Walsh University has announced the appointments of several faculty and staff members to the School of Arts and Sciences and Division of Education.
Three new team members will join the School of Arts & Sciences. Professors Cary Dabney and Phillip Pillin will join the Theology department as Visiting Instructors. In Museum Studies, Professor Megan Pellegrino is returning to serve as Director of Museum Studies and Director of the Hoover Historical Center.
The Division of Education will also welcome two new members and has announced one long-time staff member's additional assignment. Megan Early will serve as the Department of Education’s Administrative Assistant and Dr. Jennifer Bambrick will serve as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Science of Reading Literacy and TESOL programs. In addition, Aimee Ek has been named the Director of Licensure and Clinical Placements for Walsh University.
For more information, see bios below.
Cary Dabney, Instructor of Theology. Cary received a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Greek Studies, from Youngstown State University. He holds a Master's of Divinity from Harvard University’s Divinity School. Cary is currently a doctoral candidate at Duquesne University with concentrations in Moral Theology, American Catholicism, and Black Catholic Studies. He is also currently a staff writer with the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee on Racism, plus he serves on the Advisory Committee for the Continuing Education & Enrichment Program for the Institute of Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in Louisiana.
Phillip J. Pillin, Instructor of Theology. Phillip graduated from Walsh University in April 2019 with B.A. degrees in Theology and Philosophy and a Minor in Government and Foreign Affairs. In December 2020, Phillip completed his Master of Arts degree in Theology, with a focus on Ritual Studies. Among his many interests, Phillip is currently involved in liturgical ministries, aquatics, micronationalism, and track and field officiating.
Megan Pellegrino, Director of Museum Studies and Director of the Hoover Historical Center. After graduating from Miami University with a B.A. in History and an M.A.T. in Integrated Social Studies Education, Megan spent ten years (2008-2018) teaching courses and coordinating internships in the Museum Studies Program at Walsh University. During that time, Megan also served as the Curator of the Hoover Historical Center. For the past two years, she has served as Ohio Operations Manager at the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation. Megan's knowledge of the history of the Hoover Company and family, experience in collections management, and previous success with grants writing and development are strengths that she brings to this leadership role.
Megan Early, Department of Education Administrative Assistant. Megan graduated from Walsh University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Museum Studies. After graduation, she went to work at National First Ladies’ Library in downtown Canton where she worked in several positions, most recently as Advancement Manager. In 2019, she returned to Walsh to run the Hoover Historical Center, overseeing all daily operations of the museum. Megan is originally from Parma and a 2007 graduate of Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland. She met her husband, Scott, through her Walsh roommate and they were married in 2015. He is employed as an agricultural millwright with L Cubed Corporation/TAM Systems Ohio. They have a three-year old son, Cayden as well as three furchildren: a pittie named Oliver Twist and two cats named Seamus and Chibbs. They all reside in Sebring. In her free time, she enjoys camping, kayaking and attending concerts of all kinds. For four years, she managed the Lilly Kate Bakery at the former Four Kids Coffee in North Canton and enjoys baking.
Dr. Jennifer Bambrick, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Science of Reading Literacy and TESOL programs. Dr. Bambrick lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two dogs. She has taught all of the initial licensure literacy courses at Gardner-Webb University, working with students in the Traditional Undergraduate, Teacher Assistant to Teacher, and Degree Completion programs. Dr. Bambrick was awarded the Adjunct of the Year award for the 2019-2020 academic year and received the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning QM Peer Reviewer and Formal Course Certification Grant. Prior to that, Jennifer worked as a K-12 instructional coach for the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program. She also served as a K-3 literacy coach for five years and has taught middle school English to Speakers of Other Languages, 3rd grade, and 5th grade. Dr. Bambrick has taught both asynchronous and synchronous online courses and is a Higher Education and K-12 Peer Reviewer for Quality Matters. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish from Elon University, a M.Ed. in Reading Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Ph.D. in Literacy with a concentration in Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She led the transition from balanced to structured literacy as a literacy coach and has completed LETRS and Orton-Gillingham training. Her research interests include literacy coaching, teacher knowledge of phonics instruction, struggling readers, English Language Learners, and culturally responsive teaching.
Aimee Ek, Division of Education Director of Licensure and Clinical Placements. Prior to this new position, she served as the Licensure Coordinator and assisted students with Teacher Preparation. Ek came to Walsh 21 years ago serving in many different capacities over the years. She graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development & Psychology, and is currently pursuing graduate courses to obtain her Masters in Education. Aimee Ek lives in Uniontown with her husband, Bill Ek, and their two children Kendra (17) & Jaden (16) and dogs Kobe & Lily.