Welcome New Faculty! 2022-2023

Josephine Cuda Pierce, Assistant Professor in the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL), is completing her doctorate in the Teaching, Curriculum, and Society department of the Boston College, Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

Her research mainly focuses on the experiences of autistic adolescents and adults as they relate to cultivating autistic identities. Professor Cuda Pierce is particularly interested in the psychosocial and relational development of autistic individuals across the lifespan, cultivating identity as it relates to disability, and fostering the agency of students who are neurodivergent and/or with disabilities in meaningfully individualized ways. As an allistic, non-autistic researcher and educator, she is committed to work that centers the perspectives of the communities she aims to support.

Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a special educator in inclusive educational settings in New Jersey and in the NYC DOE.  She earned her master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in Autism and Intellectual Disability and Early Childhood Education, and her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Human Development.

Dr. Jennifer Deneault, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, is a Curry alumnus, receiving her BS in 2003.  Her MSN in nursing education is from South University.  She obtained her DNP from Simmons University in 2018.  Dr. Deneault has worked in a variety of settings as a nurse with experience in clinical oncology and more recently in clinical nursing education.  Her research interest is in the transition of novice nurses to practice.

Joy Garmaise-Yee, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, (pronouns she/her) is a DNP-prepared nursing faculty with 16+ years of experience, teaching both science/clinical courses as well as population health/leadership. Her background in nursing is in the Emergency Department. She has proven ability to engage students and promote learning effectively in the classroom as well as in digital spaces. Her teaching and research interests include self-care for nursing students and nurses, racial equity, and implementation of evidence-based online teaching strategies including virtual gaming simulation. Professor Garmaise-Yee also has co-authored several open educational resources for nursing students.

Dr. Kiri Gurd, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, received her PhD in Sociology from Boston University and her MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She also completed a Postdoctoral training at the University of South Florida as a Provost Fellow for Global Justice. 

Dr. Gurd is driven by the idea of improving organizational and institutional efficacy in the service of human welfare and transformative social change. Her classes are focused on issues of social justice, and she practices a 'liberatory pedagogy' approach in the classroom so that the values and concepts she is teaching about outside the classroom are reflected and practiced inside the classroom.

Her work has focused on the way our (mis)understandings of race and gender, continue to reproduce and reinforce institutional discrimination, namely the relationship between epistemic violence and structural violence.  By highlighting to students how everyday conversations and practices have transformative potential to challenge normative power structures, Dr. Gurd hopes to both empower her students to be active allies and citizens and to create social change.

Jennifer Jennings MSN, RN, Instructor in the School of Nursing, is a Curry College alumna, receiving both her BSN and MSN here at Curry. Professor Jennings's clinical experience has spanned from Med/Surg nursing, Emergency Medicine in level 1 Trauma, and most recently Critical Care in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. She has spent her career at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.  Her passion for teaching began in the Emergency Department where she was often a preceptor to new nurses on the unit, and a mentor to many staff with her vast clinical experience and knowledge. She is currently matriculated in a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Regis College with a focus on nursing education.  Professor Jennings has taught in the skills lab, Pharmacology for the Accel program, and this coming fall will be joining the faculty as a special appointment associate lecturer teaching Nursing Concepts and Med/Surg 2. 

Professor Jennings holds certifications in Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) and Emergency Nursing (CEN). She is an instructor for both Advanced Life Support (ACLS) and Trauma Nurse Core Courses (TNCC). Professional organization memberships include Sigma Theta Tau, Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Dr. Linda Kelly, Assistant Professor in the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL), has developed proficiency in many areas related to identifying and improving academic, social, and emotional functioning in adolescents and young adults. Having worked as a school psychologist for nearly 20 years, she has performed psychological & academic evaluations of various learning and mental health disabilities; created educational plans including recommendations for assistive technology; and provided counseling & crisis intervention. She is skilled in collaborating with parents and colleagues to support student achievement.

In addition, Dr. Kelly has been dedicated to the field of Autism and enhancing the lives of those who hold this diagnosis and their families. Through assessment, advocacy, and providing support in other capacities, she has sought to increase understanding and acceptance of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and related conditions. She is the co-author of a book entitled, Charting the Course for Treating Children with Autism: A Beginner’s Guide for Therapists; is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; and is a speaker on topics related to Autism and Special Education. Her research has also involved the development of a multi-faceted transition evaluation process for post-secondary planning including factors related to college readiness.

Dr. Kelly works collaboratively with students to identify strengths and challenges in domains such as writing, reading, study skills, test-taking, social interactions, and problem-solving. She teaches students to adapt their learning through metacognitive practices, including the development of individualized strategies, routines, and the use of assistive technology in order to best navigate the demands of college.

Gerta Mallei, Instructor in the School of Nursing, is a Curry alumna and received her BSN in 2006 and her MSN in 2020 from Curry College. She is a candidate for a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Aspen University. She has worked in a variety of settings as a Registered Nurse including hospice, homecare, simulation lab, and most recently in clinical education. Her research interest is on how to improve cultural sensitivity care to hospice patients.

Dr. Jacquelyn Murphy, Assistant Professor of Health & Wellness, graduated with her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from Colorado School of Public Health, where she concentrated in Environmental Health. At Boston University, she earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Community Health as well as a Bachelor of Arts majoring in biology and minoring in women’s studies.

While at Colorado School of Public Health, Dr. Murphy worked as a graduate teaching and research assistant. She has also worked in health-focused roles in local and state government, research centers, and start-up companies based in academic institutions.

Her publications and presentations have examined community perspectives about healthcare, public health systems, and contemporary social and environmental issues. Her dissertation examined urban and rural environmental concerns and related government practices, programs, and plans. Her research interests include collaborative strategies for addressing environmental challenges such as climate change, environmental justice, and cross-sector partnerships to creatively approach community-driven change.

Dr. Raquel Yvonne Lopez Reynolds, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, has been a nurse for 31 years and has practiced in a variety of settings, including acute care, outpatient care, and community care. She is certified as a clinical nurse specialist in public/community health nursing. Raquel has taught at a school of nursing since 2005. She has taught licensed vocational nurses, registered nurses returning for the bachelor’s degree, traditional nursing students, second degree nursing students, and graduate students.

Dr. Reynolds developed and implemented a cardiovascular risk reduction program in a manufacturing setting and a breastfeeding education program within a private physician office. Her dissertation research focused on exploring the relationship between work stress and metabolic health outcomes in a large computer technology company in central Texas. Dr. Reynolds has completed a small, pilot study exploring the relationship between work stress and metabolic health outcomes in staff employees at a state university in central Texas, a secondary analysis of the relationship between shift work and health outcomes in nurses, and a study that examined relationship between readability and health literacy levels on adherence to post-exposure prophylaxis in patients who experienced sexual assault. Currently, Dr. Reynolds is partnering with the MGH Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research to explore the impact of COVID-19 symptoms experienced after hospitalization on the daily lives of Black and Latinx populations in the greater Boston area.

Dr. Samantha Sawyer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, earned her PhD in Entomology at Texas A&M University and served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Florida in the Department of Geography and the Emerging Pathogens Institute. Dr. Sawyer’s research interests include decomposition ecology, disease ecology, population ecology, and community ecology. Her research has applications in and prepares students for fields in the forensic, biological, wildlife, veterinary, and/or medical sciences.

Dr. Sawyer is a Forensic Entomologist and provides investigators, medical examiners, and veterinarians forensically important timelines and contextual information through insect evidence in cases of neglect, abuse, and unattended/suspicious death. She has also trained veterinarian/medical personnel internationally, as well as law enforcement at local, state, and federal levels in the collection of insect evidence from remains.

Dr. Shawn P. Scott, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the School of Business and Computer Science, earned his PhD at the University of Rhode Island. In addition to teaching marketing, management, and entrepreneurship classes over the past 15 years, Dr. Scott has over 30 years of experience in marketing, consumer behavior, branding, and advertising in the CPG, retail, restaurant, and travel industries. Dr. Scott also has an active consulting business where he helps clients with branding, marketing strategy, and media.

Dr. Kelly L. Wheeler, Assistant Professor of Writing, recently graduated from the Joint Program English and Education at the University of Michigan. She taught for 21 years at the secondary level in Washington State and has an MAT from the University of Puget Sound and an MA in English Composition and Rhetoric from the University of South Carolina. Her scholarly presentations have included digital access and disability as well as how identity influences propaganda’s effectiveness in online spaces. Her current scholarship focuses on mapping the rhetorical function of swastikas within communities as assemblages of justice or injustice.