University of New Mexico Promotes Five Women Professors in the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences

The College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences at the University of New Mexico has recently promoted six faculty members, five of whom are women.

Audra Bellmore has been promoted to full professor in the Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections. She serves as curator of the John Gaw Meem Archives of Southwestern Architecture and chairs the university’s Regents Historic Preservation Committee.

Dr. Bellmore received her doctorate in United States history and public history from Loyola University Chicago.

Stephanie Moore has been granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of organization, information, and learning science. In addition to her teaching role, she serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Computing in Higher Education. Prior to joining the University of New Mexico faculty, she served as an assistant professor of instructional design and technology at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Moore is an honors graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, where she majored in English and minored in French. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in educational technology from the University of Northern Colorado.

Alyssa Russo has been granted tenure and promoted to associate professor with University Libraries. For the past seven years, she has served as a learning services librarian and the subject liaison for communication and journalism. Previously, she served as an instruction and collections librarian at Santa Fe Community College.

Russo holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of New Mexico and a master of library and information science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Vanessa Svihla has been promoted to full professor of organization, information, and learning sciences. She holds a joint appointment as a professor of chemical and biological engineering. Additionally, she has served as the special assistant to the dean for learning sciences in the School of Engineering for the past five years.

Dr. Svihla received her bachelor’s degree in geology and Russian from Smith College, a women’s educational institution in Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in geological sciences and a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lori Townsend has been promoted to full professor with University Libraries. She has been with the University of New Mexico since 2010, currently serving as the learning services coordinator and engineering librarian. Prior to her current role, she served as the electronic collections coordinator and senior assistant librarian at California State University, East Bay.

Townsend is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of New Mexico, where she majored in history. She holds a master of library and information science degree from San Jose State University in California.