Faculty biographies (C–F)

Faculty Bios | A-B | C-F | G-H | J-L | M-N | P-R | S-T | V-Z

Wendy L. Chrisman, liberal arts adjunct instructor. Teaches Literature, Writing, and Theory. Her work merges different theoretical frameworks, discourse analyses, and crosses space and time. Foci: Rhetorical Theories; Critical Theories; Autobiographical / Memoir Studies; Mental Health Discursive Practices; Cultural Studies; feminisms; Medical Humanities, disability studies; Lyric Analysis; Countercultures; gaming; cybertech(knowledg)ies. Ms. Chrisman earned her BA in English/Critical Theories from University of Central Florida, and an MA in English/Critical Theories from The Ohio State University, where she is currently completing a PhD in Rhetorical/Critical Theories and Disability Studies. 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."

Evelyn Christner, liberal arts adjunct professor, teaches Anthropology and Sociology. She has taught at various area colleges for 20 years. She has also worked and published as an Epidemiologist at the Ohio Department of Health. She received her BA in Anthropology, Sociology, and Spanish at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mi. At The Ohio State University, she received an MA in Physical Anthropology and has completed her PhD coursework in Bio-medical Anthropology.

Robert Coles, foundation studies and visual communications instructor, teaches design II, computer fundamentals and Adobe Photoshop. He has a BFA from CCAD and an MS in marketing and communications from Franklin University. Following his graduation from CCAD, Mr. Coles worked as a graphic designer for Victoria’s Secret. As a freelance designer, he works with such clients as Champion Athletic Consulting and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and is a CCAD admissions officer.

Suzanne Cotton, instructor, fashion design, teaches beginning and advanced illustration, beginning construction, and senior collection classes. Ms. Cotton has been working in the garment industry for over 17 years. Her most recent position is design director at Bellepointe Inc., a better women's sportswear manufacturer in Westerville, OH. She holds a BFA in fashion from Parson's School of Design, NYC.

Lisa Cripe, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches composition and literature classes. Ms. Cripe earned her BA in British literature at the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1997. She then studied in Brighton, England where she earned her MA in Renaissance theory and culture at the University of Sussex in 1999. Ms. Cripe also teaches at Columbus State Community College as an adjunct instructor in the communications and humanities departments.

Anita Dawson, fine arts professor, teaches painting and drawing. She actively exhibits paintings in the midwest and south in the U.S. Her work is represented in local galleries: Michael Orr Gallery in Grandview, Ohio, and Caterina Gallery in German Village, Columbus, Ohio. Her work is represented in public and private collections, including the Chautaugua Center in New York and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Ms. Dawson oganized and curated a 32-artist, three-state still-life exhibition that traveled to midwest museums and galleries. She earned a BFA from the University of South Florida in Tampa and MFA at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Joan DeMartin, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches writing and the arts and writing for design professionals. She also is an instructor at The Thurber House Writing Academy, and a teaching artist at The Wexner Center for the Arts. Ms DeMartin 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. Ms. DeMartin holds a BA in Political Science from The Ohio State University, a JD from Capital University Law School, and has taken a Masters level education curriculum at both Otterbein College and The Ohio State University.

Judy Doll, assistant professor, interior design, teaches studio II, advanced structural drawing, presentation techniques and portfolio development. A recipient of two American Institute of Architecture Honor awards, her work has been published in noted publications such as Columbus Business First, CEO, Columbus Monthly, Midwest Living, and most recently, Architectural Digest. Ms. Doll has worked on projects in London, New York and throughout the United States. Her current projects include the Jeffrey Place North Block 1, a sustainable/green design of town homes and lofts on a 41.5 acre brown field redevelopment site. She holds a Masters in Architecture from The Ohio State University.

Elizabeth Douglas, liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches psychology. She has taught at Columbus State Community College, Otterbein College, and Franklin University since 1990.Ms. Douglas lived and worked in Germany as a music and theatre director in the 1980s. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Dennis Drummond, fine arts professor emeritus, has served as chair of the drawing and printmaking department and faculty council president. He has exhibited widely and his paintings are held in numerous collections. Mr. Drummond holds a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Syracuse University. He has twice been recognized in Who's Who Among American Teachers.

Lori Faist, visual communications assistant professor, is the chair of the electronic publishing department. She teaches electronic publishing techniques courses, which focus on the implementation of designs on the computer using Adobe Photoshopand Illustrator, QuarkXPress, and Macromedia FreeHand. Ms. Faist co-authored two books for Macromedia Inc. on FreeHand, which were published in 1997 and 1998. She has freelanced as a corporate trainer for various Columbus companies including CompuServe, Nationwide, and Victoria’s Secret. She also worked as an electrical design engineer for ITT Aerospace on the GOES weather satellite for NASA. She has a BS in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University.

George Felton, liberal arts professor, teaches composition, copywriting, and design writing. He is the author of Advertising: Concept and Copy, now in its second edition from W. W. Norton. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, Advertising Age, Brandweek, HOW, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal. His copywriting has been selected for Communication Arts, HOW, and Print magazines. He has been a panelist at The One Club and a contributor to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. He received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) and a Columbus Literary Award from GCAC and The Thurber House. Mr. Felton was educated at Duke University, DePauw University (BA in psychology), and The Ohio State University (MA in English).

Elizabeth Fergus-Jean, media studies and liberal arts adjunct instructor, teaches personal mythology, comparative mythology, and art and literary criticism classes. Elizabeth received her PhD in Mythology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica. She received an MFA from UW and a BFA from RIT. Dr Fergus-Jean specializes in interdisciplinary studies with a cross-cultural application. She lectures nationally on creativity, cultural mythology, and the importance and understanding of the visual image. She also teaches in the MA Humanities program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Visit www.fergusjean.com.

John Fergus-Jean, media studies associate professor, teaches media studies seminar, photographic history, and photography production courses. His professional experience includes serving as an art consultant, museum curator, university and private art gallery director, and artist. He has received state and national grants for his work, and his writings on photography have been published in newspapers, museum catalogs, and in the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography. He has organized more than 50 art exhibitions for museums and universities, and presented more than 30 lectures on photography, cultural awareness, and visual literacy. He received an AB from Indiana University and an MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Charlene Fix, liberal arts professor, chairs the English and philosophy department. She teaches Writing and the Arts, Literary Studies (Word and Image, Artist as Protagonist), Writing Poetry, Film and Literature, and American Literature. Her poems have appeared in Poetry, The Ohio Review, The Chicago Review, The Antioch Review, The Journal, Negative Capability, Alimentum, The Cincinnati Review, The Manhattan Review, Artful Dodge, Mudfish, and Rattle.  Ms. Fix received a BS in education and an MA in English from The Ohio State University. She has received fellowships for her poetry from both the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council.  Her chapbook of poems, Mischief, is available from Pudding House Publications, and her poetry collection, Flowering Bruno: A Dography, a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry, is available from XOXOX Press.  In 2007 Charlene won the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America for a group of poems alluding to film.

Alice Frenz, foundation studies associate professor, teaches two-dimensional design, color concept, and design II. As the faculty advisor to the Admissions Office, she works with transfer credit and AP credit for incoming students. In her studio practice, she designs clothing and illustrations that incorporate a variety of fiber-art techniques. Mrs. Frenz received a BFA in advertising design from CCAD.