President Paul Conn announced the board’s decision and shared his congratulations to these colleagues earlier this semester.
The faculty members include Dr. Caroline Boulis, Dr. Ron Brendel, Dr. Blayne Carroll, Dr. Phebe Gray, Dr. Margaret Moe, Dr. Kim Moffett, Dr. Sara Ortega, Dr. Jeff Sargent and Dr. Ashley Smith.
Dr. Boulis is an assistant professor of mathematics. She received her doctorate and master of science degrees from Florida State University, and bachelor of science from American University in Cairo, Egypt. Boulis joined the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in 2004.
Prior to joining the Lee University faculty, Boulis worked at Florida State as a teaching assistant in the mathematics department, an adviser at the American University in Cairo and as a cultural coordinator for the Zenab Kamel Hassen Foundation for Holistic Human Development.
A world traveler, Boulis has also worked for a TV commercial production company and as a private mathematics tutor in both Sudan and Egypt.
Dr. Brendel, an assistant professor of voice, received his doctorate of music education and master of music degrees from Temple University, and a bachelor of music education from Evangel College. Brendel joined the voice faculty at Lee in 2005 where he teaches voice and coordinates the graduate program in music performance.
Brendel performed as an opera singer in the Mozart tenor roles of “Cosi fan tutte,” “Die Zauberflöte,” and “Der Shauspieldirektor.” Among many other performances, Brendel has appeared as Goro in the South Florida Opera production of “Madama Butterfly,” as Ferrando in their “Cosi fan tutte” and as Alfred in the Treasure Coast Opera Society production of “Die Fledermaus.’ Brendel made his Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” in 2006.
Dr. Carroll is an assistant professor of mathematics. He received his doctorate and master of science degrees from Emory University and his bachelor of science from Butler University. Carroll joined the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Lee in 2006.
Before coming to Lee, Carroll was employed at Berry College as an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, was a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Dickinson College, a dean’s teaching fellow at Emory University, and a graduate teaching assistant at Emory.
Accompanying his years of study and teaching experience, Carroll is a published researcher. He has been invited to present at various conferences including the Consortium for Computing Science in Colleges Southeast Conference and the Annual North Carolina Mini-Conference on Graph Theory, Combinations and Computing.
Dr. Gray, an assistant professor of Chinese, received her doctorate in foreign language education from University of Tennessee at Knoxville. A member of the Association for Asian Studies and the Chinese Language Teacher Association, Gray is a certified oral proficiency interview tester with the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Prior to joining the Lee faculty in 2002, Gray taught in Oregon and China. She was also a participant of the Japanese External Trade Organization. While at Lee, Gray has published two books, “Dragons without Eyes” and “The Three Character Classic: A bilingual reader of China’s ABCs.”
Dr. Moe is an assistant professor of communication. She received her doctorate at Penn State University, a master of arts from University of California-Davis and a bachelor of arts from Westmont College. She is a communication generalist and oversees the advertising emphasis of the communication degree at Lee.
Prior to coming to Lee, she taught at Cleveland State Community College and a number of colleges in the northeast including Niagara University, Daemon College, West Chester University and Wilmington College. Known to students as “Doc Moe,” she is the faculty advisor for the Lee Advertising Federation and coached Lee’s first National Student Advertising competition team. Moe is a two-year director for AAF-Chattanooga.
Dr. Moffett, an assistant professor of special education, and received her doctorate and bachelor of science degrees from Tennessee Technological University. In addition to teaching at Lee, she serves as a behavior analyst for the state of Tennessee.
Prior to joining Lee’s faculty in 2004, she worked as a graduate assistant at Tennessee Tech, a research assistant on the Make a Difference Project, a special education teacher, and an early childhood special education itinerant teacher.
As a successful researcher, Moffett has presented her work at the International Applied Behavior Analysis Conference and the International Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference.
Currently, she is conducting research on a behavioral data collection system for schools to rank student behaviors by tier and match appropriate tracking and interventions in the school setting. Moffett is a member of the Autism Symposium steering committee and the director of Camp Spectrum for Individuals with Autism.
Dr. Ortega is an assistant professor of French and Spanish. She received her doctorate from the University of Puerto Rico and her DRL, master of arts and bachelor of arts degrees from the Universite Stendhal in France. Ortega joined the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages at Lee in 2005.
Before coming to Lee, Ortega previously taught French at the University of Puerto Rico on both the Rio Piedras campus and the Bayamón campus.
A student and professor of languages, Ortega has been published in Revista de Estudios Hispánicos and was a recipient of the University of Puerto Rico Research Endowment for Outstanding Students, the Regional Council of Rhône-Alpes (France) Research Grant and the National Higher Education Ministry of France Travel Grant.
Dr. Sargent is an assistant professor of psychology and chairperson for the Department of Behavioral and Social Science. He received his doctorate, master of arts and master of science from the University of Alabama and his bachelor of arts from Lee College. Sargent was honored with the Excellence in Advising award at Lee in 2008.
Prior to joining the Lee faculty in 2005, Sargent taught as an adjunct instructor at University of Alabama, Stillman College, and Bevill State Community College. He also worked as a high school counselor and a mental health therapist in Alabama. Sargent has presented papers on different occasions at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Smith, an associate professor of education, earned his education doctorae from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, his master of science from Middle Tennessee State University, and his bachelor of science from the University of Florida. Smith is the director of field experiences and teacher education at Lee. Smith currently serves as the South Regional Trustee for the National Middle School Association. In 2009, he was elected to Executive Council on the MSA board of trustees.
Prior to joining Lee’s Helen DeVos College of Education in 2005, Smith served as the supervisor of Grants and Middle Grades for the Cleveland City School System and as principal of Cleveland Middle School for 18 years.
