Faculty Biographies (C–F)

Akhim Yuseff Cabey, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches courses in screenwriting, writing and the arts, and African-American literature. He is a three-time Ohio Arts Council grant winner in creative nonfiction and a 2009 winner of the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses. His work has appeared in literary magazines, such as Obsidian II: Black Literature and Review, Callaloo, and, most recently, The Sun. BA, The State University of New York, Albany; MFA, The Ohio State University.

Wendy L. Chrisman, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches literature, writing, and theory. Her online/print publications and collaborations appear in Kairos, Prose Studies, Disability Studies Quarterly, Lore: The Stairwell, and Radical Relevance: Essays Toward a Scholarship of the "Whole Left." BA, University of Central Florida; MA, Ph.D., The Ohio State University.

Evelyn Christner, adjunct professor, Liberal Arts, teaches anthropology and sociology. She also has worked and published as an epidemiologist at the Ohio Department of Health. BA, Grand Valley State University; MA, Ph.D., The Ohio State University.

Bo Clary, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches writing. MA, Boston University.

Jason Clary, assistant professor, Fine Arts, teaches drawing and painting. He has studied at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. BFA, University of Cincinnati; MFA, Indiana University.                     

Suzanne Cotton, instructor, chair, Fashion Design, teaches fashion illustration, construction, and senior collection. She has extensive experience in the garment industry, including design director at Bellepointe Inc. BFA, Parsons, The New School for Design.

Joni Criswell, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches human anatomy and ecology/environmental science. She has had articles published in the Journal of Herpetology and Animal Behavior. In addition, her research on the endangered Panamanian golden frog was filmed by the BBC for Life in Cold Blood, a nature documentary. BS, Lee University; MS and Ph.D., The Ohio State University.

Michele Cuthbert, adjunct instructor, Advertising and Graphic Design, teaches advertising design concepts and graphic design. Her professional experience as an art director includes award-winning work for a diverse group of clients and as principal of Baker Creative. She has judged international business and advertising competitions, was the recipient of a 40 Under 40 award and has taught at Columbus State Community College. BFA, CCAD. Web site: www.baker-creative.com

Anita Dawson, professor, Fine Arts and Graduate Studies, teaches painting and drawing. She actively exhibits work throughout the U.S., and her work is represented in public and private collections, including the Chautaugua Center in New York and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. She organized and curated a 32-artist, three-state still-life exhibition that traveled to Midwest museums and galleries. BFA, University of South Florida; MFA, University of Florida.

Joan DeMartin, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches writing and the arts, and writing for design professionals. She is a licensed attorney and practiced environmental law for 14 years. She has published numerous articles and reviews in Ohio Magazine and for artists' Web sites. BA, The Ohio State University, J.D. Capital University Law School.

Elizabeth Douglas, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, teaches psychology. She has taught at other higher education institutions and previously worked in Germany as a music and theatre director. BA, MS, Appalachian State University.

Lori Faist, assistant professor, coordinator, electronic publishing curriculum, Visual Communications, teaches electronic publishing techniques courses focusing on the implementation of designs on the computer. She co-authored two books for Freehand Macromedia, Inc. She has freelanced as a corporate trainer for various Columbus companies including CompuServe, Nationwide, and Victoria’s Secret. BS, The Ohio State University.

Elizabeth Fergus-Jean, adjunct instructor, Liberal Arts, Media Studies, teaches personal mythology, comparative mythology, archetypes in media, and art criticism. She lectures nationally on visual thinking and creativity, and her artwork is on the cover of numerous international journals and books. She is the author of Illuminating Letters: Paintings and Essays on the Kabbalah (Art & Psyche Press), and has written several published essays on teaching. BFA, Rochester Institute of Technology; MFA, University of Washington; Ph.D., Pacifica Graduate Institute. Web site: www.fergusjean.com

John Fergus-Jean, associate professor, Photography and Graduate Studies, teaches photographic history, issues in contemporary photograhy and photography production courses. He has received state and national grants for his work, and his writing on photography is published as articles, museum catalogs, and in the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography. AB, Indiana University; MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology.

Doug Fisher, instructor, chair, Advertising and Graphic Design, teaches all courses, with emphasis on sophomore and senior levels. Formerly executive vice president and director of creative services at Lord, Sullivan & Yoder, Fisher's work has appeared in numerous design publications including Print magazine's Design Annuals, Graphis Design Annuals, Society of Illustrators Annuals and Creativity. He is the recipient of multiple medals from the New York Art Directors Club and was voted Midwest art director of the year by Adweek. BFA, CCAD; MA, Syracuse University.

Charlene Fix, professor, chair, English and Philosophy, teaches writing, literature, poetry, and film and literature. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Poetry, The Ohio Review, The Chicago Review, The Manhattan Review, and Negative Capability. She has received fellowships for her poetry from both the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council, and won the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. She has published a chapbook of poems, Mischief (Pudding House Publications), and a poetry collection, Flowering Bruno: A Dography, a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry (XOXOX Press). BS, MA, The Ohio State University.  

Alice Frenz, associate professor, Foundation Studies, teaches two-dimensional design and color concept. In her studio practice, she designs clothing and illustrations that incorporate a variety of fiber art techniques. BFA, CCAD.