Our faculty and graduate student consultants are trained to assist writers in any discipline, but you may want to choose a consultant based on their specific interests.

Alexandra is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at UMD. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Bowling Green State University and B.A. in English Literature and Psychology from UC Berkeley. Much of her writing is scientific writing within the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, although she tries to pursue the writing of poetry in her spare time. She enjoys all things literary and is obsessed with cross-country skiing.

Anna is an Assistant Professor in the Academic Writing and Learning Center at UMD. She earned Master's degrees in both English and Liberal Studies from UMD and a PhD in TESOL Writing (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia. Anna taught ESL classes for over 20 years and now teaches SSP five-week courses focusing on academic reading, active learning, and time and stress management, which are also her research interests. Anna welcomes appointments with those wanting to develop either their academic reading or writing skills.

Elijah is an Assistant Professor in the Academic Writing and Learning Center at UMD and moonlights as a research archaeologist. She earned her MA in Classics from the University of Iowa, and her PhD in Archaeology from the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught ancient language courses, culture, and anthropology, and often writes in interdisciplinary subjects that blend STEM and Humanities together. When not making breakfast tacos, she loves zombie movies, reading scifi, and hiking.

Faith is a Writing Instructor in UMD’s English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies Department. She earned an M.A. in English with a Writing Studies Emphasis from UMD in 2019. Faith enjoys research, as well as writing poetry and short fiction. She worked
on a grant writing team that received multiple grants to support the work of the Downtown Duluth Arts Collective. In her spare time, she loves being down by the water, sketching, writing almost-complete pieces, and hanging out with friends and family.

Gwen has been a Writing Instructor in UMD’s English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies Department since Fall 2021. She earned a Bachelor of Science in English Education from the University of Sioux Falls and a Master's in Literature through Minnesota State University in Mankato. Gwen taught high school English/Language Arts for fifteen years before moving to the college level. Throughout her teaching career, she has focused on American literature and academic writing. In her free time, she reads sci fi and fantasy, macrames, and tends her vast plant collection.

Jade is an Assistant Professor in the Academic Writing and Learning Center and serves as an English Language Consultant and handles some of the administrative tasks for the Writers' Workshop. Jade earned his Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Pennsylvania State University and his M.A. in English from North Dakota State University. He has taught a variety of writing and ESL courses as well as worked as a writing and language tutor for undergrads, grads, and visiting scholars. His research interests include English language learning in informal contexts and intercultural communication. In his free time, Jade enjoys reading, traveling, and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.

Jenna is an instructor in the Academic Writing and Learning Center at UMD. She earned an MA in English from UMD in 2016 and also received a BAS in Teaching Communication Arts and Literature from UMD in 2011. She has worked at a number of other higher education institutions, most recently at Lake Superior College. In her spare time, Jenna reads, curls (poorly), macrames, and enjoys taking on house projects. As a consultant, Jenna enjoys learning about new topics by working with writers from various disciplines.

Julie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at UMD. Julie completed a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis in 2008 and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Western Michigan University in 2006, as well as a B.A. in Psychology and Organizational Communication at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 2003. She has experience teaching writing-intensive research methods courses at the undergraduate level, supervising and providing guidance to students writing their honor’s theses, master’s theses, and dissertations, as well as providing consultation and feedback to scholars seeking to publish their research. Julie’s research and publishing interests include issues relevant to worker well-being, including self-care, burnout, psychological safety, and sustained employment of those with invisible and episodic chronic health conditions. When she’s not working, Julie enjoys staying active (strength training, cycling, yoga), spending time outdoors hiking with her dog, Hurricane, working on home remodeling projects, and catching up with friends and family. Julie is on leave in Fall 2023.
Kristina is an instructor in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies. She teaches writing courses, including a course designed for non-native English speakers. Her professional background and research interests include topics in TESOL, writing studies, rhetoric, and linguistics. If not working, Kristina will most likely be outside mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, snorkeling, kayaking, or seeking some other type of adventure.
Lindsey is an instructor in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies. She teaches both College Writing and Advanced Writing and currently serves as the Associate Writing Program Administrator. Lindsey received her B.A. in English from Iowa State University in 2005 and taught high-school English for six years--two years in the Iowa public schools and four years at the American School of Yaoundé in Cameroon, West Africa. A love of the outdoors drew her to Duluth, where she completed her Master's in English at UMD in the spring of 2014. Lindsey’s strengths lie in the Humanities, but she enjoys working with students on all topics in any discipline.


Ruth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies. She completed her undergraduate here at UMD before going on to earn her PhD in English from the University of Missouri in 2015. While there, she fell in love with the socratic work of writing tutoring. In 2024, after over a decade of working with the University of Missouri’s Writing Center and three years of teaching English at Hamline University, she returned to Duluth and joined the Writers' Workshop. When she's not nerding out over equitable writing pedagogy, she is most likely rewatching The Office or binge watching Australian reality television.