Faculty Officers and Representation

Name:   Amy Young (youngam@plu.edu) – Chair of Faculty
Department:  Communication, Media and Design Arts
Seat:  Expires 2026
Contact:  253-536-5165

Name:   Oksana Ezhokina (ejokinoa@plu.edu) – Vice Chair of Faculty
Department:  Music, Theatre & Dance
Seat:  Expires 2026
Contact:  253-535-7604

Name:   Jacob Egge (eggejj@plu.edu) – Secretary of Faculty
Department:  Biology
Seat:  Expires 2027
Contact:  253-535-7569

Name:   Jim Brown (brownja@plu.edu) – Faculty Representative to the Board of Regents
Department:  Music
Seat:  Expires 2026
Contact:  253-535-7614

Membership for 2025-26:

Name:  Qin Zhang (zhangqc@plu.edu)
Department: Business
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-7253

Name:  Alexus Hamilton (alexus.hamilton@plu.edu)
Department: Marriage and Family Therapy
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-8167

Name:  Sara Finley (finleysr@plu.edu)
Department: Psychology
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7660

Membership for 2025-26:

Name: Wendy Gardiner (gardinwl@plu.edu) – Chair
Department: Education
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-8342

Name: Neva Laurie-Berry (larien@plu.edu)
Department: Biology
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-536-5025

Name: Laura Fitzwater-Gonzales (fitzwalb@plu.edu)
Department: Sociology, Criminal Justice & Anthropology
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7594

Membership for 2025-26:

Name: David Wolff (wolffda@plu.edu)
Department: Computer Science
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-8735

Name: Erik Hammerstrom (hammerej@plu.edu) – Chair
Department: Religion
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7225

Name: Hannah Pye (pyehc@plu.edu)
Department: Nursing
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7634

Name: Lark Powers (powerslm@plu.edu)
Department: Music, Theatre and Dance
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7647

Membership for 2025-26:

Name: Kayla Harvey (kayla.harvey@plu.edu)
Department: Nursing
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7672

Name: Justin Eckstein (justin.eckstein@plu.edu)
Department: Communication, Media & Design Arts
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-8175

Name: Rona Kaufman (kaufmard@plu.edu)
Department: English
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7295

Name: Sean O’Neill (oneillsm@plu.edu)
Department: Physics
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7007

Membership for 2025-26:

Name:  Roberto Arteaga (rarteaga@plu.edu)
Department: Library
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-7505

Name:  Lathiena Nervo (lnervo@plu.edu)
Department: Biology
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7376

Name:  Ren Winnett (rwinnett@plu.edu)
Department: Social Work
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7144

Membership for 2025-26:

Name: Kevin O’Brien (obrienkj@plu.edu) – Chair
Department: Religion
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-7239

Name: Nicole Martin (martin@plu.edu)
Department: Kinesiology
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7372

Name: Marnie Ritchie (ritchiem@plu.edu)
Department:  Communication, Media & Design Arts
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact:  253-535-7093

Membership for 2025-26:

Name: Corey Cook (clcook@plu.edu)
Department: Psychology
Committee Seat: Expires 2026
Contact: 253-535-7471

Name:  Terri Farrar (farrartd@plu.edu)
Department: Kinesiology
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-7360

Name:  Peter Davis (davispb@plu.edu) – Chair
Department: Earth Sciences
Committee Seat: Expires 2027
Contact: 253-535-5770

Name:  Cathy Kim (kimck@plu.edu)
Department: Education
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7775

Name:  Gina Hames (hamesgl@plu.edu)
Department: History
Committee Seat: Expires 2028
Contact: 253-535-7132

Cases involving the dismissal of a faculty member may be brought before the Formal Dismissal Hearing Committee.

The procedure for the election of faculty to the Formal Dismissal Hearing Committee is found in the Faculty Bylaws, Article VI, Section 2.E.1:

1. The Formal Dismissal Hearing Committee shall consist of five members of the permanent faculty who have had at least four years of service at Pacific Lutheran University. They shall be elected as follows: Each September, the Governance Committee shall nominate a panel of fifteen. From these nominees the elected faculty members of Faculty Executive Committee shall elect a panel of ten and the results of this election shall be reported to the faculty. The five with the highest number of votes shall constitute the Formal Dismissal Hearing Committee. The remaining five shall serve as alternates in case of vacancies or if in the opinion of the committee any of its members should be disqualified in a particular case. Such alternates shall be chosen in order of highest votes received in the election. These ten are elected to a term of one calendar year beginning on October 15 and ending on October 14 of the following year. Cases still in process at the end of the stipulated calendar year will be completed by the committee assigned to that case.

For the period beginning October 15, 2024 and ending October 14, 2025, the members of the Formal Dismissal Hearing Committee as elected by the Faculty Executive Committee are as follows (in alphabetical order by surname):

Jim Albrecht – English
Jacob Egge – Biology
Ron Gerhardstein – Music, Theate & Dance
Heather Mathews – Communication, Media & Design Arts
Marianne Taylor – Psychology

The alternates for the period beginning October 15, 2024 and ending October 14, 2025 are, in order:

Alternate #1: Troy Storfjell – Native American and Indigenus Studies
Alternate #2: Jessica Schwinch – Nursing
Alternate #3: Charlie Katica – Kinisiology
Alternate #4: Amanda Sweger – Theatre & Dance
Alternate #5: Laurie Murphy – Computer Science

TITLE IX COMMITTEE
Katrina Hay, Physics (seat expires 2026)

UNIVERSITY DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
Angie Boysen, Chemistry (seat expires 2027)

UNIVERSITY SAFETY COMMITTEE
Gerardo Cuevas-Buendia, Sociology, Criminal Justice & Anthropology (seat expires 2027)