• Sociology
• Cultural Diversity
• Society and Technology
• Social Structure and the Individual
• Applied Sociological Methods

• Doctorate, sociology, The University of Akron
• Master of arts degree, sociology, The University of Akron
• Bachelor of arts degree, sociology and interdisciplinary anthropology, summa cum laude, university honors scholar, The University of Akron

• American Association of University Professors
• American Sociological Association
• Midwest Sociological Society
• North Central Sociological Association, Council Member-at-Large

• Adkins, Angela M. 2023. “Vignettes for Social Justice Learning.” Sociological Focus special issue, Pedagogy for the Future: Sociology, Innovation, and the Classroom (in press).
• Adkins, Angela M. 2021. “Values, Compassion, and the Role of Active Learning in an Introduction to Sociology Class.” Teaching Sociology 49(4):1-16.
• Adkins, Angela M. 2018. “Gendering Occupations: An Introductory Exercise for Teaching Reproduction of the Binary Gender System.” Teaching Sociology 46(4): 324-334.
• Adkins, Angela M. 2009. “Dr. Dana.” Pp. 531-535 in Stepping Stones: A Guided Approach to Writing Sentences and Paragraphs, edited by Chris Juzwiak. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s.

Prior to coming to Stark State College, Dr. Adkins taught at The University of Akron as well as in a community learning center for adults seeking high school completion. Her research interests include the scholarship of teaching and learning, social psychology, inequalities, and computer-mediated interaction. Her achievements include 2021 and 2017 Assessment Council Classroom Development mini-grants from SSC’s Completion by Design partnership, a nomination for the 2020 John F. Schnabel Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award, commencement speaker at Stark State’s fall 2015 graduation as the College’s 2014-2015 Distinguished Teacher of the Year, and a nomination for the 2014-2015 Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges’ Teacher of the Year.

• College Composition
• College Composition II: Research and Argument
• Writing for the Web
• Writing for Media
• Film Appreciation

• Bachelor of arts degree in English, Kent State University
• Master of arts degree in composition and rhetoric, The University of Akron

• Owner and lead content developer, Phase 2 Media, LLC
• Copywriting, advertising department, Sterling Jewelers Inc.
• Web copywriter, GOJO Industries, eBusiness Group

• NCTE

• Foreword. The Ravenna Record: The People and Events that Shaped a Community, by Roger Di Paolo, 2010.
• “In Defense of the Quiet Ones: A Pragmatic Approach to Silent Students in the Composition Classroom.”  North Carolina English Teacher, vol. 64 no. 1, 2008, 27-33.
• Conference Presentations: “Beyond Marketing: What Branding Means to a Writing Center.” East Central Writing Centers Association (ECWCA) Conference. University of Mount Union. Alliance, Ohio. March 2016.
• “The Do-ing of Writing: Students, Tutors, and MSWord.” Northeast Ohio Writing Centers Association 4th Annual Conference. Stark State College. North Canton, Ohio. October 2010.
• “Enhanced Community for Basic Writers.” Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges. University of Akron. Akron, Ohio. October 2007.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, Justin began a career as a professional writer, first with the eBusiness team at GOJO Industries and then at Sterling Jewelers in the advertising department. Eventually, he returned to academia and earned a master’s degree in composition and rhetoric and began teaching at Stark State College in 2005. His teaching focus is in research, rhetoric and professional writing, with a specific focus on digital texts. Justin still writes, having formed Phase 2 Media, LLC as a kind of studio through which to engage professional writing opportunities. He has developed communications for a number of community projects as well as local, national and international businesses. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, watching soccer (specifically Arsenal) and spending time with his wife and two dogs.

• College Composition
• Intro to Academic Writing
• Academic Writing
• British Literature II

• Master of arts degree, English – composition

Stark State College

• Assistant professor of English, 2011-present
• Mentor, College Composition, 2014-present
• Mentor, Developmental Writing, 2013-2014
• Mentor, College Writing III: 2011-2013

• Chair/member, Stark State College Institutional Effectiveness Committee, 2011-present
• Stark State College AQIP category 1 subcommittee member, 2011
• Stark State College Strategic Plan revisions and publication

• Review: Writings From Life, Tom Tyner. Teaching English in the Two-Year College. Volume:  39.2. (December 2011)

I live in Massillon with my wife and four children. I have been teaching at Stark State College for 11 years, five as a full-time faculty member. I am active in my community as a Little League baseball coach. I enjoy writing short fiction, particularly in the horror genre.

• General Psychology
• Human Growth & Development
• Social Psychology

• Bachelor of arts degree, psychology, University of Mount Union
• Master of arts degree, marriage and family counseling/therapy
• Doctorate in counselor education and supervision, marriage and family therapy, The University of Akron

• Licensed and practiced as both a marriage and family therapist and licensed professional clinical counselor/supervisor (LPCC-S)
• Currently maintains license to practice in the State of Ohio as an LPCC-S
• Has counseled individuals, couples, families, and groups in schools, community mental health centers and in private practice.
• Has taught psychology courses as an adjunct instructor at Mount Union and taught graduate-level counseling courses as an adjunct at Walsh University.

Nicole is a professor who brings years of education and professional experience into the classroom. She enjoys working with the diverse population at Stark State College and considers herself to be a student-focused professor.

• College Composition
• Women’s Literature
• British Literature: 1785 to Present
• British Literature: Medieval to 1785
• American Literature: 1865 to Present
• American Literature: Colonial to 1865

• Bachelor’s degree, John Carroll University
• Master’s degree, John Carroll University

• Vice president, American Tutors
• Head of tutoring department, John Carroll University
• Adjunct professor, Lakeland Community College
• Business experience, State Chemical and Ohio Bureau of Unemployment

• Archaeological Institute of America
• OATYC
• OACC

• Turning Leaves [short story and poem]
• Murder by Deed
• The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth
• The Darker Side: An Eclectic Melange

Born and raised in Ohio but yearns for the sunshine and deserts of Arizona.

• general psychology
• human growth and development
• social psychology

• Doctorate in clinical psychology
• Master’s degree in clinical psychology
• Bachelor’s degree in applied psychology

• Licensed clinical psychologist in Ohio
• Member of American Psychological Association
• Member of Christian Association for Psychological Studies

• Jones, C.E., & Cunion, A.L. (2012). Loco parentis: Strengths, weaknesses, and future directions. Invited chapter for The Christian College Phenomenon: An Empirical Study. Samuel Joeckel and Thomas Chesnes (Eds.). Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press.
• Ripley, J.S., Cunion, A.L., & Noble, N.D. (2006). Alcohol abuse in marriage and family contexts: Relational pathways to recovery. Invited article for Alcohol Treatment Quarterly, 24 (1/2), 171-184.

I am a graduate of Regent University where I received both my M.A. and my Psy.D. in clinical psychology. I received my bachelor’s degree from Cedarville University, majoring in applied psychology. My research interests have largely surrounded marriage and the family, with particular interests in one’s understanding of marriage and mothering. My current research surrounds emotional experiences of mothers (with a specific focus on the emotions of shame and guilt in mothers) and assessing couples for experiences of intimate partner violence. I also have research interests in rural psychology and in the application of technological advances to better reach and serve rural populations clinically. I am a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Ohio. In clinical work, I enjoy working with adults, adolescents and children presenting with mood and anxiety disorders, as well as performing psychological assessment.

• English 10 – Introduction to Academic Writing

• Bachelor of arts degree, English
• Bachelor of arts degree, Spanish
• Master of arts degree, English composition
• Certificate, English language teaching to adults

• Assistant professor, Stark State College, 2004-present
• Substitute teacher (HS), Washington State, 2001-2002
• Technical editor, Earth Tech, Colton, CA, 1998-2000
• Technical editor, Converse Consultants, Redlands, CA, 1995-1998

• WVIZ (PBS)
• National Council of Teachers of English

• “All Lives Matter!” (poem, Canton Repository)
• Abandon the Shadows (poem in anthology)
• AIM (America’s Intercultural Magazine)(poem)
• The Lyric (poem)
• Poetry Guild (poem)

Celebrating 10 plus years as assistant professor of English at Stark State College, I specialize in teaching developmental English courses, and additional areas of expertise include grammar and poetry. I am the College’s primary contact and instructional resource for ESL/ELL (English as a Second Language/English Language Learners), and I also provide specialized tutoring for ELL students throughout the year. I sing in a faculty chorale, which performs for graduation, Veteran’s Day and on other special occasions. On the community front, I am on the yearly special music schedule as a soloist for three Massillon/Canton-area churches, and I recently performed in a dramatic walking tour production focusing on the Underground Railroad, which provided sanctuary for slaves in Massillon. I also judge poetry contests at Stark State and in the community.

• Introduction to Academic Writing
• College Composition
• College Composition II

• Bachelor of arts degree, writing, Mount Union
• Master of arts degree, English Studies, Bowling Green State University

• Associate professor, English, North Central State College
• Instructor, general studies writing, Bowling Green State University

• Conference on College Composition and Communication
• College English Association
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
• Modern Language Association
• OATYC

• “Pay More Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Creating Social Presence and Interaction in Online Writing Classes,” Conference of the College English Association
• “TEDucate: Sparking Student Engagement Using TED Talks in the College Classroom,” Conference of the Ohio Association of Two Year Colleges
• “Opening the Ivory Gates: How to Work Within and Around LMS’s to Bring Life Back to Learning,” Conference of College Composition and Communication
• “Class Hacker: Reconfiguring Academic Work through Reflective Practice and Digital Sabbaths,” eMerge Blended Learning Conference
• “The Risks and Rewards of Moving Teaching, Writing, and Research from Academic Places to Wide Open (Digital) Spaces,” National Conference of the Teaching of English

Steve, a Mount Union alum from Dun Glen, Ohio, taught his first college writing class in 1999, having served on the faculties of Bowling Green State University and North Central State College before joining Stark State in 2012. As an assistant professor of English and modern languages, he loves what he does: teaching writing, research and rhetoric mostly to students downtown and online. He frequently presents papers and facilitates workshops at departmental, college, local, state and national conferences on subjects related to educational technology and the teaching of writing. A Boston Marathon qualifier and humorless Browns fan, Steve lives nearby with his wife and kids.

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychological Aspects of Therapy
• Psychological Methods

• Bachelor of arts degree, psychology, University of Akron
• Master of science degree, psychology, California Coast University
• Master of science degree, educational psychology,  Capella University
• Doctor of psychology degree, psychology, California Coast University
• Doctor of psychology degree, Capella University

• American Psychological Association
• Association for Psychological Science
• Society for the Teaching of Psychology
• Association for Experiential Education
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology
• Psi Beta National Council – Midwest Region VP

Dr. Gerber came to higher education in 2004 following a 25-year career in applied fields, including private practice and program development. He is very active in the field of psychology on both the local and national level, serving on several committees and boards. He currently is vice president of the board of trustees for the Crisis Intervention and Recovery Center of Stark County, vice president of the Psi Beta Psychology Honor Society National Council and advisor for the Stark State chapter of Psi Beta honor society. Dr. Gerber fosters an active classroom where students not only learn the required material, but have an opportunity to absorb it. He enjoys not only teaching material, but inspiring and motivating students to achieve at a higher level than they imagined was possible.

• Academic Writing
• College Composition
• College Composition II

• Bachelor’s degree, political science, Bowling Green State University
• Master’s degree, English composition, The University of Akron

• Ohio Association of Community Colleges
• Ohio Association of Two Year Colleges
• National Association of Developmental Education
• Leadership Stark County

Nicole has been teaching writing for more than a decade and creates academic rigor by promoting critical thinking, accountability and high expectations. She challenges her students to move beyond the obvious, explore nuanced perspectives and use their writing to contribute to their communities. She has a lifelong connection to Stark County and passionately believes in the mission of Stark State College to increase and enhance opportunities for our students and surrounding community. In addition to teaching, Nicole is a mother, wife, runner, gardener, volunteer and coach.

• General Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Human Development
• Psychological Aspects of Therapy

• Doctor of chiropractic, Logan College of Chiropractic
• Master’s degree in counseling and human development, Walsh University.
• Bachelor’s degree in human biology, Logan College of Chiropractic

Dr. Hostetler has taught courses in biology and psychology at Stark State College since 1994. His background experience includes practice as a chiropractic physician for more than 20 years, serving as a human development consultant to area businesses and organizations, and teaching in the social science departments at Kent State University, Trumbull Campus and at Mount Union University. He is recognized nationally as a reality therapist. Dr. Hostetler received the 2003-2004 Stark State Distinguished Teacher Award, the 2004 American Technical Education Association (ATEA) Great Lakes Region Outstanding Technical Teacher Award, and the 2004 Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education Award for Teaching Excellence. He also was nominated for the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges Outstanding Teacher Award and was one of eight finalists for the national ATEA Outstanding Technical Teacher of the Year Award.

• Academic Writing
• College Composition
• College Composition II

• Bachelor of arts degree, philosophy, The University of Akron
• Master of arts degree, composition, The University of Akron

My years as a philosophy student instilled in me a passion for critically engaging ideas and issues. I enjoy working with the students of Stark State, encouraging them to see writing as more than producing a text, but rather as a way to find their voice, better understand themselves and to engage the world in which they live. In my spare time I enjoy reading philosophy and history, working with my hands, training martial arts and spending time with my family.

• Academic Writing
• College Composition
• College Composition II
• Technical Report Writing
• Business Communication

• Bachelor of arts degree in English, Kent State University
• Master of arts degree in composition, The University of Akron

• Coordinator, English Stark PASS
• Mentor for College Composition, Composition II and Academic Writing

I enjoy the opportunity to teach writing to a diverse population because it requires me to be creative in my teaching methods. This means creating a learning environment that allows students from all walks of life an opportunity to be successful. Additionally, through my work on student success initiatives at Stark State College, I have gained insight into the responsibility of working at a community college beyond teaching writing. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family and our two cats.

• General Psychology
• Psychological Aspects of Therapy
• Human Growth and Development
• Psychology of Adjustment

• Master’s degree in community counseling
• Bachelor’s degree in family and child development
• Associate degree in community services technology

• Licensed professional clinical counselor and social worker through the State of Ohio Counselor and Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist Board
• Private counseling practice
• Counselor at a child behavioral health care service
• Mental health counseling
• Chemical dependency counselor
• Instructor for county board of developmental disabilities employees
• Habilitation manger and case manager in the developmental disabilities system
• Case worker in the mental health field
• Social service director for nursing home
• Program director/probation officer for juvenile/probate court
• Guardianship and adoption investigator for court system

I have worked as a social service worker/counselor since 1980 in various settings. I worked with the elderly in a long-term care facility as a social service director, a habilitation manager and case manager for a county board program for the developmentally disabled and a probation officer/program director for a juvenile court. I also served as a guardianship investigator and an adoption assessor for the court. As a clinical counselor, I worked with clientele ages 3-90 in both school settings and mental health agencies. I’ve worked with children and trauma, adults with alcohol and drug addictions, as well as marital and group counseling.

• Intro to Academic Writing
• College Composition
• Technical Communications Internship

• Master of arts degree, English composition, The University of Akron
• Master of science degree, integrated language arts education, The University of Akron
• Bachelor of arts degree, English, The University of Akron

• National Council of Teachers of English
• Two-Year College English Association
• Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges
• Ohio Association of Community Colleges
• Council on Basic Writing

In addition to teaching writing, Elizabeth is co-adviser for Stark Voices, the online SSC student journal.

• Sociology (F2F and W3)
• Social Problems
• The African American Experience
• Cultural Diversity (F2F and W3)
• Psychosocial Aspects of Aging (W3)
• Criminal Justice
• Juvenile Delinquency

• Master of arts degree in sociology, The University of Akron/Kent State University Joint Program
• Bachelor of science degree in criminal justice/pre-law, The University of Dayton

• National consultant, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Equity trainer/consultant; Akron, Canton and Alliance city school districts
• Vice president, Stark County Treatment Alternatives for a Safer Community
• Executive board member, Akron Area National Organization for Women
• Member/discussant of the National Congress of Qualitative Inquiry
• Honorable discharge, United States Army Reserve
• Facilitator, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Completion by Design
• LSW, 2007
• CDCA, 2006

Refereed Articles
Martin, J. L., Sharp-Grier, M. L. & Smith, J. B. (in press, 2016). Alternate realities: 
Racially disparate discipline in classrooms and schools and its effects on black and
brown students. OCPEA Journal.
Sharp-Grier, M. L., & Martin, J. L. (2016). Broken windows, broken promises: 
Grief, privilege, and hope in the mythical post racial. A call and response. Qualitative
Inquiry, 22 (7) 561-567.

Sharp-Grier, M. L. (2007). “Sugar and spice and everything nice?”: The influence of 
religion in identity formulation and instances of domestic violence. Master’s Thesis.
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ap/6?130115168914390:P0_SEARCH:NO:

Edited Volumes
Martin, J. L., Nickels, A. E., & Sharp-Grier, M. L. (Eds.). (in press, 2017). Feminist 
Pedagogy, Practice, and Activism: Improving the Lives of Girls and Women. London, UK:
Routledge Press.

Book Chapters
Sharp-Grier, M. L. (2015). “She was more intelligent than I thought she’d be!”: 
Status, stigma, and microaggressions in the academy. In Jennifer Martin
(Ed), Racial Battle Fatigue: Insights from the Front Lines of Social Justice Advocacy.
Westport, CT: Praeger.

Martina L. Sharp-Grier is an assistant professor and department coordinator of sociology and gerontology, and a national consultant for NAPE. She has a long history of public service, working as a probation officer for the Montgomery County Ohio Adult Probation Department and as a parole officer for the State of Ohio Adult Parole Authority. She has also maintained professional positions in victim advocacy and forensic social work. As an educator, she has designed and taught courses in sociology, social problems, and racial and ethnic relations. Her research is interdisciplinary, and utilizes qualitative inquiry through autoethnography, indigenous cultural research methods and critical performance pedagogy. Sharp-Grier’s areas of research include racial and gender identity, inequalities within the social structure related to race, sex, and sexuality, microaggressions in higher education, feminist pedagogy, domestic violence/intimate partner violence, sexual harassment – virtual and traditional, and bullying in the workplace as correlated with minority status.

• gerontology
• sociology

• Bachelor’s degree in sociology, La Salle University
• Master’s degree in applied sociology, Kent State University

• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC/R)
• Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

After becoming interested in the fields of disabilities and aging as a volunteer while in college, Shearer spent his career working as a rehabilitation counselor, program administrator, nursing home administrator and developmental disabilities program superintendent. His licenses and certifications during his career have included licensed nursing home administrator, licensed professional counselor, developmental disabilities superintendent, adult services director, case management supervision and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC/R). In addition to Stark State, he has taught at Kent State University as a teaching fellow and as an adjunct faculty member at Cuyahoga Community College. Shearer authored numerous articles in area newspapers on disability issues during his years in the developmental disabilities field and received a special award from the Northeast Ohio Deaf Development Organization for his work in creating opportunities for persons who were deaf. He also has done doctoral work as part of the joint doctoral program in sociology with Kent State and The University of Akron.

• ENG124 College Composition
• ENG231 College Composition II
• ENG236 American Literature: Colonial to 1865
• ENG237 American Literature 1865 to Present
• ENG233 British Literature Medieval to 1785

• Master of arts degree in literature, Kent State University
• Bachelor of arts degree in English, Kent State University

• Assistant professor of English, Stark State College, 2005-present
• Adjunct instructor of English, Kent State University, 2003-2005
• Adjunct instructor of English, University of Akron, 2003-2005

• “You’re Under Arrest! Deputizing Students into the Grammar Police” (Presentation, Annual Conference of the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges, 2011)
• “Authentic Research in College Composition” (Presentation, Annual Conference of the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges, 2015; with Nicole Herrera and Elizabeth Modarelli)

After earning a bachelor’s degree in English at Kent State University, Jen Smith was drawn to teaching as a graduate assistant while earning her master’s degree in literature. She has been teaching at Stark State College since 2003, first as an adjunct instructor and then as a full-time faculty member since 2005. She has created online and face-to-face courses in literature, notably in Colonial American literature, her greatest area of interest. She serves on several department committees to redesign courses and improve department procedures, and has chaired and served on college committees ranging from the Curriculum Committee to the Advancement in Rank Committee. Currently, Professor Smith is involved in the implementation of Stark State’s new Honors Program and teaches honors courses in American literature and college composition. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, shopping, and spending time with her husband, three children and two dogs.

• ENG125 Technical Editing and Layout
• ENG126 Technical Grammar and Style
• ENG221 Technical Report Writing
• ENG227 Writing for Media
• ENG229 Grant Writing
• ENG230 Business Communication

• Master of arts degree, English, Montana State University – Bozeman
• Bachelor of arts degree, English, Kent State University at Stark

• Department chair of English and modern languages, Stark State College, 2010- present
• Associate professor of English, Stark State College, 2004-present
• Higher Learning Commission Peer Corps, 2015-present
• Systems Portfolio AQIP coordinator for Stark State College, 2014-present
• Technical communications coordinator, 2006-2010

Connections and how they relate to the bigger picture of life fascinate me, and seeking knowledge and wisdom motivates each aspect of my life. As an avid reader (manic may be a better word choice), I am drawn to the field of English and concepts of rhetoric, linking the overarching theories to their applications. As the Systems Portfolio AQIP coordinator, my English background enables me to organize the portfolio category committees and help weave our College’s story of evidence. I enjoy each aspect of my position at the College – from teaching to managing the department to composing Stark State’s accreditation document. In my personal life, my husband and I are raising a critical thinker in the local area in the midst of six beautiful cats.

• Sociology
• Cultural Diversity
• Dynamics of the Family

• Bachelors of arts degree, sociology and psychology, The University of Akron
• Master of arts degree, sociology, Cleveland State University
• Master of arts degree, urban studies, The University of Akron

• Previous work as a forensic interviewer and protective child services worker

Natashia Willmott is a lifelong learner, who believes that the best is yet to come. A first-generation college student herself, she truly desires students to be successful. She strives to open students’ sociological imagination through the hands-on approach of “doing sociology” – not just reading about it, but immersing students into this field of study. She encourages students to step outside of themselves and think critically about their social worlds. Outside of Stark State College, Natashia is active in her community through service in The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which assists individuals in the community with food, shelter and basic needs.