Welcoming New Faculty Members to the College of Arts and Humanities

Elizabeth Johnston is a Lecturer of English in Technical Communication in the Department of English. Before coming to the University of Central Florida, Johnston taught freshman composition and professional communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University) and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She received her undergraduate degree in music, with a minor in art history, from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Johnston also holds an MS in Technical and Professional Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and received her PhD in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from Texas Tech University, where she focused on online pedagogy in the technical communication classroom through a lens of user-experience and user-centered design. Her current research interests include the use of generative AI as a tool in undergraduate writing and communication courses.

Brian Turner has five collections of poetry, from Here, Bullet to The Dead Peasant’s Handbook (Alice James Books), and a memoir—My Life as a Foreign Country (W.W. Norton & Co.). He’s the editor of The Kiss and co-edited The Strangest of Theatres. His poems and essays have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, and Harper’s, among other fine journals, and he was featured in the documentary Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, nominated for an Academy Award.

Sanaa Mahroug is a seasoned French professor with over 15 years of enriching teaching experience across three continents. Her multicultural heritage—American, French, and Tunisian—infuses her pedagogy with a unique and vibrant perspective. She has taught French at every educational level, from elementary to university, offering her a comprehensive understanding of the French curriculum and its global applications. Dr. Mahroug earned her Ph.D. in Languages and Literatures from the University of Bourgogne in France. A passionate linguist, she is fluent in French, Arabic, and English, and has also explored German and Turkish, reflecting her deep appreciation for linguistic and cultural diversity.

Her research explores how history, identity, and technology influence education and knowledge. She focuses on the lasting effects of colonialism, the intersections of feminism and global justice, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

Jesse Rothbard holds a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese with a Certificate in Critical Theory from Northwestern University and a B.A. in Spanish and Biochemistry from Carleton College. Prior to joining UCF, he was a Fulbright Research Fellow at the Escola de Comunição at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (ECO-UFRJ) and a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the Ministerio de Educación Argentina in the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Chaco. He specializes in archival studies, visual cultures, and modern and contemporary Latin American literature with a focus on Brazil and the Southern Cone.

His research examines scandal, sensationalism, and narratives of crime from early 20th century Latin America. His work has been published in Chuy, El lugar sin límites, the anthology, Archivos del pasado, archivos del porvenir (2024), edited by the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF) and is forthcoming in the Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies and Revista Eco-Pós.

Charles Freiberg received his BA and MA from the University of Virginia and his PhD in Philosophy from Saint Louis University, where he wrote a dissertation on educational implications and potential responses to generative AI. He works primarily on issues involving the ethical, social, and political implications of technology and has previously worked on questions related to the implications of AI for universities, the workplace, and the military. Prior to coming to the University of Central Florida, he taught philosophy at Saint Louis University and worked at the Culture, Religion, Ethics, Science, and Technology (CREST) research center at Saint Louis University.

Hunter Gentry is a philosopher working on issues in the cognitive sciences. They are interested in the nature of memory, concepts, language, and perception. Hunter received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024. After that, they were a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at Kansas State University. When not doing philosophy, you can find Hunter making music, hiking, or taking photos.

Isabel Aviles is a flutist with a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied with Dr. Tadeu Coelho. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Central Florida, where she studied with Dr. Nora Lee Garcia. With a passion for performance, Isabel has played with various ensembles, including the Villages Orchestra and Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra. She has participated in music festivals, including the Camino Spain Flute Camp and the Interharmony Music Festivals in Italy and Germany.

Isabel’s previous music education experience includes teaching at the Music Academy of North Carolina, UNCSA Band Together Program, Avalon School of Music, Orlando School of Music, and UCF’s Summer Flute Institute.

Tracey Brent-Chessum holds a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Maryland, and her scholarship focuses on propaganda and nationalism on the theatrical stage, audience reception, theatre historiography, and American musical theatre (with an emphasis on six “Salesmen of Americanism”: Sousa, Cohan, Ziegfeld, Hammerstein II, Sondheim, and Miranda). She is passionate about cultivating both theatre professionals and sustainable theatre audiences. She is the co-host of The Dr. Broadway Podcast(“Educating Theatregoers, Enhancing Theatregoing”) and is currently working on two monographs for Methuen Drama’s Essential series.

In the past 15 years, she has been privileged to work with faculty and students in the theatre programs at UMD, Ball State, Point Park, Columbus State, Emory, and Brenau’s Gainesville Theatre Alliance, rising to the rank of Associate Professor and Chair. Professional affiliations include the American Theatre & Drama Society (Treasurer, Board Member), the Journal of American Drama & Theatre (Board Member, External reviewer), and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (Leadership Institute). Tracey was the Artistic Director of Pallas Theatre Collective in Washington, D.C. from 2011-2019, developing new works to ensure the continuance of America’s musical theatre legacy (Helen Hayes Award Nominee, John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company).

Lindsay Garritson has performed throughout the United States and abroad since the age of four. Lindsay holds degrees from Principia College (B.A. in Music), Yale School of Music (M.M. and Artist Diploma), and the University of Miami (D.M.A.). She has appeared on stages such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Place des Arts (Montreal), and has been featured as soloist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Keweenaw Symphony (Michigan), Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra (Texas), Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal), Atlantic Classical Orchestra (Florida), Orquestra Sinfônica Barra Mansa (Brazil), the Yale Philharmonic Orchestra, and the European Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. An award-winning performer, Lindsay has received top prizes at the Montreal International Piano Competition, USASU Bösendorfer International Piano Competition, and the Mozarteum International Chopin Competition (Salzburg). She was selected as a participant in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition as well as a finalist for the German Piano Award in Frankfurt, Germany. An avid chamber musician, Lindsay has performed with Ani Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, Carter Brey, Ettore Causa, and Ian Rosenbaum, among many others.

She is currently a member of the Bergonzi Piano Trio with violinist Scott Flavin and cellist Ross Harbaugh, and their first album of Beethoven and Brahms trios was recently released. Since 2018, she has been a collaborative pianist for the prestigious Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. Lindsay is a passionate advocate for new music, and her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut featured the world premiere of Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata No. 4, a work written for her.

Concurrently, her second solo album titled “Aphorisms: Piano Music of Carl Vine” was released. In 2022, Lindsay concertized in recital across Australia and New Zealand featuring the music of Carl Vine. She has also recorded the complete works for flute and piano by Samuel Zyman (Albany Records), and premiered works by composers David Ludwig, Nick Omiccioli, and Polina Nazaykinskaya.

Rina Hajra-Gjoka is thrilled to take on her new role as Assistant Professor of Theatre Voice at The University of Central Florida. Her specialties include voice and speech, filmmaking, and devising new works. She is a proud member of the Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association (VASTA), and she has extensive training in the Kristin Linklater vocal technique. Her research interests span the actor’s voice and accents, the intersection of her heritage and artistic practice, and the role of storytelling and filmmaking in addressing social justice.

Her award-winning film, My Sekret War (Phoenix Film Festival, Dea Open Air Festival in Albania, Los Angeles Film Awards, etc.), chronicles the life and redemption of a young child of the Kosovo War. Her documentary debut, Kept Promise (2025), will premiere at the Fan Noli Film Festival in Boston in June 2025. Rina holds an MFA in Acting with a focus on the creation of new works from The Ohio State University. Her past acting credits include Lumen Repertory Theatre in Jacksonville, FL, voice-over narration for Kept Promise, accent coaching for Florida State College at Jacksonville, and directing at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH.

Ralph Krumins is a Visiting Lecturer in the Theatre Department at the University of Central Florida, specializing in Theatre for Young Audiences and Theatre for Social Change. A graduate of UCF’s MFA program in TYA, his work explores the intersection of play theory, music, and applied theatre to create immersive, participatory experiences.

Ralph’s artistic focus blends storytelling, musical improv, and playback theatre, emphasizing authentic connection and psychological safety. He leads workshops on improvisation, ensemble building, vulnerability, and devising for social impact, helping students, corporations, and communities use theatre as a catalyst for change.

His one-man musical improv production has been featured at international conferences, festivals, and theatres, where he also facilitates sessions on integrating game-based structures into performance and education. Through his teaching and practice, Ralph is committed to creating inclusive spaces that celebrate creativity, collaboration, and the power of live, responsive storytelling.

Melissa Scott (she/her) is an ethnomusicologist whose work focuses on forced migration, displacement, humanitarianism, and refugee studies. Her current research project examines listening and musical practices in the wake of over a century of forced migration to Jordan, with a focus on the audibility of refugee subjects, humanitarianism as a dominant political project, and soundscapes in displacement. Melissa holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Music from the University of Chicago. In 2017-2018, she was a CASA fellow at the American University in Cairo. Her scholarship has been recognized with four awards from the Society for Ethnomusicology: the 2025 Elizabeth May Slater Prize, the 2022 Charles Seeger Prize, the 2021 RMSS Student Paper Prize, and the 2019 Marnie Dilling Prize.

Her research has received support from Fulbright-Hays, the American Center of Research in Jordan, and UC Berkeley’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.Melissa’s experience with performance ensembles strongly informs her approach to both research and pedagogy. She has performed as an oudist with Disoriental (UC Berkeley), Aswat Ensemble (Oakland), Awtar Amman (Jordan), Nedjma (France), and the St. Olaf Somali Music Ensemble (Minnesota).

Sage Tokach is returning to UCF from New Hampshire, where she was the Director of Education at the New London Barn Playhouse, serving students age 0–99. She is a graduate of UCF’s Theatre for Young Audiences MFA program and has had the opportunity to return for three Pegasus PlayLab festivals to co-facilitate the devising project with participants with and without disabilities. Sage has worked as a teaching artist and director at organizations across the country, including Orlando Family Stage, Maples Repertory, Missoula Children’s Theatre, and the state parks system. Her research interests include applied theatre, eco-theatre, arts and wellness, and devised theatre as an inclusive practice rooted in care. In any project, Sage is interested in creating a learning space where students and young people are encouraged to explore, share ideas, and ask challenging questions.

Amy Avalos is an accomplished creative leader, educator, and entrepreneur with a distinguished career in the themed entertainment industry. Amy brings over a decade of hands-on experience to her work with a background in design and creative direction for some of the industry’s most iconic and award-winning guest experiences. Her portfolio includes high-profile projects for major entertainment brands, where she has helped shape and transform the guest experience through story-driven narratives, scenic design, and show development. Amy is also the founder of Themed Masters—a groundbreaking industry platform designed to connect the global community of themed entertainment professionals—in bringing together specialty vendors, freelancers, and project leaders to collaborate on and develop the newest immersive experiences of the future.

In addition to her industry achievements, Amy was one of the first students to earn an M.F.A. from UCF’s Themed Experiences graduate program. She also holds an M.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, a B.A.S. in Interior Design, a B.A. in Advertising/Public Relations, and an A.A. in Studio Art. As a professor of immersive design, she mentors the next generation of world-builders and experience designers, bridging academia and industry standards with a curriculum rooted in innovation and production artistry. Her curriculum blends real-world industry practices with academic rigor, preparing students for careers in immersive design, scenic production, and themed development.

Through both her industry platform and teaching, she remains committed to cultivating the next generation of creative leaders while fostering collaboration and innovation across the themed entertainment landscape.

Will Truran is a commercial artist who has specialized in graphic design since 2010. Their career has spanned a wide range of industries and creative roles, including running their own clothing brand and working as a UI/UX designer at a small agency. He has developed large-format displays for major healthcare brands like Tylenol and Band-Aid, designed apparel for Harley-Davidson, and contributed to home innovation projects at Procter & Gamble, earning patent credit for their work. Through their independent design studio, they’ve helped numerous small brands craft compelling visual identities, while also collaborating with high-profile clients such as Oscar de la Renta. In 2021, Will Truran began teaching in higher education and now serves as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Central Florida. Their teaching focuses on blending technical skill with critical thinking, preparing students for an evolving design landscape that includes new media. Outside of their professional work, they enjoy rock climbing, snowboarding, watching movies, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and creating content with the Mof1 Network.

Adora English is a media and communications executive known for her expertise in themed experiences, broadcast media, and elevating the profiles of prominent celebrities, executives, and corporations. Through her exceptional proficiency in production, public relations, and strategic communications, she has consistently driven impactful results through compelling storytelling for global industries and audiences.Most recently, English held the position of Director, Global Internal Communications at Universal Destinations & Experiences. Since 2019, she has undertaken several leadership roles within the Universal Creative team, including Director of Global Communications, Brand Management, and Team Member Experience.

English’s broadcast career spans the New York and Los Angeles entertainment industries as co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer for morning news, afternoon talk, and late-night programming, earning one Emmy and two nominations. Her Los Angeles-based production company, Media Savvy, centered around program development, production, and media-coaching of Academy Award-winning celebrities, executives, influencers, and brand spokespeople.

Adora elevated the impact of Celebrity Cruises’ first female President & CEO with her entrepreneurial enthusiasm through partnerships, immersive events, awards, and appearances supporting the launch of the distinguished Celebrity Edge class of ships.

A strong believer in helping others discover their unique talents and voice, Adora is committed to educating the next generation of themed experience talent to inspire industry-forward innovation.

Jason Surrell is an author, screenwriter and a former Executive Creative Director at Universal Creative, with 30 years of experience as a writer, producer and director in the entertainment industry.  For fifteen years, 1999-2014, Jason was a Senior Show Writer, Show Producer and Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative design division of the Walt Disney Company.

Jason wrote and directed the independent feature film, Characters.

Jason’s major theme park credits include the originating overall creative direction of Universal’s Epic Universe, Universal Studios Beijing and Universal Studios United Kingdom (2014-2025); Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon (2017); unannounced Universal projects at the attraction, land, theme park and resort levels;  the creation of multiple entirely new lines of business for Universal Destinations & Experiences, including Universal Kids Park and Universal Horror Unleashed; New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom (2012); The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow Starring Johnny Depp (2012); Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011); Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom; Symphony in the Stars: A Star Wars Fireworks Spectacular (2010); Star Wars Weekends; The Great Movie Ride (2002); Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (2007); The American Idol Experience; Jurassic Park River Adventure (1999); A Day in the Park with Barney (1995); The Magic of Disney Animation and enhancements to Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Jason is the author of The Art of Marvel’s The Avengers, The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic, The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak, Screenplay by Disney: Tips and Techniques to Bring Magic to Your Moviemaking, Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies and The Art of the Haunted Mansion.  He contributed essays and feature articles to The Imagineering Way, The Imagineering Workout, The Disney Insider Yearbook and Disney Twenty-three magazine.  Jason also wrote for Walt Disney Television’s internationally syndicated television series, Secrets of the Animal Kingdom.

Jason most recently served as the overall creative director of Universal Studios United Kingdom, Universal Epic Universe and Universal Studios Beijing, the company’s first destination resort in China, and the Executive Creative Director of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, which opened in April of 2017 at Universal Orlando Resort.  He is currently working on a variety of new projects for the film and themed entertainment industries.

Amy Cicchino, Ph.D. believes that that writing is a lifelong practice of discovery, communication, and community-building. Whether in the classroom or the Writing Center, she cultivates learning environments where writing is not simply assigned but actively supported. For Amy, meaningful writing empowers students to find their voice, make intentional rhetorical choices, and envision the futures writing can help them shape. This philosophy informs her approach to teaching and mentoring: she encourages writers to ask better questions, revise with purpose, and see writing as integral to who they are and what they do.

Her research takes up writing praxis and digital composition, experiential and high-impact learning experiences, and writing program administration and has appeared in journals such as WPA: Writing Program Administration, the International Journal of ePortfolio, and the Writing Center Journal, among others. Her recent edited collection with Troy Hicks, Better Practices: Exploring the Teaching of Writing in Online and Hybrid Spaces (2024), won the 2024-2025 Computers & Composition Johndan Johnson-Eilola Distinguished Book Award and received an honorable mention for the 2025 CCCC Outstanding Book Award.

Amy serves as president of the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE), where she collaborates with specialists in online literacy instruction to advance pedagogy and professional development tailored to digital and online learning contexts. She is also deeply engaged in the high-impact practices (HIPs) community, serving as a track leader for HIPs in the States, and the Association for Authentic, Experiential, Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL), where she was a founding co-chair and remains an active member of the Digital Ethics Task Force. Lastly, Amy contributes to the field through editorial work, collaborating with Christopher Basgier and Helen Chen on a special issue of Across the Disciplines on ePortfolios across the disciplines and serving on the editorial board and as incoming editor for the Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ELTHE) journal.

Benjamin Luczak is a lecturer in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. He earned his Phd in English with a concentration in Rhetoric from Indiana University, Bloomington. His research interests include the rhetoric of health and medicine, public rhetoric, and composition pedagogy. In his free time, Ben enjoys reading fiction and going to the cinema.

Rosalind Rohrbaugh recently earned her M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Central Florida, where she taught first-year composition as a Graduate Teaching Associate with a focus on rhetorical agency, multimodal literacy, and inclusive, student-centered learning. With a B.A. in Creative Writing and a deep investment in rhetorical pedagogy, she encourages students to see writing as a flexible and creative enterprise, a tool that responds to—and shapes—the world around them. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes writing as a dynamic, identity-building tool, inviting students to engage critically and inventively with texts and gain a new sense of confidence in their writing abilities.

Her research interests exist at the intersection of horror, rhetoric, and cultural critique—particularly how extreme horror media operates as a site of embodied persuasion, power, and catharsis. Her thesis, Macabre Therapeutics: An Exploration into the Cathartic Nature of Splatter Utilizing the Saw Franchise as Corpus, reflects this focus. When possible, she enjoys integrating horror into her pedagogical practice, using it as a lens to spark critical inquiry and engage students in exciting ways.

Whether guiding first-year writers or analyzing cinematic grotesquerie, Rosalind’s work is rooted in empowering others to write with clarity, agency, and purpose.

Sidney Turner is an instructor with the department of Writing and Rhetoric at UCF. She received an MA in English from Florida State University and is currently wrapping up her PhD in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric from Syracuse University (SU). As a feminist scholar, her research interests span across feminist rhetorics, pedagogy, digital literacies, and memory studies. Rhetorica Rising: Feminist Rhetorical Methods for Social Change, her co-edited collection, will be published this October. Her thoughtful curriculum designs and assessment practices center inclusive student learning and community building. A passionate teacher, she values that her students carry with them experiences, identities, and positionalities that inform how they show up and engage in class.

Informed by her previous experiences as an instructor and SU’s Assistant Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, Turner believes that what is taught in rhetoric and writing courses impact how students write, read, and engage with material throughout their time as undergraduate students and outside of university contexts.