Public Relations & Communications

University Expert List

TSU Expert List for News Media

Below is a directory of TSU personnel organized by expertise and specialization. It is provided as a resource for media organizations seeking expert information on various topics. The individual experts provided all information and have granted their permission to be contacted directly.

TOPICAL GUIDE

• Agriculture
• Business / Economics (finance, marketing , organizational culture)
• Education (textbooks, instructional design, leadership, psychology, multi-cultural, preparation)
• History / Culture / Literature (music/literature, preservation)
• International Affairs
• Mass Communications & Media (journalism)
• Mathematics
• Medical / Health
• Music
• Politics / Public Service
• Social Issues (children, family, drugs, criminal justice, welfare)
• Technology / Computer Science / Engineering
• Urban Planning (transportation, landscaping)

---

Agriculture

Insect Pests
Karla Michele Addesso, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, (615) 963-5616
kaddesso@tnstate.edu

Plant stress-Pathogenicity Interactions, Molecular Screening, Molecular Genetics
Ahmad Aziz, Ph.D. Associate Research Professor (615) 963-1595
aaziz@tnstate.edu

Sustainable Design, Historic Preservation, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability
A. De Ruiz Ballard, M.S. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5623
aballard@tnstate.edu

Entomology, Wood-boring Insects, Japanese Beetles, Fire AntsAlicia Bray, Ph.D. Research Associate (615) 963-5160
abray@tnstate.edu

Biotechnology, crop rotation, legumes
Matthew Blair, Ph.D., Research assistant professor, (615) 963-7467
mblair@tnstate.edu

Physiology and Genetics in Beef Cattle and Meat Goats
Richard Browning, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5837
rbrowning@tnstate.edu

Weed Science, Integrated Pest Management, Sustainable Agriculture
Fitzroy Bullock, Ph.D. Professor-Extension Svc Adm (615) 963-5449
fbullock@tnstate.edu

Agricultural Economics
Carter Catlin, Ph.D. Associate Dean-Research (615) 963-5819
ccarter@tnstate.edu

Food Safety, Biosensors, Foodborne Pathogens, Microbial Contamination of Food
Fur-Chi Chen, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5410
fchen1@tnstate.edu

Ornamental Horticulture
Arvazena Clardy, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-4887
aclardy@tnstate.edu

Agricultural Economics, International Agriculture
Sammy Comer, M.S. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5820
scomer@tnstate.edu

Bio-fuel Crop Production, Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Chemistry
Jason de Koff, Ph.D. Asst Pro-Agronomy/Soil Sci (615) 963-4929
jdekoff@tnstate.edu

Water Quality, Soil Science
Samuel Dennis, Ph.D. Associate Research Professor (615) 963-5822
sdennis@tnstate.edu

Plant Pathology, Genetics of Plant-associated Bacteria; Soft Rot Pathogenesis
Charles Dumenyo, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5634
cdumenyo@tnstate.edu

Soil Science, Environmental Science
Desh Duseja, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5439
dduseja@tnstate.edu

Bio-Remediation, Phytoremediation
Emmanuel Dzantor, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-2546
edzantor@tnstate.edu

Agribusiness, Rural Development
Enefiok Ekanem, Ph.D. Research Professor (615) 963-5823
eekanem@tnstate.edu

Nursery Crops, Plant Breeding
Nick Gawel, Ph.D. Assistant Dean (931) 668-3233
ngawel@tnstate.edu

Food Safety, Emergency Preparedness
Sandria Godwin, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5619
sgodwin@tnstate.edu

Caron Sequestration, Forestry, Geospatial Information Systems
Solomon Haile, Ph.D. Assistant Professor-Extens Svc (615) 963-5445
shalie@tnstate.edu

Cultural Practices on Horticultural Crops, Plant Science
William Hayslett, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5438
whayslett@tnstate.edu

Food Safety, Microbial Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5437
akilonzotheng@tnstate.edu

Food Marketing, Food Economics
Lan Li, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor (615) 963-4935
lli@tnstate.edu

Agricultural Extension
Latif Lighari, Ph.D. Associate Dean-Extension (615) 963-1594
Lighari@tnstate.edu

Plant Pathology, Nursery Crops, Integrated Disease Management\
Margaret Mmbaga, Ph.D. Professor (615) 931-815-5143
mmmbaga@tmstate.edu

Poultry Nutrition, Animal Biotechnology
Samuel Nahashon, Ph.D. Research Professor/Agr (615) 963-2575
snahashon@tnstate.edu

Childhood Obesity Prevention
Veronica Oates, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5625
voates@tnstate.edu

Entomology, Nursery Crops, imported fire ants, Japanese Beetles
Jason Oliver, Ph.D. Research Associate Professor (931) 668-3572
joliver@tnstate.edu

Animal Science, Goats, Plant Nutrition, Sustainable Organic Farming
An Peischel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5539
apieschel@tnstate.edu

Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Agronomy, International Agriculture, Fertilizer Management, Green House operation, Hydeoponics
Dharmalingar Pitchay, Ph.D. Assoc Pro- Consumer Hort & Org (615) 963-4890
dpitchay@tnstate.edu

Agriculture Student Achievement, Critical Thinking
Chandra Reddy, Ph.D. Professor Dean and Director of Research/Administrator of Extension College of Agriculture, Human & Natural Sciences (615) 963-7561
creddy@tnstate.edu

Agriculture Education, Critical Thinking, Extension Education
John Ricketts, Ph.D. Assoc Professor-Extens Svc (615) 963-7620
jricket1@tnstate.edu

Remote Sensing, Air Quality, Agricultural Meteorology, Plant Growth Modeling
Alvin Wade, M.S., M.ED Associate Professor (615) 963-5533
awade@tnstate.edu

Food Development and Health promotion
Ying Wu, Assistant Professor, (615) 963-5824
ywu@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Business

Economics and Finance
Dharmendra Dhakal Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-7345
ddhakal@tnstate.edu

Management
Phyllis Flott, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7123
pflott@tnstate.edu

Economic Impact Analysis
Soumen Ghosh, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-7172
sghosh@tnstate.edu

Human Resources
Carrie Hurst, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7341
churst@tnstate.edu

Quality Management
Joel Jolayemi, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-7134
jjolayemi@tnstate.edu

Leadership, Organizational Development
Tyrone Miller, Ed.D. Assistant Professor-Extens Svc (615) 963-1843
tmiller@tnstate.edu

Supply Chain Management
Festus Olorunniwo, Ph.D. Department Head (615) 963-7346
folorunniwo@tnstate.edu

Marketing
Ramaprasad Unni, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7343
runni@tnstate.edu

Economics and Finance
Achintya Ray, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7347
aray4@tnstate.edu

Consumer Behavior, E-commerce, Retailing and Consumer Information Processing
Roger Sauve, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5828
rsauve@tnstate.edu

Micro Loans
Abu Wahid, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-7149
awahid@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Education

Education, Teacher Prep
Kimberly King-Jupiter, Ph.D. Dean (615) 963-5451
kkingjup@tnstate.edu

Health Fitness, Sports Performance, Exercise Science
James Bass, M.Ed. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5609
jbass@tnsate.edu

Counseling with Children and Adolescents, Family Psychology, Issues Related to Men and Masculinity, Supervision and Training of Psychologists
James Campbell, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5144
jcampbell21@tnstate.edu

Educational Technology, Cooperative Learning, Project based Learning
Charles Dickens, Ed.D. Professor (615) 963-5029
cdickens@tnstate.edu

Kurdish and Middle Eastern Issues, Educational Administration and Leadership
Kirmanj Gundi, Ed.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-2298
kgundi@tnstate.edu

Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Visual Literacy, Philosophy of Education
John Hunter, Ed.D. Professor (615) 963-7051
jmhunter@tnstate.edu

Elementary Education, Education Technology
Nicole Kendall, Ed.D. Professor (615) 963-5482
nkendall@tnstate.edu

Elementary Education, Pre-service Teachers, Math Education, Science Education, Professional Development for Teachers
Marcia Millet, Ed.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7622
mmillet@tnstate.edu

Special Education, Teen Sexuality Issues, Preparing Students for Praxis
Judith Presley, Ed.D. Professor (615) 963-5468
jpresley@tnstate.edu

Elementary-Teacher Education Methods
Mary A. Pangle, Ed.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-2126
mpangle@tnstate.edu

Education, Teacher preparation
Heraldo Richards, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Professor (615) 963-5620 hrichards@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

History / Culture / Literature

Elizabethan Literature; Writing; Women’s Studies; Writing in the Disciplines, Rhetoric & Composition; Feminist Theory; Popular Culture; British Literature
Samantha Morgan-Curtis, Ph.D. Associate Prof & WRITE Director (615) 963-1536 Smorgan-curtis@tnstate.edu

Medieval European History, Manuscripts and Archives, Church History, French History and Culture, English History and Culture
Elizabeth Dachowski, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5507 – edachowski@tnstate.edu

Germany and Modern Europe
Joel Dark, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5516
jdark@tnstate.edu

African and African American Literature, Women’s Literature
Rebecca Dixon, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5728
rdixon@tnstate.edu

African History
Adebayo Oyebade, Ph.D., Professor (615) 963-5506
aoyebade@tnstate.edu

Early American History
Erik Schmeller, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5510 – eschmeller@tnstate.edu

Public History, Historic Preservation, Civil War and Reconstruction, African-American History (Slavery, Emancipation, Civil Rights, and African-American Intellectual History)
Learotha Williams, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5513
Lwilli22@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

International Affairs

Agricultural Economics, International Agriculture
Sammy Comer, M.S. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5820
scomer@tnstate.edu

International Relations, International Security, International Political Economy
Daniel Gibran, Ph.D., Professor, (615) 963- 5650
dgibran@tnstate.edu

Kurdish and Middle Eastern Issues, Educational Administration and Leadership
Kirmanj Gundi, Ed.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-2298
kgundi@tnstate.edu

(Public Health) Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Immigrant Health, International Health
Mohamed Kanu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7326
mkanu@tnstate.edu

International Organizations, Nuclear Proliferation, Middle East Politics and History
John Miglietta, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5515
jmiglietta@tnstate.edu

Global Political Economy, International Relations
Kyle Murray, Ph.D., Professor (615) 963-1394
kmurra10@tnstate.edu

Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Agronomy, International Agriculture, Fertilizer Management, Green House operation, Hydeoponics
Dharmalingar Pitchay, Ph.D. Assoc Pro- Consumer Hort & Org (615) 963-4890
dpitchay@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Mass Communications & Media (Journalism)

Mass Communication, Radio/TV News, Sports Journalism
Terry Likes, Ph.D. Department Head/Professor (615) 963-5804
tlikes@tnstate.edu

Media Management, Media Programming, Media Production, Sports Media, Digital Media
Joe Richie, M.M.A. Manager (615) 963-1582
jrichie@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Mathematics

Bio-Mathematics
Dorjsuren Badamdorj, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5811 – dadamdo@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Medical / Health

Disease Control, Health
Stephanie Bailey, Ph.D. Interim Dean and Director of Public Health Initiative (615) 963-5924
sbaile11@tnstte.edu

Geriatrics, Cardiopulmonary
Ronald Barredo, PT, DPT, Ed. D., GCS Assistant Dean (615) 963-5932
rbarredo@tnstate.edu

Behavioral Health Sciences, Maternal Child HealthRevlon Briggs, M.S., DHA (ABD) Assistant Professor (615) 963-7331
rbriggs@tnstate.edu

(Health and Human Sciences) Geriatrics, Health Education and Health Promotion, Child Health, Health Disparities
Elizabeth Brown, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7252
ebrown@tnstate.edu

Clinical Chemistry, Hematology/Coagulation, Medical Parasitology, Urinalysis/Body Fluids, and Immunology
Wanda Burrell, MT (ASCP) MSPH Assistant Professor (615) 963-7334
wburrell@tnstate.edu

Community Health
Rita Fleming, M.S. Asst Prof- Health Education (615) 963-2135
rfleming@tnstate.edu

Musculoskeletal System, Spine and Hands
Kevin Lawrence, PT, DHS, OCS Associate Professor (615) 963-1388
klawren2@tnstate.edu

Speech and Language Development/Disorders, Preschool/School Age Populations
Iris Johnson, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7030
ijohnson@tnstate.edu

(Public Health) Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Immigrant Health, International Health
Mohamed Kanu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7326
mkanu@tnstate.edu

Personal Health Records, Confidentiality of Patient Records
Elizabeth Kunnu, Ed.S., M.Ed., RHIA Department Head (615) 963-7430
ekunnu@tnstate.edu

Neuro-rehabilitation, Parkinson’s Disease
David Lehman, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5946
dlehman@tnstate.edu

Board Certified and State Licensed in Occupational Therapy, Areas of Specialization: Hand Injuries, Pediatrics Farm Related Injuries
Stephen Penick, MSOT, OTR/L, CPAM Assistant Professor (615) 963-5953
spenick@tnstate.edu

Health Promotion, Disease Prevention
Edilberto Raynes, MD, Ph.D. (ABD) Assistant Professor (615) 963-2190
eraynes@tnstate.edu

(Anthropology) Health Disparities, Cultural Competency, Cancer Prevention Among Women and Minorities
Elizabeth Williams, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7222
ewilli18@tnstate.edu

Geriatrics and Community Dentistry
Janice Williams, MS RDH, BSDH, MS Assistance Professor (615) 963-5839
jwilliams128@tnstate.edu

Issues Related to Nursing Education and Nursing Workforce Preparation
Kathy Martin, Ph.D. Dean-School of Nursing (615) 963-5251
kmatrtin@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Music

Southern Music; Race Relations; Southern History
Michael Bertrand, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-1376 – mbertrand@tnstate.edu

Latin America, Cuba, Argentina, Guatemala, Caribbean, Religion in Latin America
Theron Corse, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-7457
tcorse@tnstate.edu

Commercial Music, Music Industry
Mark Crawford, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5210 – mcrawford@tnstate.edu

Distance Education in Music, Music Accreditation, Text book publishing
Robert Elliott, Ph.D. Professor/Department Head (615) 963-5347 relliott@tnstate.edu

Reginald McDonald, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5353
rmcdonald@tnstate.edu
Instrumental Performing Ensembles and Bands, Aristocrat Of Bands

Darryl Nettles, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5358
dnettles@tnstate.edu
Vocal Music, Early Jazz

Music Education
Patricia Reeves, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7785
preaves@tnstate.edu

Classical Guitar
Richard Todd, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7753
rtodd@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Politics / Public Service / International Affairs

International Relations, International Security, International Political Economy
Daniel Gibran, Ph.D., Professor, (615) 963- 5650
dgibran@tnstate.edu

Kurdish and Middle Eastern Issues, Educational Administration and Leadership
Kirmanj Gundi, Ed.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-2298
kgundi@tnstate.edu

International Organizations, Nuclear Proliferation, Middle East Politics and History
John Miglietta, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5515
jmiglietta@tnstate.edu

Program Evaluation, Community needs Assessment, Employee Turnover, Employee Turnover, Organizational Culture and EffectivenessOscar Miller, Ph.D. Dean of Arts & Sciences (615) 963-5559 – omiller@tnstate.edu

Global Political Economy, International RelationsKyle Murray, Ph.D., Professor (615) 963-1394
kmurra10@tnstate.edu

American National, State, and Local Politics
Brian Russell, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-4930
brussell7@tnstate.edu

Civil and Criminal Law
Robert Smith, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5032
rsmith@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Politics & Public Service

Public Policy and Management
Michael Harris, Ph.D., Dean and Professor (615) 963-7201 mharris50@tnstate.edu

Non-Profit, Representative Bureaucracy; Access, Organization Theory, Public Budgeting
Joan Gibran, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7255
Jgibran01@tnstate.edu

Public Sector, Ethics in Public Administration
Ann Marie Rizzo, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-7250
arizzo@tnstate.edu

Research Methods & Qualitative Techniques, Organizational Theory & Behavior, Public Policy
Rodney Stanley, Ph.D. Department Head (615) 963-7249
rstanley@tnstate.edu>

Public Budgeting and Finance, Public Policy Analysis and Economics, Performance Management
Megan Streams, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7112
mstreams@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Social Issues (family, parenting, human development)

Men’s Issues, Men and Masculinity
Christopher Blazina, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5152
cblazina@tnstate.edu

Criminal Justice, Racial Disparities in Social Control Efforts, Sentencing as Related to War on Drugs
Debroah Burris-Kitchen, Ph.D. Department Head (615) 963-7648 –
dburris-kitchen@tnstate.edu

Child Welfare/Culturally Competent Public Child Welfare Practice
Delores Butler, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7666
dbutler@tnstate.edu

Gerontology, Faith and Health
Barbara Canada, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-2294
bcanada@tnstate.edu

Community Health
Rita Fleming, M.S. Asst Prof- Health Education (615) 963-2135
rfleming@tnstate.edu

Work-Life Balance in Women, Women’s Issues, Multicultural Counseling
Robin Oatis-Ballew, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-1558 –roatisballes@tnstate.edu

Human Development, Parenting, Family Relationships
Margaret Machara, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5628
mmachara@tnstate.edu

Family Life, Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation
Javiette Samuel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-7885
Jsamuel1@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Technology / Science / Engineering

STEM Education and Manufacturing in TennesseeS. Keith Hargrove, Ph.D. Dean of Engineering (615) 963-5399 –skhargrove@tnstate.edu

Environmental Modeling, Storm Surge Prediction
Muhammad Akbar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (615) 963-5393 makbar@tnstate.edu

Physics
Orville Bignall, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5870
obignall@tnstate.edu

Geoffrey Burks, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 277-1622
gburks@tnstate.edu
Astronomy

Astronomy
John Henry, Ph.D. Research Specialist, Center of Excellence, (615) 277-1616 ghenry@tnstate.edu

Engineering Design, Modeling and Simulation, and Optimization of System
Landon Onyebueke, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5425
lonyebueke@tnstate.edu

Computer Networking, Network Security, Machine Learning
Sachin Shetty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, (615) 963-2160
sshetty@tnstate.edu

< back to top >

Urban / Community Planning

Transportation
Deo Chimba, Ph.D. Assistant Professor (615) 963-5430
dchimba@tnstate.edu

Urban Planning and Land use Issues
David Padgett, Ph.D. Associate Professor (615) 963-5508 – dpadgett@tnstate.edu

Sustainable Community Planning, Landscape Architecture
Surendra Singh, Ph.D. Professor (615) 963-5829
sssingh@tnstate.edu

Community Planning, Environmental Planning and Design
George Smith, Ph.D. assistant professor (615) 963-1233,
gsmith6@tnstate.edu

< back to top >