Faculty Bios 2018

Dr. Hope E. Dameron

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Business & Entrepreneurial Studies

Dr. Hope E. Dameron has extensive clinical experience in financial planning, analysis, and reporting, and also in corporate accounting. Dr. Dameron has held numerous roles, and formed and lead various financial teams for both private and public companies that operate globally. 

As a personal passion Dr. Dameron desires to educate both the young and mature about the benefits of budgeting and financial planning for households of all backgrounds. For several years she taught a course covering these very vital topics to local members of the community, and today seeks to bring that same enthusiastic passion for financial literacy and global awareness to the students of Lincoln University. Dr. Dameron currently lectures on subjects in the area of economics, investments, portfolio management, and financial management.

Educational Background:

DBA Financial Management
Northcentral University, 2017

Classes Taught:

• Principles of Macroeconomics
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Financial Management
• Principles of Investments
• Investment & Portfolio Management 

Research Interest:

To educate the young and mature about financial literacy and global awareness 

Email: hdameron@lincoln.edu

Dr. Jennifer McCarthy

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Biology

Dr. McCarthy grew up in Colorado, completing my Bachelor of Science in Zoology at Colorado State University. She then made the trek to the East Coast and began my graduate work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There, her thesis research focused on how climate change influenced the growth and survival of Atlantic salmon in Norway. For her dissertation research her focus changed a bit, and she studied the habitat use of clouded leopards and other small felids in Sumatra, Indonesia. Since completing her dissertation, Dr. McCarthy has continued to study wild cats around the world. She currently conducts research in Indonesia, and also in Central America. She is very excited to be at Lincoln, “with such a dynamic campus community and so many amazing and engaged students!” 

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Philosophy
University of Massachusetts, 2013

Classes Taught:

• General Biology II and Lab for Biology Majors
• General Ecology and Lab Environmental Science
• Biology Research II
• Invertebrate Zoology and Lab 

Research Interest:

Elucidating the ecology of rare and elusive wildlife species in order to develop more effective conservation strategies 

Email: jmccarthy@lincoln.edu

Dr. Lukas Pelliccio

Position: Visiting Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication
Department: Department of Mass Communications

Dr. Pelliccio came to Lincoln in 2018 after finishing his Ph.D. program in Communications at Wayne State University, located in Detroit, MI. His primary research focus over the past decade has been the communication of ostracism and how people make sense of social exclusion experiences, which he has examined through qualitative and critical methodologies. He is also active in the communications discipline as a conference reviewer and presenter with the National Communications Association and Eastern Communications Association.

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Mass Communications
Wayne State University, 2018

Classes Taught:

• Strategic Communication Principles & Theory
• Mass Media & Society
• Communication Theory
• Research Methods in Mass Communication

Email: lpelliccio@lincoln.edu

Dr. Nora Lynn Gardner

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Languages & Literature

Dr. Gardner received her master's (2012) and doctoral (2018) degrees in Hispanic Literatures from Indiana University. Her areas of specialization include the following: Gender and Narrative in the Spanish Postwar; 20th-Century Spanish Literature, Film, & Culture; Theories of Dirt and Abjection; Literary Theories of Chaos, Gender Studies, Everyday Life Studies, Memory Studies, and Catalan Studies. Prior to her graduate studies, Dr. Gardner worked as an educator and a journalist in Jaén, Spain, and as a Manager of Program Compliance at ESPN and ESPN Deportes in Bristol, Connecticut.

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Spanish
Indiana University, 2018

Classes Taught:

• Elementary Spanish I
• Intermediate Spanish I
• Advanced Spanish Composition & Conversation I
• Advanced Spanish Composition & Conversation II
• Spanish Civilization Hispanic Civilization & Culture in America
• Survey of Spanish Literature
• Survey of Spanish American Literature

Research Interest:

 Her current book project, Filth, Francoism, Females and Fiction, investigates connections between gender, narrative and intersectional theories of dirt, the abject and chaos in female-written-and-narrated novels produced during the Spanish Civil War and throughout Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship in Spain (1936- 1975). This project argues that narrative representations of dirt and disorder through which fictional female narrators recount aspects of everyday life are revelatory, symptomatic or metonymic of taboo, repressed or traumatic female lived experiences during the war and under Francoism.

Email: ngardner@lincoln.edu

Ms. Carla Sarratt

Position: Director
Department: Langston Hughes Memorial Library

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Carla R. Sarratt earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology with a minor in Education from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. After college, Carla taught high school English in Columbus, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina. She later earned a Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. 

During graduate school, she participated in a study abroad trip to Copenhagen, Denmark that allowed her to experience the international scope of librarianship in Denmark as well as Sweden. She interned with the State Library of North Carolina where she assisted with programming and outreach endeavors with an emphasis on genealogy research. Through her passion for social media, she started the library’s Pinterest account that continues to thrive today. She also accepted a position as the solo librarian for the African American Cultural Center Library at North Carolina State University. Through her ties to the African American children’s literature community, she bought children’s author and illustrator Don Tate to campus as part of the cultural center’s programming. 

In her role as librarian and Virtual Services Librarian with New Hanover County Public Library, she continued to build on her experiences as a teacher and librarian with programming and outreach within the local community. She worked with high school students and teachers as well as the writing community to promote library resources and services. In 2017, she was awarded a stellar award for Innovation and Professionalism from New Hanover County.

Educational Background:

Master of Library Science
North Carolina Central University, 2012

Classes Taught:

Research Interest:

African American children’s literature, the digital divide, and improving digital literacy.

Email: csarratt@lincoln.edu

Dr. Dafan Zhang

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Business & Entrepreneurial Studies

Aside from the first love of teaching, Dr. Zhang is an entrepreneur and attorney with a passion for entrepreneurship, law, technology, business, and policy. Prior to joining the faculty, he practiced law at one of the most prestigious law firms in the world, representing elite global financial institutions and leading corporations before starting his own boutique law firm.

Prior to and concurrent to practicing law, Dr. Zhang was a web/mobile/software developer for over 20 years. He is well accomplished in the technology field, having been a pioneer in mobile data systems, web applications, and media systems. He is also an inventor of multiple technological inventions, including an Internet-based mobile data aggregation system in the 1990’s, as well as a U.S. Patent on election media system granted in 2018.

Dr. Zhang very engaged in the community. Having experienced many struggles as a child, he is determined to give back so others may achieve their potential. Aside from teaching our wonderful students, he enjoys providing small business workshops with several non-profit organizations and representing pro bono clients. He is also heavily engaged in the policy process, including running for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2014.

Educational Background:

Juris Doctor
University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2014

Classes Taught:

• Entrepreneurship
• Business Law
• E-Commerce Leadership
• Information Technology Management
• Intellectual Property Law

Research Interest:

Interested in the intersection of business, entrepreneurship, technology, law and policy; particularly interested in how those topics affect diverse communities and populations. My current projects include research on digital ownership rights, blockchain/cryptocurrencies, inequalities and injustices in business, and production of public goods. 

Email: dzhang@lincoln.edu

Dr. Lauretta Ovadje

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Health Science

Dr. Ovadje received a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences (Focus: Environmental Epidemiology) from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan (2014). She also holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Environmental Sciences from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania (2007). 

Before joining Lincoln University as a faculty member, Dr. Ovadje worked for a decade as a researcher specifically in the designing, conducting, and coordinating of development projects. 

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Environmental
Health Science University of Michigan, 2014 

Classes Taught:

• Dimensions of Wellness
• Personal & Community Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Behavior

Research Interest:

Infectious disease prevention and control, children’s health, environmental health in developing countries, and community-based interventions.

Email: lovadje@lincoln.edu

Dr. Michael Pass

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice

As an educator in the fields of criminology and sociology, Dr. Pass’ passion for scholarship, reform, and advocacy seeks to investigate and address disproportionate minority representation in the criminal justice system; prison reentry and recidivism; social and historical forces affecting the lives of those living in low-income and marginalized communities; and Black males' masculinity.

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2017

Classes Taught:

• Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems
• Criminological Theory
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Introduction to Sociology
• The American Community
• Social Movements & Change
• Introduction to Law Enforcement

Research Interest:

Interested in the criminal justice system and race relations in America. 

Email: mpass@lincoln.edu

Dr. Teresa Powell

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: School of Adult & Continuing Education

Dr. Powell has been a student for thirty-three years of her life, a testament to her belief in life-long learning. She is a 1989 graduate of the Coatesville Area Senior High School, a 1994 graduate of West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, a 1997 graduate of Temple University with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, received Principal Certification from the Pennsylvania State University in 2002, received her Doctorate in Leadership and Educational Administration from Seton Hall University in 2007, and the same year also completed her Superintendent’s preparation program at the University of Pennsylvania. In May 2018, she earned an MBA with a certificate in Project Management at West Chester University. 

Dr. Powell spent more than 20 years as an educator in Chester County, PA and Camden, NJ. She has served in myriad roles: as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, math supervisor, Director of Elementary Schools, Director of Middle Schools, and Assistant Superintendent. She has also spent 11 years as an adjunct at Cabrini College and Lincoln University before joining the faculty at Lincoln full time.

Dr. Powell serves her community in various ways. She is a member of the Southeastern PA chapter of The Drifters, Inc., serves on the board of the Women’s League for Minority Education and the Chester County OIC, and serves on the Visitors Ministry at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, PA.

Dr. Powell is the middle child of Thelma Ann Smith Lee and the late Robert “Jabbo” Lee, sister of Shawn and Tara, and mother of Brittney, Jada, and Xia. 

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Leadership & Educational Administration
Seton Hall University, 2007 

Classes Taught:

• Cultural & Linguistic Diversity: Instructional Strategies
• Supervision & Instruction K-12
• Instructional Leadership
• Integrated Writing & Reading
• Math for Liberal Arts
• The Principalship
• Methods: Elementary Math

Research Interest:

Interests center around equity and the academic performance of underserved populations. 

Email: tpowell@lincoln.edu

Dr. Sam Williams

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Business & Entrepreneurial Studies

Dr. Williams, is a business and society scholar whose work focuses on the marketing, entrepreneurship, and management. His dissertation, The Business Aspect of Hip-Hop Culture is an ethnographic study wherein he captures the perspectives of key Hip Hop cultural gatekeepers who have successfully marketed this culture, its products, services and its lifestyle to the world. His research chronicles gatekeeper perspectives on their role in the worldwide economic growth of the Hip Hop culture and the largely unrecognized influence of Hip Hop upon unrelated organizations and the marketing of unrelated products and services.

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Business
Capella University, 2015

Classes Taught:

• Business Communications
• Principles of Management
• Principles of Marketing
• Organizational Behavior
• Production & Operations Management

Email: slwilliams@lincoln.edu