College Welcomes Seven Fine Arts and Humanities Faculty for the 2019-2020 School Year

The College of Arts and Letters has added seven new fine arts and humanities faculty members for the 2019-2020 school year.

“We are excited to welcome our new faculty to the College this year,” said Dean Kandi Turley-Ames. “Their teaching contributions will provide an outstanding learning environment for students, and their research activities will further contribute to the College’s academic excellence.”

The new faculty members include:

Eddie Ludema, assistant professor of music, earned his Ph.D. in musical arts with an emphasis in trumpet performance, pedagogy and literature from Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. He received a Master of Performance in Trumpet Performance at Freiburg Conservatory of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Before coming to ISU, Ludema was a trumpet instructor and the jazz ensemble director at Indiana State University. Ludema has worked on educational and curriculum resource development, which includes developing, designing and coding apps for mobile devices. He has performed in many orchestras and symphonies, including the Columbian Indiana Philharmonic, where he was a guest soloist. He has been a member of several professional music organizations including the College Music Society, International Trumpet Guild and Lambda Kappa Psi.

Liz Moreno Chuquen, assistant professor of global studies and languages, spent five years as a teaching assistant of Spanish language, literatures and cultures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her Ph.D. in Latin American literatures and cultures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a master’s in Spanish. Her bachelor’s degree in literary studies was earned at the National University of Colombia, Bogota. Her research experience focuses on Caribbean cultures. She has received several grants from the University of Illinois to travel to conferences on Latin American culture. 

Michael Roche, assistant professor of philosophy, comes from Mississippi State University, where he served as a visiting assistant professor for five years. He also served as a visiting assistant professor at Illinois Wesleyan University. He received his Ph.D. and master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also has two bachelor’s degrees in philosophy from the University of Utah. His research focuses on self-knowledge in Eastern and Western philosophies, on which he has run a two-week seminar. He has taught at Mississippi State University, Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison on subjects such as mind and world, history of western philosophy and reason in communication.

Summer Shelton, assistant professor of communication, media, and persuasion, received her master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from Florida State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations from Marietta College with a minor in Asian studies. As a graduate student, she worked as an instructor and lecture assistant in principles of advertising and advertising strategy courses. She has written several published papers exploring advertising and communication in health. Shelton has presented at over 20 conferences in the past three years about a variety of subjects in advertising, communication and journalism.

Amanda Bennett, assistant professor of communication, media, and persuasion, received her master’s degree in communication and her bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetorical studies from Idaho State University. She worked as a graduate teaching assistant at ISU from 2017 to 2019. She previously worked as an instructional assistant at the Hawaii Department of Education. Bennett was awarded the title of Most Influential Teacher by the ISU Women’s Volleyball Team in 2018 and has received two advertising awards. She has performed volunteer work for schools in Pocatello and in Hawaii.

Elisa Johnson, assistant professor of communication, media, and persuasion, received her master’s in communication and her bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetorical studies with an emphasis in rhetoric from Idaho State University. She worked as a graduate teaching assistant at ISU for the past two years. She has presented twice on Carl’s Jr. marketing campaigns. Johnson previously served as a public relations team leader in a public relations campaigns capstone course.

Ananda Keator, visiting assistant professor of theatre, received her M.F.A. in theatre from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her bachelor’s degree in apparel design and technology from Florida State University. She previously worked as the costume manager for the Richmond Ballet in Richmond, VA. She has many design credits with both professional and university theatre companies, along with many film and television credits. Keator was a silk screen artist for the film “The Dictator” and worked as a fabricator for the film “Men in Black 3,” both with Martin Izquierdo Studio. She has experience as a draper with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the University of Texas, Texas Ballet Theatre and the Richmond Ballet. 

Written by: Abbey Moe, College of Arts and Letters intern