Celebrating 50 Years of Faculty Who Have Made a Difference

Widely published in scholarly journals and a sought-after presenter for professional conferences, Dr. Alasti was recently elevated to senior member status by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. This is the IEEE’s highest professional grade, with only 7 percent of its 431,000 members achieving such a level of distinction. Dr. Alasti was also recognized by the IEEE Communications Society as an IEEE Wireless Communications Professional.

A faculty member with ECPI University since 2011, Dr. Alasti has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, and is considered an expert in embedded wireless sensors, signal processing, and fiber optic networks.

An expert at creating nanomaterials such as carbon nano-tubes, nano-wires, nano-ropes, Dr. Bolick has developed manufacturing processes for Alumina ceramic matrix composites for the International Space Station, as well as space shuttle design heat shield tiles and meteoroid protection. Highly respected in his field, he has taught mechanical engineering and conducted research for various U.S. Department of Defense facilities, before joining ECPI University in 2012.

Mr. Cosby earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining ECPI University in 2010, he was a senior staff engineer at Lockheed Martin. He says the most enjoyable part of teaching is seeing a student understand something that is difficult to grasp. His areas of expertise include digital electronics, hardware design, sonar signal processing, and computer system integration.

Dr. Clark literally wrote the book about online nursing education. She is co-author of Distance Education in Nursing, a book that integrates new, successful, digital teaching strategies with current distance education practices and outlines what’s required to facilitate the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of distance curriculum in undergraduate and graduate programs.  Dr. Clark holds both a Ph.D. in Nursing and an MBA from Georgia State University. She is also a journal reviewer for Computers Informatics & Nursing and the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing

A former assistant chief of police, Ms. Hale was previously the campus’ Criminal Justice Program Director. A member of the faculty since 2010, she started teaching in the police academy and enjoyed helping recruits learn and grow. For her, teaching is a passion, not just a job. Ms. Hale says helping people advance personally and professionally is a great feeling. Among her most recent accomplishments, she has overseen the creation of the campus’ new Certification Center, designed to help students prepare to take professional certification exams.

Chef Demarchena comes from a family filled with chefs, so she knew early on what she wanted to be when she grew up. In addition to her culinary arts and food management degrees, she also took part in the International Culinary Exchange Program at Ecoles Gregoire Ferrandi in Paris, France. Chef Demarchena especially enjoys preparing Italian and Mediterranean fare, and is personally drawn to just about any kind of ethnic food. Her preferred method of cooking is on the grill.

A graduate of Duke University, Dr. Feist is active in the lives of students on campus and off. He recently created a web-based system for the National History Bowl that allowed for real-time reporting of scores from games at a dozen historical and cultural sites throughout Washington DC. 

Fun Fact: In 2015, Dr. Feist won 1^st Place in the B Division at the 38^th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

Before joining ECPI University in 2006, Ms. Blake taught nursing at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she was also a staff nurse in the operating room, shift supervisor, department manager, and later, educator at the hospital-based school.

She left the hospital after 25 years of service and moved to Charlotte to be near her children. She says she finds it especially gratifying to meet her students’ families for the first time at pinning ceremonies, knowing they are so proud of what their loved one has accomplished.

Dr. Vakarietis says she loves the order and logic of mathematics. Although she understands that others – especially culinary students – may not share her passion, she tries to make math relevant, integrating real world applications whenever possible. She says in the kitchen, math comes in handy. And of course, students pursuing roles in management will use math skills extensively. Dr. Vakarietis is a recipient of the Rhodes Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, and is involved in ongoing research focused on embedding problems.

After beginning his career as an engineer at Union Carbide, Dr. Jackson spent three decades as president of Trio Company, a computer applications and operations consultancy. He recently published Silver Linings: Overcoming, with Optimism – A Memoir. The underlying theme of the book is the application of Churchill's admonishment to “Never give in!”

Mr. Abdel-Aal is a well-travelled writer and presenter, recently contributing a chapter for Processing Techniques and Tribological Behavior of Composite Materials entitled “The Structure of Ventral Scale Textures in Snakes in Comparison to Texturing of Deterministic Tribological Surfaces.” Soon after, he made a presentation at the Tenth Arnold Tross Kolloquium in Hamburg, Germany, and then traveled to South America to deliver two lectures at the National University of Columbia.

Dr. Ogletree Satani was named one of the 2016 Top Ten Business Women of the Year by the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA). Honorees are selected based on their professional accomplishment, education, community involvement, and ABWA engagement. In addition, she was named to the organization’s National Board of Directors.

A Certified Executive Chef accredited by the American Culinary Foundation, Chef Delargy brings with him nearly three decades of experience. He began working in a family restaurant washing dishes when he was 12, and can remember looking at the chefs in awe, knowing even then that one day he would be a chef.

Chef Delargy has served as an executive chef at some of the finest restaurants in the United States and British Virgin Islands. For six years, he was Executive Chef/Owner of Delargy’s Bistro in Hampton, Virginia, an Italian restaurant that was consistently ranked among the top 50 in the Hampton Roads Region.

A faculty member at ECPI University since 2004, Mr. Hughes earned his Bachelor of Science from Clemson University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University. Prior to joining the faculty, he was a criminal defense attorney.

Fun Fact: He considers earning his Eagle Scout award his greatest achievement, as it has been the basis for all his other accomplishments.

A faculty member with ECPI University since 1999, Mr. Saccoia earned the highly-coveted Cisco Academy Instructor Trainer certification, and is now authorized to train Cisco Academy Instructors worldwide. His expertise lies in network architecture and design, implementing the building and configuration of the network infrastructure and hardening network security.

Prior to joining ECPI University in 2009, Mr. Donodeo worked as the Director of IT for Petroleum Marketers Inc. and Vistar Eye Center.

He says his most rewarding professional experience was rebuilding and restoring the payroll server on his second day on the job!

With a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dr. Siddique has spent more than 20 years teaching college mathematics. He has served on the International Advisory Committee for the International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications and as symposium chair for the International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Applied Mathematics. Recently, he was appointed to the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics and editor-in-chief of Applied Mathematics.

Mr. Rufi is an Advanced Level Instructor within the Cisco Networking Academy. As such, he is among the top 25% of instructors globally in such areas as professional development opportunities, attention to student needs, student performance, and use of resources.

An electrical engineer with a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, Dr. Ibrahim joined ECPI University in 2003. He is an expert is time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy; nonlinear optics and second harmonic generation; semiconductor switching; and optical setups and lasers. Widely published in professional journals, Dr. Ibrahim is a much sought-after conference and journal reviewer, most recently, for two Department of Education panels: Upward Bound Math and Science and Veterans Upward Bound programs.

A member of the faculty since 1999, Dr. Trevethan has a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the graduate school of computer and information sciences at Nova Southeastern University. His expertise lies in information assurance and network security. A 22-year Navy veteran, he enjoys sharing his experiences with students and helping them develop their own levels of expertise.

Ms. Brett brings passion to her profession, whether it’s in the classroom or donating her time to the many medical missions for which she volunteers. Locally, she works with her students to provide care to the uninsured and indigent. Internationally, she chairs the Dental Care Project for Montero Medical Missions, a non-profit interfaith humanitarian organization that creates sustainable healthcare projects throughout the world.

With a Master of Science in Health Systems Administration from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Virginia, Mr. Hopper is also a freelance writer and contributes frequently to professional journals. Most recently, he has authored “Using Data Management Techniques to Modernize Healthcare,” available in hardback from CRC Press and “Using Sentiment Analysis to Review Patient Satisfaction Data Located on the Internet,” published in the Journal of Health Organization and Management.

After teaching at ECPI University for more than a decade, Dr. Brock says the most enjoyable part about his work is making a difference in the lives of his students. A former Faculty Member of the Year Award winner, the courses he teaches include Networking, Windows Clients and Server Management, Network Security, Web Interface Design, and JavaScript.

Fun fact: On the same day Dr. Brock completed his Ph.D., his son graduated from high school, and his wife earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from ECPI University!

Dr. Chamberlain was recently appointed to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Scanner Editorial Advisory Panel. The ASRT is the nation's leading society for radiographers, establishing the curriculum for radiography programs, and promoting continuing educational standards in the profession. She says she chose to enter teaching because she wants to give back to her profession.

After a distinguished career working for the likes of American Express Financial Advisors and Wachovia Corporation, Mr. Fowlkes joined the faculty at ECPI University in 2010 and quickly became a campus favorite.

Described as an inspirational teacher, one student says, “Mr. Fowlkes’ interaction with his students goes further than the four walls in the classroom. His door is always open and he is always there for his students to accommodate us, not always by teaching, but also helping us to discover the best in ourselves.”

A member of the faculty since 2006, Ms. Wray is a person of many talents and skills. She has been the President of the Greensboro Chapter of the American Association of Medical Assistants, served as Secretary for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Association of Medical Assistants. She also enjoys roller derby, Greek and Roman mythology, calculus, and follows Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, and Aaron Sanchez on Twitter. 

Fun Fact: She also goes to every Bruce Springsteen concert she can and secretly dreams of singing backup for the Boss.

Mr. Spinks enjoys interacting with students, especially on special projects. He recently built a weather forecasting machine on campus and is an inquisitive researcher, having just co-published two papers in the International Journal of Climate: “Variability of the Subtropical Highs, African Easterly Jet and Easterly Wave Intensities over North Africa and Arabian Peninsula in Late Summer” and "Effects of the Subtropical Anticyclones over North Africa and Arabian Peninsula on the African Easterly Jet."

Mr. White has devoted himself to integrating mobile applications and simulation into ECPI University’s curriculum. He also sponsors the Players’ Club (Gaming Club) which provides students the opportunity to learn through gamification, which is the art of using the gaming concepts of rewards and punishments to better motivate students to succeed.

As they proceed through the process, they begin to see how important their language, math, and critical thinking skills are to creating a game. The class covers basic programming in a few different languages, 2D and 3D graphics, basic animation, music and background audio production, audience targeting, marketing, and publishing.

Ms. Bryant says working with veterans keeps her humble, because they are selfless and know the value of commitment and taking care of others – not because anyone is looking at them, but because they know it’s the right thing to do. In the classroom, she says they also provide perspective to younger students, and often offers themselves as mentors.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Master of Science in Public Health, Mr. Grafton brings a holistic approach to his classroom. A member of the faculty since 2011, he entered the teaching profession after a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, serving as an Independent Duty Corpsman (similar to a physician assistant in civilian sector). Aside from his daily interaction with students, he says he finds it particularly rewarding to help them successfully pass their national examinations.

Dr. Pardue brings a unique blend of knowledge to his teaching profession, having earned both an MBA and Ph.D. in Information Technology. A member of the faculty since 2004, his expertise lies in database management systems, computer programming, and information security. A prolific contributor to professional journals and conferences, Dr. Pardue joined ECPI University after spending decades in the private sector.

Prior to joining the Columbia campus, Mr. Penberthy was program director for arts and sciences at ECPI University’s Charleston campus. With a Master of Fine Arts from Purdue University, he is a nationally-recognized writer who has ghostwritten a number of highly-acclaimed projects, including award-winning titles across the fields of history, biography, political science, and military studies. Mr. Penberthy says his most rewarding experience was winning the National Poetry Review Book Prize for his first collection of poetry, Lucktown.

A member of the faculty since 1999, Mr. Bellet is well known in his field of study. Most recently, he co-authored MCSA 70-687 Cert Guide, the most comprehensive study guide available, both for new Windows 8 certification candidates and for those updating existing Microsoft certifications.

Ms. Shaw likes to say that learning math is a process. It includes understanding the steps involved in solving a problem, implementing those steps, and then retaining them. As head of the Math Assistance Center (MAC), she works with students to show them new ways to approach mathematics. She says that by working on math skills a little bit every day, students can retain problem-solving steps, ease anxiety, and enhance their ability to apply newly-acquired skills.

Dr. Hamilton is the former director of the Information Technology Division for the Statistical Institute of Jamaica. He also has years of experience in operational consulting and technology training to government agencies focusing on application development, data management solutions, and project evaluation. Recently, he presented a paper entitled Do Service Level Agreements Matter for Cloud Computing Adoption? A Transaction Cost Model at the Southeast Decision Sciences Institute Conference.

Like many of his students, Mr. Prothero knows what it’s like to juggle school, family, and work, having earned his Master of Science in Software Architecture while working full-time. He says he truly enjoys helping students find their self-worth when they struggle to find it on their own, and says he learns as much from his students as they learn from him.

Dr. Crumlin came to ECPI University in 2006, bringing with him a very impressive academic background, having earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University, and his medical degree and Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Capping his education with a general surgery residency at Tulane University, he brings experience to the classroom that is hard to match.

Dr. Shockley brings a wide range of experience to the teaching profession. She earned her Doctorate in Public Health, completing her studies with a dissertation entitled Perceptions and Intentions of African American Women Regarding Kidney Disease which focused on increasing research and screening of African American women for kidney disease.

Her research is now receiving global attention. In 2015, she was selected by Columbia University to participate as a conference panelist at its 7th Annual Health Disparities Conference; and was later invited to present her findings at the 2015 Public Health Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mr. Hughes is proud to say that ECPI University was the first school in Richmond and only the second in Virginia to make the Syndaver available to its students. It’s the most lifelike medical mannequin ever created and after discovering it a conference, Mr. Hughes made the case for the university to acquire one. He says having a Syndaver gives students a true-to-life learning experience that is second to none!

Ms. Hildreth has dedicated herself to one simple but all important mission: that her students graduate capable of writing effectively. She says writing makes a statement about the writer that is instant and lasting, and that how people write suggests to employers their ability to learn new skills. What’s more, she says that of all the soft skills, writing is the one most in demand by employers.

Prior to joining ECPI University, Ms. Vernon spent decades in the field of health information management. She continues to be very active in professional associations, having been recently elected Vice President of the Virginia Health Information Management Association VHIMA). In previous years, she has also served the VHIMA as its president, vice president, and secretary.

Mr. King is a retired Army Colonel with 32 years of service. He really enjoys interacting with veterans on campus and also volunteers with the VA’s Servicemember Transitional Advanced Rehabilitation (STAR) Program which helps injured vets transition back to civilian life.

Chef Miller says he’s wanted to teach ever since he was a student, but knew he had to gain enough real world experience to be credible in the classroom. He says he tailors his teaching style to fit each student’s unique personality because we all learn differently and it’s his job to reach students any way he can.

Chef Miller’s appetites gravitate toward seafood. His favorite tool: the chef’s knife. “I like working with my hands,” he says. “When cooking, you use all of your senses, intellect, and knowledge to create a real connection with the food.”

A former U.S. Army medic and certified occupational therapy assistant, Dr. Gafford earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree while still in uniform, then joined ECPI University in 2009, after which he earned his Ph.D. in Healthcare Administration.

Dr. Gafford often quotes Aristotle who was once asked how educated people are superior to those uneducated and said, "As much as the living are to the dead."  Dr. Gafford says that quote made a lasting impression on his life. Now, he says he has the pleasure of making his students’ dreams a reality.

In 2015, Mr. Labudzik was honored with the Levi McGlothlin Community Service Award by the Virginia Community Colleges Association. Since 2002, he has been the administrator of the National Technical Honor Society, is the faculty advisor for the campus’ web club, and has been a tireless volunteer for such causes as feeding the homeless, Toys for Tots, and Virginia Blood Services.

Dr. Yan received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from FuDan University in Shanghai, China, and a Master's in Industrial Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He then came to America with only $500 in his pocket and later continued his education, receiving his M.A. and Ph.D. in Operations Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Tam follows ECPI University’s philosophy of continuous improvement. He recently met the requirements to become a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner, a modality that enhances the function of many different tissues and was developed to treat patient injuries ranging from orthopedic to neurological.

With a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Virginia, Mr. Sheldon teaches courses in English Composition and Critical Thinking. He is also an Aikido instructor, and in 2015, received his Sixth Dan diploma in Aikido from World Director Moriteru Ueshiba at World Aikido Headquarters (Hombu Dojo) in Tokyo, Japan.

Chef Burroughs enjoys spending time with his students and believes effective mentoring is essential to their development. He takes meat seriously as well! “I really enjoy meat fabrication,” he says. “It’s kind of serves as my Zen moment of the day, very relaxing. There’s a real science to it. If you don’t understand where the meat comes from, the function of the muscle itself, you can’t cook it properly.”