Faculty Profiles
Our faculty bring extensive professional expertise in our competitive fields of study. They may be scientists, CEOs, project leaders, or clinicians. Their experience and wisdom enables our students to see how our science and technology majors apply to the career world as they guide students through their courses. Browse the profiles below to learn more about our faculty.
Frank Armour |
Corporate Faculty
farmour@HarrisburgU.net
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Susan Barrows, Ph.D |
Associate Professor of Integrative Sciences
717.901.5147
sbarrows@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Barrows received her B.A. in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College in 1992 and Ph.D. in computational organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 1997. Dr. Barrows began her teaching career in 1997 as a visiting assistant professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, MA. Before coming to Harrisburg University, Dr. Barrows taught at Penn State University – Schuylkill Campus. Dr. Barrows’ research interests are centered in the utilization of computers in chemical education and the investigation of transition metal catalyzed reactions. Her research also includes the study of transition metal catalysis of the water gas shift reaction, an important chemical process in fuel cells and the coal-to-oil process. Throughout her career, Dr. Barrows has been highly involved in the community as well as the science industry; conducting chemistry workshops, authoring various industry publications and is currently a member of the American Chemical Society and reviewer for the Journal of Chemical Education and Journal of Computational Chemistry.
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James Beeghley, Ed.D.
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Corporate Faculty, Commonwealth of PA Department of Education
jbeeghley@HarrisburgU.net
James Beeghley is an IT Policy Specialist in the Bureau of Educational Technology of the Office of Information and Educational Technology for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education. In addition to his position at PDE, James is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Education department for Waynesburg University. He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation in Instructional Technology at Duquesne University where he is examining how Pennsylvania teachers are using technology to teach the American Civil War. He is the author of the Teaching the Civil War with Technology Blog. James has presented on numerous topics including technology planning, copyright, network security, technology audits, and most recently uses of technology to teach the Civil War.
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Samuel Benigni, Ph.D.
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Corporate Faculty, RCA/Thomson, Inc. (Retired)
sbenigni@HarrisburgU.net
Introductory Physics and Mathematics
Dr. Benigni received his B.A. in Physics from Mansfield University in 1976 and Ph.D. in Physics from Kent State University in 1983. At Kent State, Dr. Benigni developed an X-Ray Diffraction facility in conjunction with the Kent State University’s Liquid Crystal Institute. His X-Ray research led to the development of a novel Liquid Crystalline Phase. During this time, Dr. Benigni was also engaged in a federally funded research project where he developed modifications to Introductory Physics laboratory equipment for the physically handicapped. After receiving his doctorate degree, Dr. Benigni taught Introductory Physics, Astronomy, Conceptual Physics, Digital Electronics, and Microprocessor programming at Kent State’s Trumbull branch campus. In 1985, he joined the RCA Advanced Display Research and Development Labs in Lancaster, PA. His duties there included industrial process engineering, supporting RCA’s CRT and Electron Gun production facilities in the US, Italy, France, Brazil, China and Mexico. In 1989, Dr. Benigni became Manager and Senior Scientist of the Physics Group at RCA, leading several of RCA’s key research projects in advanced CRT design, and Flat Panel Field Emission Display devices. He holds several patents in vacuum CRT design and processing and advanced Field Emission Display technology. In January of 2008, Dr. Benigni joined the Corporate Faculty at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and is currently teaching Introductory Physics and Mathematics. He is a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers and the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society.
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Steven Birmingham |
Corporate Faculty, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
sbirmingham@HarrisburgU.net
Mr. Birmingham received an M.S.E. in Management of Technology from the University of Pennsylvania, through a program sponsored by Penn Engineering and the Wharton School of Business. He also holds a B.A. in Economics from Penn and has completed coursework at the American University of Paris. Mr. Birmingham began his professional career in Philadelphia, eventually returning to Europe to work as a coach, teacher, and administrator at the Institut Montana Zugerberg in Zug, Switzerland. He served as the Director of Technology at Commerce Bank for nearly a decade, where he oversaw project management, development, and technology services. Mr. Birmingham is a charter member of the corporate faculty at Harrisburg University, a director of the Keystone Leadership Development Corporation, a member of the Technology Council of Central PA Cyber Security and Business Continuity Industry Partnership, and a former senior staffer of the Keystone Boys’ State leadership program, where he taught for 17 years. He is currently developing a corporate training course on project communications.
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Rhonda Brittain, PMP |
Corporate Faculty, Program Manager, Electronic Data Systems Inc.
rbrittain@HarrisburgU.net
Rhonda Brittain currently works as a program manager for Electronic Data Systems Inc. (EDS). Ms. Brittain brings 20 years business experience in Information Technology, Human Resource, Insurance, Health Care, Financial, and Government industries which span both international and domestic programs. She has strong communication, relationship management, consulting and training skills mixed with an extensive background in information systems including systems architecture, analysis, and programming. As a project and program management consultant she optimized performance and exceeded organizational expectations by using project management, streamlining processes and Organizational Effectiveness practices. Ms Brittain has been a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) since 1999 and has been teaching project management classes for 13 years to audiences that varied from small business owners to employees of Fortune 500 companies.
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G. Thomas Caltagirone, Ph.D.
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Corporate Faculty, President & CEO, Aptagen, LLC
tcaltagirone@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Caltagirone is president & CEO of Aptagen, LLC, a biotechnology company located in Jacobus, PA. The company is developing a rapid fast-track approach to drug discovery. Dr. Caltagirone has over 10 years of research and business experience in start-ups. He is a corporate faculty member at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology. Dr. Caltagirone's undergraduate degree is in biochemistry with a minor in mathematics. His doctoral degree is in neuroscience from Drexel University College of Medicine. His thesis work was performed at Yale University and focused on RNA enzymology. He is a recipient of Empire's Who's Who award, and an inventor on a patent with another one pending. On his spare time, he enjoys lap swimming and a good game of Texas Hold’em
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Michael Campbell |
Corporate Faculty
mcampbell@HarrisburgU.net
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Joseph E. Cannon, Ph.D. |
Associate Professor of Computer and Information Sciences
717.901.5119
jcannon@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Cannon received his Ph.D. in computer information systems from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. He also holds a master’s degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Physics minor from LaSalle University. Dr. Cannon began his teaching career at DeSales University where he was an adjunct professor of computer science before accepting the position of associate professor of computer information systems at Prince George’s Community College. In 2001, Dr. Cannon transferred to Kutztown University where he taught graduate and undergraduate computer science courses. Dr. Cannon’s ongoing areas of research at Harrisburg University include developing efficient algorithms to update beliefs in Bayesian Belief Networks by utilizing parallel processing methods and cluster computing technology.
Dr. Cannon's faculty web page (for office hours and class schedule).
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Keith Chase |
Corporate Faculty, Vice President & Partner, Gannet Fleming Inc.
kchase@HarrisburgU.net
Keith teaches the University’s Intro to Business courses. He is also a Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of AvantIMC, a Gannett Fleming - Dering Consultant Group joint venture providing strategic planning, management consulting and organizational development services to the public and private sectors. Keith leads Gannett Fleming’s National Planning Practice. Keith was the project manager for PennDOT’s new long range multi-modal transportation plan—The PA Mobility Plan (www.pamobilityplan.com) which won the PA Consultant Engineering Council’s honor award. His professional interests include strategic planning, change management, and public-private partnerships. He also an experienced facilitator and has led a wide range of training design, development and delivery engagements for private and public sector organizations. He has been the project principal or project manager for well over 100 varied projects as a consultant.
Keith joined Gannett Fleming in 1995 after 14 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served as Deputy Secretary for Aviation, Rail, and Ports (1990-1995); Unit Manger with the Joint Legislative Budget & Finance Committee (1989-1990); Executive Policy Analyst with the Governor’s Policy Office (1984-1989); Transportation Planner with PennDOT’s Office of Planning (1982-1984); and as a Pennsylvania Management Intern (1981-1982).
While a PennDOT Deputy Secretary he led the PA Double-Stack Rail Clearance private-public partnership, numerous regional and shortline railroad projects, and several goods movement planning initiatives. Keith was one of two original co-chairs for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Goods Movement Task Force. He also had oversight for the operations of state owned air and rail facilities, including Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania’s third largest commercial airport. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania nominated Keith for two prestigious awards for his service and achievements—the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young American Leaders and the AASHTO Intermodal Innovation award.
Keith’s education includes bachelors and masters degrees respectively in public service (political science) and public administration (M.P.A. with distinction). He served with the United States Air Force and later with the Air National Guard. He also completed the AASHTO Executive Institute. Keith presently serves as Executive Committee Chairman of the Pennsylvania Association for Nutrition and Activity.
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Edward Commons |
Corporate Faculty
ecommons@HarrisburgU.net
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Calvin Deiterich |
Corporate Faculty
cdeiterich@HarrisburgU.net
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Bradley Demler |
Corporate Faculty
bdemler@HarrisburgU.net
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Christina L. Dryden, Ph.D. |
Assistant Professor of Integrative Sciences
717.901.5130
cdryden@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Christina L. Dryden is a marine environmental chemist /analytical chemist/chemical oceanographer and a Charter Faculty member at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. She received a B.S. in Chemistry from Salisbury University and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Old Dominion University. Dr. Dryden began her academic career as a summer student employee at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and prior to joining the faculty at HU was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University. Dr. Dryden works on various aspects of trace metals (copper, cadmium, zinc) cycling in aquatic systems. The biogeochemical cycling of these elements affects the ecology of microorganisms in marine and estuarine systems. The majority of her research has focused on investigating the interactive response of microbial communities to copper stress. Dr. Dryden has published in peer-reviewed journals on this topic and given presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. As a faculty member at HU, she has become involved in incorporating technology in the classroom and the HU learning experience.
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Kelly Fisher |
Corporate Faculty, Analyst, GeoDecisions
kfisher@HarrisburgU.net
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S. Walter “Scott” Foulkrod IV, Esquire
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Corporate Faculty
sfoulkrod@HarrisburgU.net
Scott Foulkrod teaches English/writing, and philosophy and literature courses. He is a graduate of Cumberland Valley High School near Harrisburg, the University of Richmond with a BA in both English and French, and Widener University School of Law's Harrisburg campus. He has practiced law in the Harrisburg area since 1992, has served on the board of and as president of the Harrisburg Young Professionals, and remains involved in that non-profit organization's efforts to continue to improve Harrisburg's quality of life for younger adults. In 2004 he co-founded and served as the initial chair of the Pennsylvania Young Professionals. He enjoys outdoor sports including swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball, travel, film, and spending time with his friends.
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Robert Furey, Ph.D. |
Associate Professor of Integrative Sciences
717.901.5132
rfurey@HarrisburgU.net
Dr Rob Furey earned his doctorate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Life Sciences program with a specialization in ethology. His work was centered around social aspects of spider behavior, but his interests have broadened to include areas of astronomy, physics, geology and forensics. Before coming to Harrisburg University Dr Furey has been associate professor of behavioral science at the Université Henri Poincaré, Vandouvre les Nancy, France, visiting European researcher at the Free University of Brussels, and assistant professor in New Century College at George Mason University. Dr Furey won numerous awards for innovative teaching from both academic and business groups, and was invited to present a broad integrated science course to a pedagogy group at NASA Ames. He has been working closely with the Dauphin County Coroner’s office as a sworn deputy since January 1, 2006. His current position in Integrative Sciences at Harrisburg University is well suited to his interests and teaching style. Complimentary activities include director of the environmental education center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, guide and science advisor to a Partridge Films film crew in Equatorial West Africa and a regular science column in Aeon Magazine.
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James Gates |
Corporate Faculty, Instructional Technology Trainer, CAIU
jgates@HarrisburgU.net
Mr. Gates has been teaching in the public schools since 1971, first as a music teacher, then a computer teacher beginning in 1983. He has authored and taught courses ranging from BASIC programming to C++ programming, and from personal computing courses to Internet-based classes.
In 1991 Mr. Gates began a Macintosh computer users group for educators in the area called CAMELOT. He was President and newsletter editor for six of the seven years of the group's existence. He has won a National Gold and a Bronze award for a column that he wrote ("Caught on the Web") for a parenting magazine. His blog, "Tipline - Gates' Computer Tips" won the 2007 Edublogs award for the best resource sharing blog. And, Mr. Gates has served on the board of the PETE&C (Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference) conference committee, and was the President of the board in 2007-2008. He has also been a keynote speaker for many functions around the state. His topic of interest deals with 21st Century Teaching and Learning and the "Web 2.0" tools that help to facilitate it.
Mr. Gates received his Masters in Science in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University. He is currently an employee with the Capital Area Intermediate unit in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, where he serves as the Instructional Technology Trainer there.
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Donald Helms |
Corporate Faculty
dhelms@HarrisburgU.net
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Graham Hetrick, B.C.F.E.
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Corporate Faculty, Dauphin County Coroner
ghetrick@HarrisburgU.net
Graham Hetrick is a member of the University’s corporate faculty in the forensics major. He is the Dauphin County Coroner since 1990. He has supervised investigations of over 200 homicide cases and has performed forensic facial reconstruction. He is a Professor of Medical/Legal Investigation Central Pennsylvania College and his specialty is in crime scene management and shallow grave recovery. Mr. Hetrick was president of the Hetrick Funeral Home from 1975-2003. He served in the United States Army Service from 1965-1968. He has received many honors including a Commendation by Mayor Stephen Reed of Harrisburg - Dillion Serial Murders, Commendation by Swatara Police Department - Joe Miller Triple Homicide, Third Degree Black Belt - Isshinryu Karate (2003) and Mu Sigma Alpha Award for Academic Proficiency - Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (1973,)
Mr. Hetrick has a M.S. in Research Psychology. He is the Past Chairman of the Dauphin County Hospital Authority and a former Susquehanna Township Commissioner. He is member of Pennsylvania Coroner’s Association, Mass Disaster Committee and Pennsylvania Republican State Committeeman, and member and Chairman of the Board of Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance.
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Michele Hoshauer |
Corporate Faculty, GIS Analyst
mhoshauer@HarrisburgU.net
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Daniel Jensen, Ed.D.
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Corporate Faculty, Consultant & Instructor (retired Colonel) USAWC
djensen@HarrisburgU.net
Dan Jensen is a consultant specializing in strategic planning, leadership, education, and training. He is currently involved in a strategic planning project with a Department of Defense organization and is also engaged in projects with General Dynamics Information Technology and INTECON, Inc. Before embarking in a consulting career he served for over 26 years as an Army officer ending his military career as an instructor in the Department of Command, Leadership and Management at the U.S. Army War College teaching Strategic Leadership, Strategic Thinking, and other military and leadership related courses. A practitioner and instructor of leadership, Dr. Jensen has had a myriad of military assignments ranging from an infantry battalion commander to an organizational development consultant where he designed and facilitated numerous strategic planning, process improvement, team building, and conflict management workshops for senior officials in the Washington, D.C. area and across the United States.
He teaches Organizational Leadership in our Master’s of Information Technology Project Management. Dr. Jensen has earned a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, an M.S. in Human Resource Administration from Southeast Missouri State University, and a B.S. in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned his Doctorate in Adult Education from Penn State University.
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Steve Korzekwa |
Corporate Faculty, Director of Advanced Technology, GeoDecisions
skorzekwa@HarrisburgU.net
Steve Korzekwa is the Director of Advanced Technologies for GeoDecisions, one of the leading spatial IT companies in the world. As one of the original corporate faculty members at Harrisburg University, Mr. Korzekwa has been deeply involved in the curriculum development, course creation and teaching of courses in the Geography and Geospatial Imaging department. Mr. Korzekwa received his Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of North Texas in 1995. Mr. Korzekwa's brings over 17 years of professional experience implementing spatial information technology for a variety of private and government institutions to the classroom.
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Seth LaBarre |
Corporate Faculty, Harrisburg Sci-Tech High
slabarre@HarrisburgU.net
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Penn Lemmonds
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Corporate Faculty, Project Management Institute
plemmonds@HarrisburgU.net
Penn Lemmonds is a project manager, consultant and instructor with more than 30 years of experience in information systems. Mr. Lemmonds is a corporate faculty member of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. He has consulted with the University from its inception and was instrumental in developing the curriculum for the Masters Degree Program in Information Technology Project Management. He was responsible for attaining PMI® approval of the University as a Registered Education Provider. He has developed course materials for a new Professional Education program, Project Management in the Construction Industry, at the Iacocca Institute of Lehigh University. He is the instructor for the Project Management Certificate Program for Pennsylvania State University, York Campus.
He has provided project management services to organizations in federal and state government, education, manufacturing, communications, banking, health care, and information technology. As an Information Technology professional, his clients have included AT&T, CIBER, DuPont, EDS, IBM and Unisys as well as public sector organizations within the Department of Defense, Social Security Administration, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the states of Maryland and South Dakota.
Mr. Lemmonds is certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and is Past President of the PMI® Keystone Chapter of Pennsylvania. He has served in other positions as a Chapter Officer and as a mentor to PMP Examination Study Groups.
Mr. Lemmonds is a graduate of the Stanford University Advanced Project Management Program and has received the professional credential of Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM). He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Shippensburg University
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Melinda Lull
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Corporate Faculty, Penn State College of Medicine
mlull@HarrisburgU.net
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Rene D. Massengale, Ph.D |
Associate Professor of Biotechnology
717.901.5133
rmassengale@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Massengale joined the University after seven years of teaching and research experience at Baylor University in Texas. Her experience includes research positions at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and a teaching position at Frostburg State University, MD. She earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from West Virginia University, and a Master of Science degree in Biomedical and a B.A. in Biology from Baylor University.
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Peter Meek, Ph.D.
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Assistant Professor of Biotechnology
717.901.5164
pmeek@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Peter Meek completed his Post Doctoral training at The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia where he also served as an Adjunct Professor. There he spent the majority of his time developing new lead molecules for treatment of HIV, Alzheimer’s, Dry Macula Degeneration, Anti-Malarials, Anti-Cancer and Anti-Biotic agents using Shape Signature technology (pioneered by Dr. Randy Zauhar). Further to his research projects Dr. Meek also taught as an instructor for several courses in Chemistry, Computer Aided Drug Design and Biochemistry.
Peter completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Leeds in the UK (2004) and also his Masters of Research in Bioinformatics (2000), his Undergraduate studies were completed at King’s College London, UK (1999) in Biomedical Science. Since moving from England in early 2005, Pennsylvania has become a new home to him and he was pleasantly surprised how vastly cultured the state is; so much so he is actively playing his favorite sport, ‘Cricket’.
As a student back in England he was a strong advocate for education of science in the community, and was a ‘Researcher in Residence’ for three consecutive years. The prime goals of the project was to demonstrate how young scientists conduct experiments based on material students are educated with at high-school level. This promotes the value of their education materials to a real life scientific investigations, problems or scenarios. Responsibilities included teaching curriculum material to high school students, judging science competitions and keeping a journal of these experiences. He was well received at the schools and competitions receiving a Communicator Award for his services.
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Scott Mencer |
Corporate Faculty, Analyst, GeoDecisions
smencer@HarrisburgU.net
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Weston Msikita
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Corporate Faculty, Plant Pathologist
wmsikita@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Weston Msikita is a Plant Pathologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) responsible for detection of viral pathogens affecting fruit crops, and refinement of diagnostic tests for pathogens of regulatory significance. He received a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Illinois, and Master of Science degree in Horticulture Science from the same university. Prior to joining PDA he worked as Plant Protectionist for a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project covering four countries of West Africa, and as a Postdoc scholar in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Nebraska, Plant Cell and Molecular Genetics at Ohio State University, and the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Chicago.
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Raj Nagarajan, Ph.D. |
Corporate Faculty, The Milton S. Hershey School
rnagarajan@HarrisburgU.net
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Mehdi Noorbaksh, Ph.D.
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Associate Professor of International Affairs, Coordinator of General Education
717.901.5118
mnoorbaksh@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Noorbaksh specializes in several areas, such as international politics, global energy and health, and democratic movements and processes in Middle East politics. Dr. Noorbaksh has published extensively on the Middle East politics, including the Foreign Policy Association, Middle East Policy Journal, and the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Dr. Noorbaksh’s most recent academic achievements include receiving his master of business administration and master of health administration (MHA) in 2006 from the University of Houston. Previous to these degrees, Dr. Noorbaksh earned his B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Texas in 1979 and M.A. in political science from the University of Houston in 1986. In 1996, Dr. Noorbaksh earned both his Ph.D. in government studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a position at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies as a Post-Doctoral Fellow before joining Harrisburg University in 2006. He is currently working on a number of articles on the Middle East and Iran, and a book on the interaction of Islam, nationalism and democratic change in Iran.
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Gary Nye |
Corporate Faculty
gnye@HarrisburgU.net
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Charles Palmer |
Exec. Dir. Center for Advanced Entertainment & Learning Technologies/Assoc. Prof. of Multimedia
717.901.5127
cpalmer@HarrisburgU.net
A leader in the fields of multimedia and information technology, Charles Palmer serves as director of the new Center for Advanced Entertainment & Learning Technologies (CAELT). Charles leads the Center as well as spearheads new developments in digital storytelling and forms of entertainment technology. He is a creative educator, administrator, and producer. He previously served as a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) since 2004.
Harrisburg University and the ETC at CMU announced a partnership agreement in September 2007 that created the CAELT. The CAELT uses Synthetic Interviews software technology. The ETC, established in 1998 as a joint program between the CMU’s School of Computer Science and the College of Fine Arts, pioneered that patented Synthetic Interviews software technology, which allows computer users to use speech recognition to interview historical and fictional characters. Synthetic Interviews can bring this experience into every home, and the technology has given life to a myriad of characters from Albert Einstein to Benjamin Franklin. Charles’ leadership of the Center places Central Pennsylvania on the cutting edge of new technology implementation that may impact American education and this region in truly significant ways. Harrisburg will be home to one of only two Synthetic Interviews studios in the nation and students and faculty from both universities will begin work on projects in the fall semester.
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Luis Paris, Ph.D. |
Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Sciences
717.901.5116
lparis@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Paris received his Ph.D. in engineering science with an emphasis in computer science at the University of Mississippi in April 2005. He also holds a master’s degree in computer science and a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering. A charter faculty member at Harrisburg University, Dr. Paris is co-responsible for coordinating the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and certificate programs in CIS. He brings valuable experience from the academia where he previously succeeded as an instructor for an electrical engineering program and later as a research assistant for a CIS program He also brings insight and knowledge from both the software and hardware industries where he worked as an electronics engineer and software developer.
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Mrunalini V. Pattarkine, Ph.D. |
Associate Professor of Biotechnology
717.901.5168
lpattarkine@HarrisburgU.net
Dr Mrunalini Pattarkine has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology and has extensive experience in biochemistry, biotechnology, and nanobiotechnology. She has worked on membranes, proteins, lipids, DNA diagnostics (gene therapy, DNA chips), and protein immobilization for developing them as nanobiotechnological material. She has experience with bioanalytical techniques for establishing structure-function relationships for macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids). She has also worked with liposomes and reverse micelles as membrane–mimetic systems. She has conducted research in environmental biotechnology project related to uranium bioremediation. She has been a recipient of Pennsylvania's Keystone Innovative Zone Grant for research on development of a hand-held biosensor for the detection of Methicillin-resistant /Staphylococcus aureus/ (MRSA).
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Andy Petroski
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Director of Learning Technologies and Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies
717.901.5167
apetroski@HarrisburgU.net
Andy Petroski leads the Learning Technologies Master of Science (LTMS) program and learning technologies at Harrisburg University as Director of Learning Technologies. He is an award winning instructional technologist with 10 years of eLearning design and development experience in multimedia production firms, independent consulting, and corporate learning.
He has played various roles in over 75 multimedia, web, and eLearning projects including project manager, multimedia producer, instructional designer, graphic designer, writer, and developer. Prior to joining the University, Andy was Sr. Instructional Designer with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield where he managed, designed, and developed performance improvement solutions, established Corporate Learning best practices for design and development, and researched and implemented new approaches to delivering performance support solutions to Highmark employees.
Andy’s past work has included efforts in edutainment, using characters in multimedia and eLearning projects, games, scenario-based online learning approaches, and web design and development for marketing and entertainment. More recently, his focus has been on creating game templates for rapid development, storyboarding best practices, web conferencing implementation, research in mobile and social learning, simulations, blended learning approaches, and instructional design toolkit development.
Andy has a Master of Science Degree in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Wilkes University. He has written multimedia and eLearning articles for national and regional publications and presented on various eLearning, multimedia, and web topics at international, national, and regional events. Andy has served on the board of Central PA ASTD and the Advisory Board for the Learning Technologies graduate program at Harrisburg University.
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Louis Quackenbush |
Corporate Faculty
lquackenbush@HarrisburgU.net
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Albert Sarvis, PMP
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Corporate Faculty, Project Manager, GeoDecisions
asarvis@HarrisburgU.net
Albert Sarvis teaches Cartography, co-developed and taught Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, Applied Geographic Information Systems and World Geography courses at the University, and consulted with the University on the development of the Geographic and Geospatial Imaging curriculum, including both course definitions and hardware/software acquisition. He joined GeoDecisions as a Project Manager and Business Analyst within their Transportation GIS division and obtained his Project Management Professional certification in 2005. He is responsible for delivery of geospatial technology projects for the transportation industry through vigilant management of timescales, costs, and quality of deliverables to clients. Currently working on Spatial Tools for Safety Analysis at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as well as a GIS Web Portal for the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Mr. Sarvis serves as a business analyst for GIS Strategic Planning and GIS for Transportation projects throughout the United States.
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Amjad Umar, Ph.D. |
Director of E-business/Professor of E-business
717.901.5141
aumar@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Amjad Umar received an M.S. in Computer and Communication Engineering and a Ph.D. in Information Systems (Industrial and Operations Engineering Department), both from the University of Michigan. He has written six books and more than 50 research papers in his areas of specialization that span e-business, enterprise architectures and integration, mobile computing, and information security. His 20+ years of experience in his areas of expertise includes academic assignments, senior research management positions in the industry, and consulting/advisory work around the globe. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was a Professor at the Fordham School of Business, and has held visiting/adjunct faculty positions at the University of Michigan, Rutgers University, and Peking University. As a Director of eBusiness and Distributed Systems Research at Bellcore (part of the Bell Labs system, now known as Telcordia Technologies), he supervised large scale projects in enterprise architectures and integration, mobile computing, information security, and distributed systems. As a Fulbright Senior Specialist on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) with the US Council of International Exchange of Scholars, a Senior Advisor to the United Nations initiative on ‘ICT for the Developing Countries’, and an entrepreneur, he has consulted with global telecom organizations, US Department of Navy, US Army Research Labs, Frost and Sullivan (England), Toyota Corp., Society of Manufacturing Engineers, manufacturing organizations, professional services organizations, and academic institutions in England, Singapore, China, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Canada. With his colleagues, he has formed a startup that is concentrating on the business and technical aspects of next generation enterprises. He has received numerous awards (Faculty Award from IBM, Fulbright Senior Specialist Award from the US Council of International Exchange of Scholars, Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Michigan, Best Adjunct Faculty Award from Fordham, and Outstanding Performance Awards from Bellcore).
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Albert Unrath |
Corporate Faculty, Millersville University and HACC
aunrath@HarrisburgU.net
Albert Unrath teaches Instructional Design and Development as a part of the MS in Learning Technologies program. Albert has been developing learning technology tools for higher education the last 10 years. After earning a M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania he began developing instructional resources for faculty at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster and then progressed to Millersville University where he is currently the Instructional Designer for face-to-face, technology enhanced and full online courses. As an adjunct professor for Millersville University and Lancaster’s Campus of Harrisburg Area Community College he teaches courses on multimedia, and instructional technology.
As a member of both the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Blackboard Administrator’s Group and the Millersville University Online Advisory Committee he works with faculty and administrators to shape the Distance Education programs at a state and university level. As an innovative proponent of instructional design, he developed tools for curriculum redesign which he presented at regional and national conferences.
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Kevin Varano |
Corporate Faculty
kvarano@HarrisburgU.net
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Vicki Villone, Ph.D. |
Corporate Faculty
vvillone@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Villone teaches general education courses at Harrisburg University, and has taught English at HACC for the past seven years. She has a Ph.D. in English from Lehigh University, where she taught English while working on her degree. Additionally, Dr. Villone’s family hosts the monthly Open Mic night for students sponsored by Harrisburg University, the International House, and Messiah College.
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Michelle Washko
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Corporate Faculty, Vice President, Life Science Greenhouse of PA
mwashko@HarrisburgU.net
Ms. Washko has more than 13 years experience in marketing, communications, and business planning and development. Her particular strengths are in the areas of branding, competitive analysis and marketing planning. Ms. Washko spent several years at Merck & Co., Inc., where she worked on new product launches in a range of therapeutic areas, including osteoporosis, hypertension, asthma and migraine, as well as childhood vaccines. In addition to her role in evaluating and performing due diligence on LSGPA investments, Ms. Washko assists LSGPA portfolio companies with both strategic and tactical marketing activities, ranging from development of comprehensive marketing plans to assistance preparing press releases, collateral materials, etc. She holds a BA from Emory University, an MA from Arcadia University and an MBA from Penn State University.
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Glenn Williams
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Corporate Faculty, Web Application Developer, TRC Interactive
gwilliams@HarrisburgU.net
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Michael R. Wright |
Corporate Faculty, Senior Security Engineer, PRG Inc.
mrwright@HarrisburgU.net
Michael Wright teaches Information Technology Innovation. He is a Senior Security Engineer with Professional Resource Group, Inc. a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm providing resources to the Department of Defense in the areas of information security and information assurance. With more than 20 years of professional experience in the information technology fields, he has spent the last seven years working as both an IT and INFOSEC consultant working on projects for a variety of organizations including the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Computer Sciences Corporation, and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).
Michael has submitted various information security documents to the Department of Defense and has published a book on information security relating to Citrix/XenApp products. His professional affiliations include: Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He guest lectures on topics of information security and information assurance and serves as a volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. He is a U.S. Marines veteran and a magna cum laude graduate from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology with a B.S. in Integrative Sciences.
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Yolander Youngblood, Ph.D.
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Associate Professor of Biotechnology
717.901.5113
yyoungblood@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Youngblood is associate professor of biotechnology at the University and is Director of the Capital Area Biotechnology Partnership. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi, earning a B.A. in biological sciences with an emphasis in botany. Dr. Youngblood received her Ph.D. in botany from the University of Florida. Her dissertation included using scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of the distinct epicuticular wax patterns as a novel approach to survey of the Coryphoid palm family. Before joining Harrisburg University in 2005, Dr. Youngblood held assistant professor positions at Xavier University of Louisiana and at Penn State’s Capital College, Harrisburg and Schuylkill campuses.
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Eric D. Darr, Ph.D. |
Provost & Executive Vice President
717.901.5111
edarr@HarrisburgU.net
Dr. Eric Darr is an administrator and professor whose career has bridged the corporate world and academia. He was named provost of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology as of July 1, 2007. The provost is the University's chief academic officer. Dr. Darr also serves as executive vice president.
Dr. Darr oversees Academic Services, Enrollment Management, Information Technology Services, Library Services and Curriculum and Faculty Affairs.
Additionally, Dr. Darr serves on the leadership team for the Pennsylvania STEM Center Initiative, which will design, develop, implement and evaluate a set of strategies for Pennsylvania’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Agenda through 2018. An initiative of the National Governors Association and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the STEM Center Initiative develops and deploys statewide strategies and resources designed to enhance the Commonwealth’s education and workforce development efforts targeted at the development of a globally competitive STEM workforce. Dr. Darr earned both a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master of science degree in Industrial Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He also earned an MBA and a doctor of philosophy degree in Organizational Behavior and Theory from Carnegie Mellon University where he studied under Nobel Prize Winner and noted organizational theorist Herbert Simon.
While at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles, he conducted research and consulted in over twenty multinational corporations including Arthur Andersen, Gemini Consulting, TRW Space and Electronics, Hughes Aerospace, Bank of America, Xerox, British Airways and Qantas Airlines.
Dr. Darr developed and taught Doctoral and MBA courses in organizational learning, organizational change, organization design, process reengineering, business strategy and technology management. Further, he developed and taught executive education courses in measuring intellectual capital, corporate renewal, managing information technology resources, improving product development and creating organizational memory.
He has published numerous articles and book chapters on organizational learning, learning technologies and competitive advantage. He has been an invited speaker at universities in the United States, Austria, Great Britain, France, Australia and the Netherlands. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Center for International Business Education and Research at UCLA.
Prior to joining Harrisburg University, Dr. Darr was Chief Operating Officer from 2000 until 2004 at KnowledgePlanet, Inc., a software company located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Darr led Ernst & Young’s Knowledge Management Consulting Services.
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James B. Young, Ph.D. |
Associate Vice President for Information Services
717.901.5144
jyoung@HarrisburgU.net
James B. Young is Associate Vice President for Information Services and Assistant Professor of Information Technology at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. In these roles, he oversees the university’s academic and administrative computing and telecommunications which includes: voice and data communications, wired and wireless networks, enterprise computing, web services, classroom technologies, IT helpdesk, library services, and technology training. He teaches courses, mentors students, or guides interns in the areas of: technology integration, knowledge management, technology management and leadership, project management, and electronic portfolios. He earned a Ph.D. at George Mason University, a master’s degree at the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in at Michigan State University. Previously, Dr. Young was employed for ten years at George Mason University where he led initiatives in curriculum development and integration, libraries, learning communities, and assessment. He regularly publishes and presents at professional conferences in the areas of knowledge management, learning communities, alternative assessment, adult learning, information literacy, technology-across-the-curriculum, and electronic portfolios.
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