Michelle A. Smith earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Kent State University. Dr. Smith began teaching at Lakeland Community College in 2002 and is currently Professor of Sociology there where she teaches the introductory course along with Ethnic Minorities in the U.S. and the Sociology of Aging. Smith has advised numerous student organizations focusing on community service and human rights; she currently co-advises the Gay Straight Alliance and a chapter of Amnesty International. Dr. Smith currently serves on the American Sociological Association task force on Community Colleges.
Clare L. Stacey is Associate Professor of Sociology at Kent State University. Her teaching and research interests include social inequality, social problems, gender, care work, medical sociology, and death and dying. Her book, The Caring Self: The Work Experiences of Home Care Aides, was published by Cornell/ILR Press in 2011. Dr. Stacey has a keen interest in service learning and was the recipient of a Pay It Forward Grant teaching grant in 2010 and 2011.
Stephen A. Keto earned his M.A. at Kent State University where he has taught as adjunct faculty since 1994. He enjoys introducing students to sociology through such courses as Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, and Deviant Behaviors. Steve currently serves as faculty advisor to the student club, Sociological Collective. Under his advisement the Sociological Collective has sought and received funding to attend the North Central Sociological Association conference each of the last eight years. Steve Keto is dedicated to expanding undergraduate opportunities to enhance the learning experience of Kent State Students.
Robert Carrothers is an Associate Professor of Sociology and the Chair of the Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice at Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH. Bob attended Kent State as an undergraduate starting his academic career at KSU- Tuscarawas campus. He ultimately graduated from Kent State three times; with a BA in Psychology in 1995, an MA in Sociology in 1997, and a PhD in Sociology in 2004. Bob is currently the Membership Chair of the North Central Sociological Association. He is a member of the NCSA Scholarly Achievement Award committee and has organized sessions and presented at the NCSA conference for the past 10 years. His research interests are in identity, sports, and social problems. His work has appeared in Teaching Sociology, Sociological Spectrum, and Sociological Focus. He has most recently been working with Jerry Lewis on analyzing sports riots and fan violence. Bob is married to fellow KSU-Sociology alum Rebecca Brooks and they live in Ada, OH with a plethora of cats. Bob is a die-hard Cleveland Indians fan (like there’s any other kind) and he hopes, with a great deal of skepticism, that they will win a World Series before he dies
Robyn White is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Cuyahoga Community College. She has her M.A. degree in sociology from the University of Arkansas and is currently working on obtaining her PhD in sociology from the University of Akron. Her primary research interests include deviance, gender, visual sociology, and teaching and learning. She is passionate about bicycling and photography and hopes to combine these two interests for future research endeavors.
Jessica Leveto is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kent State University Ashtabula. She obtained her Ph.D. in Sociology from Kent State University in 2012. She earned both her MA (2005, Social Sciences) and BA (2003, Sociology) at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Her primary areas of research include scholarship of teaching of learning, social psychology and sociology of emotions. Jessica is engaged in organizations serving as faculty advisor to the Ashtabula Campus Sociology Club and as the Webmaster, newsletter editor and social media coordinator for the Emotions Section of the American Sociological Association. She enjoys exploring ways to integrate technology and media into the classroom.
Liz Piatt is Assistant Professor and Chair of Sociology at Hiram College and earned her PhD from Kent State in 2006. She teaches a variety of courses, including the Senior Seminar in Research Methodology. Her research interests include social psychological explanations for race differences in mental health; the physical health of people with serious and persistent mental illness; and the role of narrative methods in the reduction of health disparities. Liz also does a lot of evaluation of health programs for the Ohio Commission of Minority Health.
Brooke L. Long is a Doctoral Student in the Sociology department at Kent State University. She received a BA in sociology at Penn State University and just recently obtained her M.A. in Sociology from Kent State University in August 2013. Her research areas are social psychology and mental health with a specific focus in Identity Theory and counter-normative identities. She is currently the president of Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociology honor society at Kent State. Outside of academia, she enjoys baking watching the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers, reading a variety of fantasy novels, and she travels home to central Pennsylvania to spend as much time with her family as possible.
Fritz Yarrison is a doctoral student at Kent State University. He obtained his MA from Kent State (2013, sociology) and his BA from The Pennsylvania State University (2011, Psychology). His research interests are in social psychology, specifically the study of self and identity. He also has an interest in quantitative methodology, statistics, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
