New Faculty
Message from Academic Affairs
The hallmark of a quality university is its high academic integrity. Northeastern State University has a strong commitment to quality and to recruiting new faculty that bring in new ideas, direction, and vision. This intentional effort provides vital intellectual and cultural capital to the region.
As we begin the fall semester, we welcome these faculty to NSU. We are proud to have them join our faculty community, a distinctive group of scholars and educators deeply committed to academic excellence and student learning. We are excited to have them join us as we continue our mission of service to northeastern Oklahoma and the world.
Are you a new faculty member at NSU and would like to add or update your information below? Please contact the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@nsuok.edu.
College of Business & Technology
Hossein Nezakati, PhD
Business Management
Islamic Azad University
Dr. Hossein Nezakati holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in Business Management (Marketing Management) from Islamic Azad University (IAU). Before joining NSU, he accumulated over 30 years of experience in both industry and academia, serving in various roles such as General Manager and Board of Directors' Consultant. He has taught in several countries, including at Sunway University, Malaysia University of Science and Technology, University Putra Malaysia, and IAU. His research interests include case studies, Sustainable Development Goals, management and marketing strategies, and market value coverage.
Dr. Nezakati joins the Department of Business Administration as Associate Professor.
Hyewon Cho, PhD
Business Administration
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Hyewon Cho graduated with her master’s degree in Psychology from NYU and her Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining NSU, she taught at City University of Hong Kong and Sogang University. Her research interests are in culture and consumer wellbeing.
Dr. Cho joins the Department of Business Administration as Assistant Professor.
David Dyson, PhD
Business Administration
University of Arkansas
Dr. Dyson joins the Department of Business Administration as Assistant Professor.
Megan Weinkauf, PhD
Organizational Leadership
Regent University
Dr. Megan Weinkauf specializes in transformational leadership, neuroscience, and values-based decision-making. She holds a BSBA in Accounting with a Minor in Marketing from the University of Arkansas, an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, concentrating in Human Resource Development. With a strong background in accounting, marketing, business strategy, and leadership, Dr. Weinkauf is also deeply involved in her community, serving on Tulsa's Ethics Advisory Council and as Vice President at The Spring, supporting those who have experienced domestic violence and human trafficking.
Dr. Weinkauf joins the Department of Business Administration as Assistant Professor.
College of Education
Samantha Evans, PhD
Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum
University of Oklahoma
Dr. Evans graduated with her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from NSU and her Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum from the University of Oklahoma. Before teaching at NSU, she taught at the elementary and secondary levels. Her research interests are in teacher resiliency and hope in the classroom.
Dr. Evans joins the Department of Curriculum & Instruction as Assistant Professor.
Deborah Johnson, PhD
Psychology
Iowa State University
Dr. Johnson joins the Department of Psychology & Counseling as Assistant Professor.
William Mitchner, EdS
Clinical Counseling
Murray State University
William is currently finishing up his dissertation in Counselor Education that focused on the use of counseling by Arabic International students. He has presented international research in Kuwait, Japan, and Spain. He is focused on Substance Use, Multicultural, and Music use in therapy.
Dr. Mitchner joins the Department of Psychology & Counseling as Assistant Professor.
Rachel Olienyk, PhD
Counselor Education & Supervision
University of the Cumberlands
Dr. Olienyk joins the Department of Psychology & Counseling as Assistant Professor.
Bradlee Ross, PhD
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Oklahoma State University
Dr. Ross is a two-time graduate of NSU, with Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in English. He finished his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Oklahoma State this past summer. After teaching middle school English for several years, he taught English Composition and Humanities at Connors State College in Muskogee for the last seven. He lives in Broken Arrow, with his wife Lauren, who is also an educator, and his kids, Eli and Emma. His research interests center on teacher support and retention.
Dr. Ross joins the Department of Curriculum & Instruction as Assistant Professor.
Susmit Gulavani, PhD
Sports Management
Florida State University
Dr. Gulavani graduated with a PhD in Sport Management from Florida State University. His primary research interest is in the area of transformative sport marketing where he is interested in examining the transformative impact of sport in the lives of people. He uses advanced analytical techniques such as machine learning and longitudinal data analysis procedures to analyze the sports data. His teaching philosophy is student-centric and he enjoys teaching a variety of classes in the area of sport analytics, sport economics, research methods, and sport marketing. Dr. Gulavani is a recreational runner and enjoys weight training, playing cricket, and soccer in his spare time.
Dr. Gulavani joins the Department of Health & Kinesiology as Assistant Professor.
Chelsea Threadgill, PhD
Counselor Education & Supervision
Walden University
Dr. Chelsea Threadgill, PhD earned her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Oklahoma, her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern State University, and her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Walden University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor in the state of Oklahoma and has extensive experience counseling clients with a history of complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. She also has a passion for working with individuals and families in the foster, adoption, and guardianship network and spent over two years providing services to this community through a non-profit agency. She is trained in various evidence-based therapies, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), IFS (Internal Family Systems), and TF-CBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and has certifications as a telemental health provider and an adoption competent therapist. Dr. Threadgill's research interests include counselor self-efficacy and complex trauma. Dr. Threadgill has been teaching in higher education since 2018 and became a full-time faculty member in NSU's Psychology and Counseling Department in 2024.
Dr. Threadgill joins the Department of Psychology & Counseling as Assistant Professor.
College of Liberal Arts
Alexandra Doyle, DMA
Music Performance
University of Cincinnati
Dr. Alexandra Doyle is the newly-appointed Assistant Professor of Music (Clarinet) at NSU. Previously, she taught at Sinclair College, Thomas More University, and the Stivers School for the Arts. Dr. Doyle is both a clarinetist with and marketing director for the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, as well as an author and musicologist, with bylines appearing in The Clarinet Magazine, Vandoren WAVE, and Oxford’s forthcoming Handbook of Wind Music. She earned her graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her bachelor’s degrees from the University of Houston.
Dr. Doyle joins the Department of Music as Assistant Professor.
Abhijit Mazumdar, PhD
Communication & Information
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Dr. Mazumdar joins the Department of Communication and Media Studies as Assistant Professor.
Saroj Thapa, PhD
Environmental Resources and Policy
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Dr. Thapa joins the Department of Geography & Political Science as Assistant Professor.
Gregg Wadley College of Science & Health Professions
Caitlin Bruder, EdD
Interdisciplinary Leadership
Creighton University
Dr. Bruder joins the Department of Health Professions as Assistant Professor.
Dr. Sydney Dorrough, OTD
Occupational Therapy
University of Kansas
Dr. Dorrough joins the College of Science & Health Professions as Associate Dean, NSU Muskogee.
Kacie McConnell, MS
Occupational Therapy
Northeastern State University
Kacie McConnell is an alumna of Northeastern State University where she completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is a practicing occupational therapist and now works in the occupational therapy program educating future practitioners. Kacie also assumed the role as the academic fieldwork coordinator for the program, pairing students with their clinical rotation sites.
McConnell joins the Department of Health Professions as Clinical Assistant Professor.
Mitzie Miller, MEd
Educational Technology
University of Arkansas
Mitzie Miller's area of focus is designing and instructing courses for medical lab science on-line. As an educator she has worked full-time for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College from 2009 to 2023 designing, teaching, and directing the medical lab technician program. Mitzie led a strong online MLT club through Facebook, showing events happening on campus and job postings. The DaVinci Foundation awarded Mitzie a DaVinci Fellowship in 2011 by the state of Oklahoma for creating and implementing the first MLT program on-line in the state, before technical classes were on-line. Mitzie draws inspiration from traveling to conferences and meeting with other instructors. When Mitzie is not creating or teaching courses, she spends time cooking for her close and extended family during holidays. Mitzie and her husband care for her elderly mother in their home. They all find joy in gardening, their two Cavapoos and one cat.
Dr. Miller joins the Department of Health Professions as Instructor.
Philomena Mistretta, DNP
Nursing Practice
Chamberlain University
Philomena H. Mistretta, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, ENP-C, FNP-BC, CEN, is a triple board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in Family, Emergency, and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care. She brings over 25 years of nursing experience. Her experience offers a rich knowledge of diverse patient care and medical management. She is deeply committed to nursing education at both graduate and undergraduate levels, having taught at several nursing programs in varied formats over the years. She is actively engaged with her local Emergency Nursing Association (ENA) chapter and serves as a scholarship and grant reviewer for her ENA state council. She is presently involved in publishing peer-reviewed articles about health promotion and disease prevention, community and global health, nursing education, and quality improvement.
Dr. Mistretta joins the Department of Health Professions as Clinical Assistant Professor.
Cheyanne Olson, PhD
Environmental Science
Oklahoma State University
Dr. Cheyanne Olson is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern State University, specializing in freshwater ecology. Her research focuses on the application of citizen science for water quality monitoring, a field in which she is highly passionate. Dr. Olson volunteers and serves as a board member with Oklahoma's Friends of Blue Thumb, a renowned citizen science organization dedicated to protecting and monitoring the state's water resources. At Northeastern State University, Dr. Olson teaches a variety of courses in freshwater science, including limnology and stream ecology.
Dr. Olson joins the Department of Natural Sciences as Assistant Professor.
Chelsea Skinner, MS
Biomedical Sciences
Oklahoma State University
Skinner joins the Department of Health Professions as Lecturer/Lab Manager.
Kelsey Smith, MSN
Nursing Education
Northeastern State University
Smith joins the Department of Health Professions as Instructor.
Lee Smith, PhD
Mechanical and Energy Engineering
University of North Texas
Dr. Lee Smith comes to NSU as an assistant professor of engineering. He has been studying bioproduct manufacturing with the goal of creating new sustainable and renewable technologies that will promote a bioeconomy that will improve the symbiosis between industry and the environment. The areas of focus of Dr. Smith's research includes the production of biomass derived activated carbons with applications in water purification, air filtration, energy materials (batteries, super capacitors), etc; and the manufacturing of biomass derived composite that can serve as an alternative to non renewables materials.
Dr. Smith joins the Department of Natural Sciences as Assistant Professor.
Oklahoma College of Optometry
Blayke Haggard, OD
Optometry
Northeastern State University
Dr. Haggard joins the Oklahoma College of Optometry as Clinical Assistant Professor.
Aubry Tackett, OD
Optometry
Northeastern State University
Dr. Aubry Tackett completed her Cornea and Contact Lens residency at NSUOCO in 2024 following graduation from NSUOCO in 2023. Dr. Tackett is originally from Yukon, Oklahoma, and she received her undergraduate degree from Northeastern State University in Biochemistry in 2019. Her clinical interests include Specialty Contact Lenses, Ocular Surface and Anterior Segment Disease, and Advanced Ophthalmic Procedures.
Dr. Tackett joins the Oklahoma College of Optometry as Assistant Professor.
NSU Libraries
Jennifer Campbell, MLIS
Library Information Studies
University of Oklahoma
Jennifer Campbell is the Resource Coordinator for the College of Education on the Broken Arrow campus. She is a PhD student at Texas A&M University- Commerce, studying applied linguistics. Her major research interests include pragmatics in linguistics, illocutionary speech acts, and qualitative research methods. She is a course facilitator for Creative Commons and holds a Copyright X certification from the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. Her ultimate goal is to provide solution-driven library products and utilize educational technology to the fullest.
Campbell joins the NSU Libraries as Instructor.