Four Women Faculty Members Promoted at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts has announced the promotion of four faculty members to the rank of full professor. In addition, 12 faculty members have been promoted from assistant to associate professor. Four of the faculty members receiving promotions are women.

Jennifer deWinter was promoted to associate professor in the department of humanities and arts. She also was awarded tenure. Dr. deWinter is the director of the university’s Professional Writing Program and is active in the Interactive Media and Game Development Program. Dr. deWinter holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees  in teaching English as a second language and rhetoric from Eastern Washington University in Cheney. She earned a Ph.D. in rhetoric, composition, and teaching English from the University of Arizona.

Bethel Eddy was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in the department of humanities and arts. Dr. Eddy has been on the faculty at the university since 2007 and teaches philosophy and religion. She is the author of The Rites of Identity: The Religious Naturalism and Cultural Criticism of Kenneth Burke and Ralph Ellison (Princeton University Press, 2003). Dr. Eddy is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe. She holds a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University.

Eleanor Loiacono was promoted to full professor of management in the Robert Foisie School of Business at the university. She joined the faculty at WPI in 2000. Her research focuses on the interaction of people with technology. Professor Loiacono is a graduate of Boston University, where she majored in international relations. She holds an MBA from Boston College and a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Georgia.

JoAnn Whitefleet-Smith was promoted to associate teaching professor of biology and biotechnology. She first came to WPI as a senior lab instructor and served as an adjunct instructor before being named assistant teaching professor. Dr. Whitefleet-Smith is a graduate of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she majored in chemistry. She earned a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.