Wilkes University Promotes Six Women Faculty Members and Awards Them Tenure

Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, enrolls 2,300 undergraduate students and 2,700 graduate students, according to the latest U.S. Department of Education data. Women are 49 percent of the undergraduate student body. Recently, the university announced that it had promoted six women faculty members to the rank of associate professor and granted them tenure.

Helen Davis was promoted to associate professor of education. She joined the faculty at Wilkes in 2008 as an assistant professor of English, specializing in nineteenth-century British literature. Dr. Davis is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a Ph.D. in English from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Linda Gutierrez was named an associate professor of biology. Dr. Gutierrez has been on the faculty at the university since 2003. She earned her medical degree at the University of Carabobo in Venezuela. Dr. Gutierrez has received several research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Jin “Joy” Mao was appointed associate professor of education. She joined the faculty in the university’s doctoral degree program in educational leadership in 2008. Dr. Mao is a graduate of Xi’an International Studies University in China. She holds a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in instructional systems from Pennsylvania State University.

Suzanne Murray-Galella was promoted to associate professor of education. She joined the faculty in 2004 and teaches introductory and upper-level courses in teacher education and special education. Dr. Murray-Galella is a graduate of the University of Scranton, where she majored in English and criminal justice. She holds a master’s degree from Marywood University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Wilkes University.

Jacqueline Stewart was appointed associate professor of nursing and awarded tenure. A registered nurse, she served in several hospitals in northeastern Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at Wilkes University. A graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Stewart holds a master’s degree from Widener University and a doctorate from Duke University.

Ge “Grace” Xiao was named an associate professor of business at Wilkes. Before joining the faculty at Wilkes, she taught in the department of textile and apparel management at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Dr. Xiao is a graduate of Yokohama City University in Japan. She holds master’s degrees in consumer affairs and information systems management and a doctorate in consumer science from Auburn University in Alabama.