News and Events

Press Releases

Pepperdine Welcomes New Faculty

Seaver College

Brian Fisher, assistant professor of mathematics,has participated in various projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the U.S. Department of Education, in which he assisted in developing courses, materials and a textbook. He has presented at multiple math conferences and received the Jeanne Agnew Excellence in Teaching Award. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in pure mathematics and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Oklahoma State University.

Damian Jenkins, assistant professor of teacher education, was awarded the Green Fellow Award by the University of California, Santa Barbara, for the pursuit of excellence in educational research. She has presented her research at national and international conferences including the American Education Research Association, the American Association of College Teacher Educators, and ISCAR. She has been a Seaver College adjunct professor for ten years, and worked as a research fellow of the Center for Literacy Inquiry Networking Communities since 2004. Jenkins holds a B.A. in English and M.A. in American studies from Pepperdine, and a Ph.D. in cultural perspectives and comparative education from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Emily Kinsky, assistant professor of communication, has made various conference presentations and authored a manuscript that is in press and another that is under revision. She is the recipient of grants from the College of Mass Communications. Kinsky brings with her teaching experience from Texas Tech University and has professional experience in public relations. She holds a University Scholar B.A. from Baylor University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in mass communications from Texas Tech University.

Nathaniel Klemp, assistant professor of political theory, won the 2006 Association for Princeton Graduate Alumni Teaching Award and spent one year as an exchange scholar at Harvard University. He has authored three manuscripts and has two currently under review. Awarded various fellowships and awards from the Princeton Center for the Study of Religion to conduct field research, he brings with him teaching experience from Princeton University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and M.A. in education from Stanford University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University.

Elizabeth Essary, assistant professor of sociology, taught at Duke University, where she received the Graduate Teaching Award. Her research interests include comparative historical sociology, social movements, cultural sociology stratification, and globalization. She has delivered multiple papers, including one at the International Institute of Sociology 37th World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. She received her B.A. in sociology from Point Loma Nazarene University, and both her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Duke University.

Timothy Lucas, assistant professor of mathematics, designed a three-dimensional simulation of the immune system while he was a research associate in the Center for Computational Immunology at Duke University. He also developed curriculum and taught for the Mathematics Department. Lucas was awarded the L.P. and Barbara Smith Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Occidental College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Duke University.

Mason Marshall, assistant professor of philosophy, has published seven scholarly articles and has six currently under review. He has delivered numerous conference presentations as well. Marshall's primary research areas include ancient philosophy and American philosophy. He has taught philosophy courses at Vanderbilt University. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Furman University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University.

Lila McDowell Carlsen, assistant professor of Hispanic studies, received the Phi Beta Kappa Award for Excellence in Research and was named Outstanding Graduate of Baylor University. She has studied and conducted research in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Mexico and has collaborated on several books and articles on contemporary Latin American Fiction. Additionally, she received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship and was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at University of California, Riverside, where she taught Spanish. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Spanish from Baylor University and a Ph.D. in Spanish from University of California, Riverside.

Graciela Pérez-Boruszko, assistant professor of Spanish, has taught English, Spanish, and French abroad in countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and France. She has made multiple paper presentations. Pérez-Boruszko brings with her teaching experience in French and Spanish from Biola University, where she also chaired the Department of Modern Languages. She holds a Maîtrise de Lettres Modernes-Mastery of Modern Languages (Letters and Languages) from Université de Bourgogne; DEA (Letters and Languages) from Université de Bourgogne; DEA (French Philology), Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia; and Ph.D. (French Philology), Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.

J.D. Sargent, assistant professor of theatre production/design, has wide-ranging professional experience as a director, production manager, and technical director. He also has extensive background in lighting, scenic and sound design for productions from dance and opera to musicals and dramatic theatre in educational and professional venues across the country. He won the Creative Achievement Graduate Performance Award for his body of work in design and performance at the University of Memphis. He brings with him teaching experience from Indiana University Northwest, Lambuth University, and the University of Memphis. He holds a B.M. in music from Lambuth University and an M.F.A with emphasis in lighting, scenic and sound design from the University of Memphis.