Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, has announced the appointment of 13 new faculty members. Five of the new faculty members are women.
Sofia Elverdin is an assistant professor of politics. Her teaching and research focus on applied statistics, comparative politics and social movements, and gender in politics in Latin America. Dr. Elverdin holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina. She holds two master’s degrees in political science and a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University.
Lauren Hughes is an assistant clinical professor of law and director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic. She was a clinical teaching fellow at the Center for Applied Legal Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Her teaching and research interests include immigration law, asylum and refugee law, and international human rights law. Hughes holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from DePaul University in Chicago. She holds a master’s degree in law from Georgetown University and a second master’s degree and a juris doctorate from Duke University in North Carolina.
Jaime Roots is a new assistant professor of German. She has been a visiting assistant professor of German at the university since 2019. Earlier, she was a lecturer in German at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her teaching and research interests include German literature and literary history, fandom studies and folklore, digital storytelling, and digital humanities. Dr. Roots holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and German from the University of Idaho. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine.
Soo Yon Ryu is an assistant professor of business administration. She has founded two startup businesses in South Korea and interned as a researcher at LG Electronics. Her research explores the intersection of aesthetics, experiential consumption, and ethical decision-making. Dr. Ryu earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and culture and design management from Yonsei University in South Korea. She holds a master’s degree in business management from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Florida.
Carrie Stanton has been appointed an assistant professor of law. She has served as a visiting assistant professor of law for the last two years. Before coming to W&L, she was a partner with the Williams Mullen Law Firm and was an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. Stanton is a business law scholar who teaches and writes in the areas of contracts, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. She earned a bachelor’s degree in politics from the University of Virginia and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.


