 | E. Shelley Reid, PhD – [email protected] Executive Director, Stearns Center Shelley has grown up in an extended family of teachers—including several college English professors as well as a middle school principal, a choir director, a medical school mentor, a gymnastics coach, a history teacher, a special education coordinator, and a high school counselor—so it’s not surprising that she frequently studies how both students and teachers learn. She is an associate professor in the Department of English, where she directed the composition program for ten years; taught undergraduate and graduate courses in writing, editing, and program administration; and helped create the doctoral program in Writing and Rhetoric. She has recently published an OER textbook, Rethinking Your Writing, with WAC Clearinghouse Press. In addition, she has written articles about how teaching assistants in composition programs learn to teach, how writing students engage in peer review activities, how program leaders can assess student progress, and how teaching centers can support a wide range of faculty needs. She is interested more generally in questions of how learners transfer knowledge from one context to another, and how institutions shape the work of teachers and learners at all levels. She received her MA and PhD in English from SUNY Buffalo. |
 | Crystal Anderson, PhD – [email protected] Associate Director of Engaged Learning Crystal uses her expertise to design and assess educational programs and curricula, develop sustainable faculty development programs, and manage program- and university-level initiatives using evidence-based practices. As a veteran educator with over 20 years of teaching experience, she employs high-impact practices that utilize digital tools to foster inquiry-based learning and develop practical skills that cultivate the potential of all students. She is affiliate faculty in African and African American Studies at George Mason. As a scholar with an international reputation, she generates cutting-edge traditional research as well as public scholarship in the fields of Transnational American Studies, Black Internationalism and Global Asias. Her book, Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-pop (2020), was recently published in Korean. You can find out more about her work in higher education and her scholarship at her website. Crystal received her MA in English from the University of Virginia and her PhD in American Studies from the College of William and Mary. |
 | Rachel Yoho, PhD – [email protected] Assistant Director, Stearns Center Dr. Rachel Yoho is a faculty member in the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, serving as the Assistant Director. She has an interdisciplinary background with expertise in global climate change, renewable energy technologies, and environmental health. Dr. Yoho is an award-winning educator with extensive experience as a faculty member. She is a Fulbright awardee and completed a Fulbright Specialist award visiting the University of Galway (Ireland). In 2023, Dr. Yoho received the Trailblazer Award as a university partner of the GMU College of Engineering and Computing. At her previous institution, she received the university-wide educator Rising Star Award two years in a row and an Exemplary Course Award a course that she developed and taught. She received two faculty commendations earlier at another institution. Dr. Yoho received her PhD in Biological Design (engineering) and a Graduate Certificate in Scientific Teaching in Higher Education (life sciences) from Arizona State University, as well as a BA in Biology from Capital University. |
 | Thomas Polk, PhD – [email protected] Director, Writing Across the Curriculum Thomas Polk serves as the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum at George Mason University where he also teaches professional and academic writing in the English department. Tom regularly facilitates professional development events on writing-enriched teaching and learning and has published on assignment design, mentoring, and research methodologies in writing studies. His scholarship appears in College Composition and Communication, WAC Journal, Across the Disciplines among other venues. His current research project draws on a critical literacies lens to understand student experiences with writing across the curriculum, particularly in authentic or experiential learning environments. This project specifically focuses on the proposal writing practices of students applying for undergraduate research fellowships and considers how evaluation, mentoring, and networks mediate access to these programs. Prior to working at Mason, he coordinated the writing center at Bowie State University. |
 | Breana Bayraktar, EdD – [email protected] Educational Developer: Blended Learning/Hybrid Pedagogy Specialist, Stearns Center Breana (rhymes with “”Montana””) started her teaching career abroad, teaching K12 and postsecondary English in France, and has been teaching adult English language learners and working in curriculum development, assessment, and teacher preparation for over 20 years. Breana’s current research interests include how institutional culture shapes participation in faculty development, alternative grading practices and multilingual students, and instructor feedback practices. Breana is a Quality Matters (QM) certified peer reviewer of online courses, and has two Open Educational Resources (OER) textbooks under creation, for teaching writing to multilingual students. Breana received her EdD from Manhattanville College, where she focused on how faculty professional development influences teaching practices. She received an MEd with a focus on adult education from George Mason University and a BA in French and history from the College of William & Mary. |
 | Laina Lockett, PhD – [email protected] Educational Developer: STEM Education Specialist, Stearns Center Laina has five years of experience teaching at the college level including working as a visiting instructor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and being a Teaching Assistant (TA) at Rutgers. Laina served as a graduate fellow with the summer research program at Rutgers where she managed the course website and led workshops about writing and presentation skills for the research students. She has also worked with developing and teaching STEM outreach activities for middle school students in New Jersey. Lastly she was an active member for Rutgers Academy for the Science of Teaching and Learning where she led workshops for professors and TAs about various best teaching practices. She has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University and a M.S. in Environmental science from Towson University. In her spare time, Laina likes to make music, travel, and work out. |
 | Kelly Chandler, M.A. – [email protected] Strategic Programs and Media Manager, Stearns Center Kelly joined the Stearns Center staff in January 2023 as the Programs Administrator to support the Stearns Center in their mission and support programming related to inclusive excellence in teaching. In August 2025, she transitioned to our Strategic Programs and Media Manager role in which she manages the Center’s outreach and media projects along with functioning as a programs manager developing task management processes. Additionally, she is the Producer for our Keystone Concepts in Teaching podcast. She contributes to the team four years of experience as a Composition professor at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and Northwest Vista College. During her time as faculty, she was also an active member of committees at her colleges which focused on professional development for adjuncts and programming for developmental education courses. Kelly is from central Texas and earned both her Bachelor’s in English with a teaching certificate in grades 7-12 and Master’s in English at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. She is thrilled to live in the beautiful state of Virginia with her spouse and dog where she can finally experience all four seasons (sometimes in a single day!). She is passionate about learning new things, yoga, and eco-friendly practices. |
 | Lauren Hertling – [email protected] Financial and Administrative Specialist, Stearns Center Lauren has worked and led teams in diverse settings, serving as a U.S. Army officer, retail sector executive, and university staff member. Her expertise includes change management, learning and performance, leadership coaching, and program management. In her role as a program associate, Lauren is excited to support faculty programs and development by combining her leadership experience and organizational acumen with her passion for coaching and professional growth. Lauren holds an MS in Learning and Organizational Change and an Organizational Leadership Coaching Certificate from Northwestern University, as well as a BS in International Politics from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys reading and exploring the beautiful outdoors of Northern Virginia with her family. |
 | Joan Hwang – [email protected] Faculty Fellow, Writing Across the Curriculum Joan Hwang serves as a Faculty Fellow for Writing Across the Curriculum and teaches academic writing in the English department. Her current research centers on the translingual pedagogy in writing classrooms, increasing audience awareness as a central rhetorical concept in writing curriculum and promoting trans/multimodality in writing instructions. Recent research has focused on making more visible the importance of teaching audience awareness in writing courses through combined pedagogical approaches from translingualism and multimodality. Prior to serving at Writing Across the Curriculum, Joan taught First-year writing courses and Advanced compositions at Mason for five years. |
