Supportive Faculty & Staff

All faculty and staff at SMU are committed to student success; however, some have taken extra steps to show their support to first-generation college students in particular.

The faculty and staff list below contains members of the SMU community who have committed to support first-generation college students beyond what is required in their roles. They are either first-generation college students themselves or have chosen to support this population. If you see the First-Gen Proud sticker displayed on campus, the individual has committed to guide you along your college journey.

Reach out for support. We're expecting you during both the good and not-so-great times.

How to join

al · ly
noun; plural noun: allies
a person or group that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose

verb
to associate, connect, or unite

Faculty and staff make a commitment to support first-generation students at SMU by agreeing to program expectations and completing the webform below. After registration, they will receive a First-Gen Proud sticker in campus mail to display in the campus office. 

First-Gen Proud Allies Registration

Faculty & staff allies

First-Gen Prod allies are faculty and staff from around the university that understand the challenges you may be facing, many were first-generation students themselves, and are willing to help you through whatever it is you have questions about.  Be sure to point out that you found their contact information on the First-Gen Proud page.

Photo Name Pronouns  SMU Email First-Generation Status Department and Title
  Tiffany McCray 
 - tmccray@smu.edu - Lecturer of American Sign Language
  Yajaira Diaz she/her/hers  ydiaz@smu.edu  -  Assistant Director of Career Development, Hegi Family Career Development Center, Student Affairs 
Photo Name Pronouns SMU Email First-Generation Status Department and Title
  Abigail Pruitt -
abigail@smu.edu
 - Clinical Professor
  Adam Neal he/him/his asneal@mail.smu.edu
 -  Assistant Director, Office of Engaged Learning 
  Adriana Aceves - acevesa@smu.edu - Department of Mathematics, Senior Lecturer
  Alan Humason - ahumason@smu.edu Yes Laboratory Coordinator II
  Alberto Pastor he/him/his
 apastor@smu.edu Yes Associate professor of Spanish and General Linguistcs
  Alida Liberman - aliberman@smu.edu
 Yes Associate Professor of Philosophy
  Alyssa Reiman  she/her/hers areiman@mail.smu.edu
 -  Academic Advisor, University Advising Center
  Amy Gillespie Rouse - agrouse@smu.edu Yes Simmons, Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor
  Annette Owen she/her/hers  annetteo@smu.edu
 Yes  Coordinator, Baptist House of Studies, Perkins School of Theology 
  Aria Cabot - acabot@smu.edu - World Languages, Teaching and Technology Center Director
  Beth Newman - bnewman@smu.edu
 Yes Associate Professor (English)
  Bonnie Hainline  she/her/hers  bhainline@smu.edu  Yes  Director, Campus Recreation, Division of Student Affairs
  Brooke Guelker - bguelker@smu.edu Yes Office of the Associate Provost, Executive Assistant
  Burke Jam - bjam@smu.edu
 Yes Creative Computation, Adjunct Lecturer
  Caitlin Anderson she/her/hers  caitlina@mail.smu.edu  -  Senior Lecturer, Applied Physiology and Sport Management; Director, Hilltop Scholars Program
  Dallas Gingles - dgingles@smu.edu Yes Perkins School of Theology, Site Director of Houston-Galveston Program
  Daniele Forlino he/him/his dforlino@smu.edu Yes WL, Lecturer of Italian
  Dave Morrin  he/him/his dmorrin@smu.edu  Yes Regional Director of Undergraduate Admission for Florida, Georgia, and Alabama
  Dayna Oscherwitz - oscherwi@smu.edu Yes Professor, French; Assoc. Provost for Institutional Planning & Effectiveness
  Dustin Grabsch he/him/his
 dgrabsch@smu.edu
 Yes Assist. Provost of Undergraduate Education & Academic Success
  Elizabeth Loboa - egloboa@smu.edu Yes Provost
  Gary Alan Evans - gae@smu.edu
 Yes Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor
  Gianna Englert  - genglert@mail.smu.edu
 -  Assistant Professor, Political Science, Dedman College
  Hannah Park Lee   she/her/hers hpark@smu.edu  -  Honors & Scholars Program Specialist, Office of the Provost
  Hiroki Takeuchi  he/him/his  htakeuch@smu.edu  - Associate Professor, Political Science, Dedman College 
  Ivy Phillips she/they/them zzphillips@smu.edu  Yes  Success Counselor, Office of Student Success and Retention
  Jacob Trevino he/him/his  trevinojj@smu.edu  Yes  Academic Advisor, University Advising Center, Student Academic Engagment and Success 
  Jennifer Dworak - jdworak@smu.edu
 -
  Jennifer Gomez she/her/hers  jlgomez@smu.edu
 Yes Senior Financial Literacy Specialist, Bursar
  Jennifer Malone  she/her/hers jemalone@mail.smu.edu  - Senior Academic Advisor, Cox
  Jessica Martinez - jnmartinez@smu.edu
 Yes SMU Abroad Advisor
  Jessica Wickersham - jwickersham@smu.edu
 Yes Statistical Science, Visiting Lecturer
  Jill Kelly - jillk@smu.edu
 - Associate Professor and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor (History)
  Joan Arbery - jarbery@smu.edu - WRTR/UHP Lecturer
  John Georges - jgeorges@smu.edu
 - Director and Diversity and Inclusion Officer (Dedman College)
  Joseph Kobylka he/him/his jkobylka@smu.edu  -  Chair, Department of Political Science
  Josephine Caldwell-Ryan - jcryan@mail.smu.edu
 - Director, Women's and Gender Studies Program
  Joshua Beaty  he/him/his  jbeaty@mail.smu.edu
 -  Associate Director, University Advising Center 
  Karisa Cloward she/her/hers kcloward@smu.edu -  Associate Professor, Political Science; Director, Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute
  Kathleen Gaskins she/her/hers kgaskins@smu.edu -  Education Abroad Coordinator
  Kathy Hubbard - khubbard@smu.edu
 - Assistant Dean, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  K.C. Mmeje
 he/him/his kmmeje@smu.edu
 Yes Vice President of Student Affairs 
  Kelyn Rola she/her/hers  krola@smu.edu
 -  Research Professor, Caruth Institute for Engineering Education, Lyle School of Engineering
  Kolin Goldschmidt  he/him/his  kgoldschmidt@smu.edu  Yes  Program Coordinator, Office of Student Success and Retention, Student Academic Engagement and Success 
  Kristina Nielsen - kfnielsen@smu.edu
 - Assistant Professor of Musicology
  LaiYee Leong - lleong@smu.edu
 - Political Science (Senior Fellow and Lecturer)
  Lauren O'Brien she/her/hers laureno@smu.edu  - Director, Office of Student Success and Retention, Student Academic Engagement and Success
  Linda Parker - lcparker@smu.edu
 Yes Director, Hart Center for Engineering Leadership
  Luis Robles   he/him/his larobles@smu.edu
 Yes  Residential Community Director for Upper Division Housing, Residence Life and Student Housing
  Maira Meki - maira@smu.edu
 Yes Cox - Associate Director of Specialized Master's Admissions
  Maria del Pilar Melgarejo - mmelgarejoac@smu.edu
 - Lecturer of Spanish
  Mark Hand - mchand@smu.edu
 - Visiting Lecturer, Political Science 
  Mark Kerins he/him/his
 mkerins@smu.edu
 - Professor, Film & Media Arts
  Matt Nadler he/him/his mnadler@smu.edu  -  Assistant Director of Employer Relations, Hegi Family Career Development Center, Student Affairs
  Maxime Foerster he/him/his mfoerster@smu.edu
 - Associate Professor (French)
  Misti Compton - mcompton@smu.edu
 Yes Director of Undergraduate Advising and Student Records, Lyle 
  Monnie McGee - mmcgee@smu.edu
 - Associate Professor of Statistical Science
  Noemi Vega Quiñones - nvegaquinones@smu.edu
   Graduate Program in Religious Studies - Ph.D. Student in Ethics
  Olga Colbert she/her/hers olvalero@mail.smu.edu
 Yes  Associate Professor, Spanish, World Languages, Dedman College
  Peng Tao - ptao@mail.smu.edu
 - Associate Professor, Chemistry; Director of Biophysical Sciences for Bachelor Degree, Dedman College
  Phillip Bax - pbax@mail.smu.edu
 - English PhD Student and WRTR Instructor
  Pia Vogel
 - pvogel@smu.edu
 Yes Biological Sciences, Professor
  Prisna Virasin  she/her/hers pvisarin@smu.edu
 Yes  Achievement Advisor 
  Rachel Ball-Phillips - rmball@smu.edu
 Yes Lecturer, History; Dir. of Graduate Fellowships & Awards, Moody School
  Rita Economos
 - reconomos@smu.edu
 Yes Earth Sciences, Assistant Professor
  Seth Orsborn
 - sorsborn@smu.edu
 - Director of Deason Innovation Gym
  Shanae Jefferies - sjefferies@smu.edu Yes Lecturer of Sociology
  Sheri Kunovich
 she/her/hers kunovich@smu.edu
 Yes Sociology, Associate Provost
  Shon Phillips - shonphillips@smu.edu
 Yes WRTR Lecturer/Writing Center Coordinator
  Sue Bierman she/her/hers  sbierman@smu.edu - Executive Director of Student Academic Success Programs
  Susan Norman - snorman@smu.edu
 Yes Writing and Reasoning/Hilltop Scholars-- Lecturer