Our faculty and staff 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 who teaches College Writing, Advanced Writing for Engineers and Science majors, and Memoir & Journal writing. She earned an M.A. in English with a Writing Studies Emphasis from UMD in 2019. Faith does a variety of writing including curriculum design, academic research, as well as creative nonfiction and poetry. She worked on a grant writing team that received multiple grants to support art and cultural events in Downtown Duluth. In her spare time, she loves hanging out at the beach, working on her memoir collection, and spending time 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 a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at UMD. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis and M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Western Michigan University, and her B.A. in Psychology and Organizational Communication from UW–Eau Claire. Julie has extensive experience teaching writing-intensive courses and guiding students through honors theses, master’s theses, and dissertations, as well as helping writers prepare their work for publication. Outside of work, she enjoys training and hiking with her service dog in training, River.
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.
Kuang is an Assistant Professor in the Academic Writing and Learning Center and the coordinator for UST 1000. She earned an MPhil in Research in Second Language Education from the University of Cambridge and a Doctorate in Language and Literacy Education from Boston University. Her experience includes working with students and faculty on a wide range of writing projects, including course papers, research manuscripts, grant and fellowship applications, and graduate school and job application materials. She was a co-PI on an NSF grant focused on student professional development. Additionally, she serves on the editorial board of the NABE Journal of Research and Practice and as an ad hoc reviewer for flagship journals in education and applied linguistics/TESOL, such as the American Educational Research Journal, System, and Language Teaching Research. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and building with LEGO.
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.