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Subject Expert List

TSU In-house Experts 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. 

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

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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

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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

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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

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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  

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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

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Mathematics

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

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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 

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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

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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

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Politics & Public Service

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

Non-Profit, Representative Bureaucracy; Diversity, 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  

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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 

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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

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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

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