Seven Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts non-tenure track academic and research faculty members have achieved promotion to senior research scientist, senior academic professional, principal academic professional, or senior lecturer.
Promoted to Senior Research Scientist, effective July 1
Muslimah “Salimah” LaForce, Center for Advanced Communications Policy
LaForce is a senior policy analyst for Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy, specializing in policy research and identifying and describing intended and unanticipated implementation outcomes. Her work spans a variety of topic areas, including increasing accessibility and usability of wireless technologies, improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, and building capacity for inclusive emergency response efforts.
She has 17 years’ experience conducting user needs and experiences research and utilizing study results to inform policy and practice recommendations concerning technology access generally, and the benefit of said access to educational, employment, and social opportunities specifically.
LaForce earned her B.A. in English literature from Agnes Scott College and her M.S. in clinical psychology with an applied research specialization from the Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Capella University.
Promoted to Senior Academic Professional, effective July 1
Travis Denton, School of Literature, Media, and Communication
Denton is the associate director of Poetry@Tech. He is the founding editor of the literary arts publication Terminus Magazine. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies, such as Barrow Street, Five Points, Ghost Town, MEAD: a magazine of literature and libations, The Greensboro Review, Washington Square, Forklift, Rattle, Maudlin House, and the Cortland Review.
His published collections of poems include The Burden of Speech (C&R Press 2009), When Pianos Fall from the Sky (Marick Press 2012), and My Stunt Double (C&R Press 2019).
Mirla González, School of Modern Languages
A native of El Salvador, Mirla González earned her B.S. in biomedical science from Marist College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Kansas. She specializes in 19th–21st century peninsular literature and film, particularly the intersection between science, technology, ethics, and literature.
Her research interests include the portrayal of biotechnology and robotics in relation to sex and gender in Spanish science fiction and how science fiction has been used to mediate Arab, African, and Spanish cultures. An advocate of Open Educational Resources (OER), González is the development editor of OER Acceso, an open-access digital platform that supports the development of transcultural competence among language learners.
Promoted to Principal Academic Professional, effective July 1
J Anderson “Andy” Frazee, School of Literature, Media, and Communication
J Anderson “Andy” Frazee serves as the director of the Writing and Communication Program (WCP), overseeing courses in first-year composition, business communication, and technical communication, and supervising the teaching, research, service, and professional development of the Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellows and WCP lecturers.
Frazee’s scholarship examines writing program administration, pedagogy, and faculty development, and has appeared in WPA: Writing Program Administration, Computers and Composition, IEEE International Professional Communication Conference Proceedings, Essays on Best Practices in the University System of Georgia and elsewhere. He teaches courses in first-year composition, technical communication, and postmodern literature and facilitates postdoctoral seminars in multimodal pedagogy, technical communication pedagogy, and alternative career paths for PhDs.
Frazee earned his Ph.D. in English and creative writing from the University of Georgia, and an M.F.A. in creative writing and a B.S. in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
JC Reilly, School of Literature, Media, and Communication
JC Reilly serves as the managing editor of Atlanta Review and the director of creative writing curricula in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. She writes across genres to keep things interesting and has never met a hybrid piece she didn't love. What Magick May Not Alter, her Southern gothic novel-in-verse, was published by Madville Publishing in 2020. She is also the author of the chapbook Amo e Canto, which won the Sow's Ear Poetry Chapbook Prize, and a contributing author in a book of occasional verse, On Occasion: Four Poets, One Year.
John Thornton, School of Literature, Media, and Communication
John Thornton is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work reflects anomalistic stories of strength triumphing over adversity, where the characters compel audiences to take action. He has worked with ABC Family, TLC, HGTV, AXS TV, Meddin Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, UpTV, Student Quarters, From the Root, and Broadcast Management Group on documentary short films, narrative feature films, independent short films, episodic television shows, and reality television shows. John is an active member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, the International Documentary Association, and Film Independent.
In the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, he serves as the director of film and media and is part of the Black Media Studies cohort. He teaches Video Production (LMC 3406), Advanced Video Production (LMC 3407), Documentary Film Production (LMC 3258), Global Documentary Theory and Practice (LMC 8803), and Producing Black Documentary Films and Podcasts (LMC 3454).
Promoted to Senior Lecturer, effective Aug. 1
Seung-Eun Chang, School of Modern Languages
Seung-Eun Chang earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in phonetics and phonology. Upon joining Georgia Tech in 2018, she developed new courses that integrate media, culture, language practicum, and community service-learning into Korean language teaching and published articles on these topics. She is also the author of the book, Media, Culture, and Debate in Korean (Routledge, 2022) and was honored with three grants for her faculty-student collaborative media curation project, incorporated into this book. Chang has received many teaching awards, such as the Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: Class of 1934 CIOS Award and Honor Roll. She has participated in the school’s faculty-led study abroad program and served as a program coordinator. In addition to teaching and service, she enjoys conducting phonetic research on bilingualism and heritage speech, and her work has been published in several influential journals and books.