GREENVILLE, PA – Thiel College welcomes five new full-time faculty members for the 2010-2011 academic year, which begins August 30.

Pictured from left to right are Dr. Christopher Stanisky, Jessica Abbott, Dr. George Branch-Trevathan, Melissa Oakes and Dr. Angie Koban.

The new faculty members are:

• Jessica Abbott, instructor of sociology. Abbott holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University, where she is currently completing a doctoral program in sociology. A native of Huntington, Tenn., this is Abbott’s first faculty appointment. She is a member of the American Society of Criminology.
• Dr. George Branch-Trevathan, lecturer of religion. Branch-Trevathan holds a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Divinity from Harvard University and a doctorate from Emory University. He is a member of Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion and the American Historical Association.  He formerly served as an adjunct instructor in Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Branch-Trevathan is a native of Murray, Ky.
• Dr. Angie Koban, assistant professor of psychology. Koban holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Tufts University. She served as an adjunct instructor at Tufts from 2006 to 2009. She is a native of Sewickley, Pa.
• Melissa Oakes, instructor of business administration. Oakes holds a bachelor’s degree from Thiel College and is currently enrolled in the M.B.A. program at Clarion University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Oakes is a native of Greenville, Pa., and currently lives in Sandy Lake.
• Dr. Christopher Stanisky, assistant professor of chemistry. Stanisky holds a bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College and a doctorate from Yale University. He formerly served as a visiting professor at Mount Holyoke College and Harvey Mudd College and was a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Notre Dame. A native of Pittsburgh, Stanisky is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the American Chemical Society and the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.

New adjunct faculty for the 2010-2011 academic year include Dr. James Bloomfield, history; Heather Butchy, English; Kevin DeFrancesco, education; Nicole Estock, French; Rachael Gerstnecker, art; Scott Graubard, environmental science; Nancy Katz, English; Jessica Phillips, business administration; Ronald Saffell, English; David Spalding, education; and Mary Varley, college reading. 

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