending time with family and reading. I am also currently a Ph.D. student, which isn't a hobby but takes much of my time.
Dr. Mostafa Zahed
Assistant Professor of Statistics
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
College of Arts and Sciences
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
I have taught a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses to students with varied backgrounds for more than 10 years, as well as being an adjunct faculty for graduate students in the field of statistics and mathematics. I found that my professional experience as a statistician provided me with a broad view that is useful in assisting students with projects and assignments in the Mathematics and Statistics department at ETSU. These experiences have built my confidence and an interest in teaching, and I look forward to the opportunity to not only teach existing courses, but also work to develop new ones. I would like to contribute to the development of the department by sponsoring an extracurricular activity and joining an instructional leadership team to set goals for the university and support the education of the students and the workplace environment of other faculty and staff.
Where were you working most recently?
I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Miami. I have researched machine learning, big data, and data mining on cancer medical images on two NSF-funded projects in collaboration with Yale University and the University of Basel in Switzerland. At the same time, I was an adjunct faculty for the Applied Statistics and Research Methods department at the University of Northern Colorado at the graduate level.
What are you looking forward to the most about being an ETSU faculty member?
My main hobby is fly fishing. This activity requires you to move around to catch the fish’s movement. Also, it gives you this chance to walk through the river and catch a fish at the same time, which has a higher level of activity and fun.