UNT faculty mark career milestones
at annual promotion and tenure ceremony


October 19, 2026

2026 Promotion and Tenure CeremonyFamily, friends, colleagues and academic leaders gathered at the HUB Club at DATCU Stadium Oct. 13 to celebrate UNT faculty members who reached significant career milestones in 2026.

Hosted by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Success team, the annual Promotion and Tenure Celebration is an opportunity for faculty members to reflect on their momentous achievements — and on the many challenges, triumphs and moments of transformation that have shaped their academic careers.

“Promotion and tenure are not really celebrations of a single year, a single accomplishment or even a single dossier,” said Interim Provost Albert Bimper during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “They are celebrations of people who chose, day after day, to invest their talent and energy in helping others learn, grow, heal, discover, create, succeed and have impact.”

This year’s honorees came from every college and multiple units within the University Libraries, with every rank and appointment type represented.

“To our tenure-stream and professional faculty, congratulations,” Bimper said. “Your journeys have taken different forms, and your contributions reflect the breadth of excellence at the University of North Texas. For those receiving tenure, we also recognize the confidence your colleagues and this institution have placed in you, and the promise of the inquiry, imagination and leadership ahead.

I hope you all allow yourselves to feel proud tonight. Academic life gives us considerable practice in looking toward the next thing. This evening, I hope you take a moment to appreciate how far you have come and remember what first made the work worth doing.”

See the full list of 2026 recipients of promotion and tenure.

Jump to a Section:

Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics

Clinical Associate Professor
  •  Zeynep Orhan, Ph.D., Data Analytics and Statistics

Clinical Professor
  •  Thuan Nguyen, Ph.D., Data Analytics and Statistics

Tenure
  •  Sarah Ryan, Ph.D., Information Science

Associate Professor
  •  Mohammed Aledhari, Ph.D., Data Science
  •  Heejun Kim, Ph.D., Information Science
  •  Fred McMahan, Ph.D., Learning Technologies
  •  Ting Xiao, Ph.D., Data Science

Professor
  •  Lauren Eutsler, Ph.D., Learning Technologies
  •  Gahangir Hossain, Ph.D., Data Science

G. Brint Ryan College of Business

Senior Lecturer
  •  Jack Clampit, Ph.D., Management
  •  Kelly Mitchell, Management

Prncipal Lecturer 
  •  Jeffrey Britain, Hospitality, Event and Tourism Management

Clinical Associate Professor
  •  Kenneth Cory, Ph.D., Management

Associate Professor
  •  Michel Fathi, Ph.D., Information Technology and Decision Sciences
  •  Laurie Giddens, Ph.D., Information Technology and Decision Sciences
  •  Chih-Hao Ku, Ph.D., Information Technology and Decision Sciences
  •  Nga Q. Nguyen, Ph.D., Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law
  •  Meredith Rhodes, Ph.D., Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law
  •  Pradeep Sapkota, Ph.D., Accounting
  •  Kane Smith, Ph.D., Information Technology and Decision Sciences

Professor
  •  Richard Cazier, Ph.D., Accounting
  •  Jared Eutsler, Ph.D., Accounting
  •  Han Wen, Ph.D., Hospitality, Event and Tourism Management

College of Education

Principal Lecturer
  •  Dana Booker, Ph.D., Educational Psychology
  •  William Todd Duncan, Ed.D., Teacher Education and Administration

Clinical Professor
  •  Kyoung Jin Kim, Ph.D., Teacher Education and Administration

Associate Professor
  •  Wesley Edwards, Ph.D., Teacher Education and Administration
  •  D. Teo Keifert, Ph.D., Educational Psychology
  •  Karisma Morton, Ph.D., Teacher Education and Administration
  •  Nicole Sankofa, Ph.D., Educational Psychology
  •  James Uanhoro, Ph.D., Educational Psychology

Professor
  •  Daniel G. Krutka, Ph.D., Teacher Education and Administration
  •  Michael Siller, Ph.D., Educational Psychology

College of Engineering

Associate Professor
  •  Xiao Li, Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering

Professor
  •  Serdar Bozdag, Ph.D., Computer Science and Engineering
  •  Marcus L. Young, Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering
  •  Xiaohui Yuan, Ph.D., Computer Science and Engineering

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Senior Lecturer
  •  Whitney Geldon, Dance and Theatre
  •  Matthew Lampert, Ph.D., Philosophy and Religion
  •  Matthew McKinney, Dance and Theatre
  •  Reyna Mondragon, Dance and Theatre
  •  Stephanie Vastine, Ph.D., English

Principal Lecturer
  •  Brittany McElroy, Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism
  •  Rebecca Poynter, Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism

Clinical Associate Professor
  •  Danielle Dumaine, Ph.D., History
  •  Melissa McKay, Ph.D., Political Science

Associate Professor of Practice
  •  Josh Gilbert, Media Arts

Associate Professor
  •  Samantha Cosgrove, Ph.D., Technical Communication
  •  Joanna Davis-McElligatt, Ph.D., English
  •  Joseph Locke, Ph.D., History
  •  Vojin Majstorovic, Ph.D., History
  •  Chad Pearson, Ph.D., History
  •  David Rex Galindo, Ph.D., History

Professor
  •  Kathryne Beebe, Ph.D., History
  •  Samuel Manickam, Ph.D., World Languages, Literatures and Cultures

College of Music

Tenure
  •  Marques Garrett, Ph.D., Conducting and Ensembles

Associate Professor
  •  Daphne Gerling, D.M.A., Instrumental Studies

Professor
  •  Quincy Davis, Jazz Studies
  •  Raquel Samayoa, D.M.A., Instrumental Studies

College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences

Senior Lecturer
  •  Alexander Fernandez, Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation
  •  Kelly Perez, Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation
  •  Jordan Russell. Criminal Justice

Principal Lecturer
  •  Raedeen Wingate, Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

Clinical Professor
  •  Rachita Sharma, Ph.D., Rehabilitation and Health Services

College of Science

Senior Lecturer
  •  Poonam Chanana, Mathematics
  •  Lauren De La Rosa, Mathematics
  •  Austen Moss, Ph.D., Chemistry
  •  Rebekah Purvis, Ph.D., Physics

Principal Lecturer
  •  Ana Paula Hoeinghaus, Ph.D., Biological Sciences
  •  Jessica Moore, Ph.D., Biological Sciences
  •  Charlie Williams, Ph.D., Chemistry
  •  Rong Zhang, Ph.D., Chemistry

Tenure
  •  Alena Moon, Ph.D., Chemistry
  •  Nirmala Naresh, Ph.D., Mathematics

Associate Professor
  •  Andrew Gregory, Ph.D., Biological Sciences
  •  Calvin Henard, Ph.D., Biological Sciences
  •  Hao Yan, Ph.D., Chemistry

College of Visual Arts and Design

Associate Professor
  •  Eliza Au, Studio Art
  •  Jeremy Bernardoni, Ph.D., Design
  •  Erica Holeman, Design
  •  Brooks Oliver, Studio Art

Professor
  •  Alicia Eggert, Studio Art

University Libraries

Associate Librarian
  •  Bree’ya Brown, Digital Archivist
  •  Deborah Caldwell, Data Services
  •  Briana Knox, Research and Instruction
  •  Chassidy Miles, Engineering and Learning Technologies
  •  Evan Peebles, Licensing and Accessibility
  •  Kristin Wolski, Music Information Literacy and Outreach

Librarian
  •  Kevin Yanowski, Collection Management

UNT at Frisco

Clinical Professor
  •  Shari Childers, Ph.D.