Nine Colorado College faculty members were approved by the Board of Trustees for tenure and promotion to associate professor following the board’s annual February meeting. Additionally, the Board awarded emeriti status to seven faculty members and approved new charter trustees and board officers.
The CC faculty members awarded tenure and promoted, effective July 1, are:
- Richard Fernando Buxton, Assistant Professor of Classics
Buxton received his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Washington in 2010 and has taught at Colorado College since 2014. His research focuses on the political and economic history of classical Athens (5th- to 4th-century BC) as it appears in the era’s literature, particularly in the work of the philosopher-historian Xenophon, a disciple of Socrates. Buxton teaches courses in Ancient Economies, Reading in Latin, Beginning Greek, and the Invention and Concept of History. He is known as a high-minded teacher who is deeply reflective about his pedagogy. Buxton’s service to the college includes two faculty search committees and creating connections between the college and the Air Force Academy and CU-Boulder. He was key in revitalizing the Classics Department curriculum. - Lynne Gratz, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Gratz, a 2010 graduate of the University of Michigan, is an atmospheric scientist who studies the fate and transport of air pollutants, such as mercury and ozone, over varying spatiotemporal scales. She is the recipient of an NSF grant worth more than a million dollars. She teaches several courses key to the Environmental Program, including Introduction to Global Climate Change, Thermodynamics and Energetics, Atmospheric Dynamics, and several senior thesis courses. She is an inspiring teacher who has fostered interdisciplinarity both in and outside of the classroom. Gratz has served on several committees at CC, including the Watson Fellowship Committee and the FEC Personnel Policies Subcommittee. - Olivia Hatton, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology
Hatton is a renowned immunologist whose interests lie at the intersections of immunology, virology, and cancer biology. Hatton received her Ph.D. in immunology from Stanford University in 2011 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and San Jose State from 2012-15. She teaches Molecular and Cellular Biology, Special Topics in Immunology, Laboratory Research in Molecular Biology, and the capstone course taught in the department. Students describe her as deeply invested in each and every student’s success. All her teaching and service work is informed by her deep commitment to antiracism, inclusion, and equity. She has served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Summer Collaborative Research (SCoRe) Faculty Steering Committee, and has been a leading voice for pre-tenure faculty through service on the Faculty Executive Committee. Since coming to CC, Hatton has published in several premiere academic journals covering subjects such as therapeutic strategies for Epstein-Barr virus posttransplant disorder, tumor-derived variants of Epstein-Barr virus proteins, and several other critical subfields. - Jessica Hoel, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business
Hoel received her Ph.D. in developmental and experimental microeconomics from the University of Michigan in 2013. Hoel teaches courses such as Economic Theory, Econometrics, and senior thesis courses. She is a highly sought-after major adviser known for her high standards and creative, hands-on assignments. Hoel is a highly productive scholar whose work has appeared in some of her field’s most prestigious journals. She serves on multiple committees at CC, including the Faculty Executive Committee, the Budget and Planning Subcommittee, the Compensation Committee, and the Campus Budget Committee. - Scott Ingram, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Ingram received his Ph.D. in archaeology from Arizona State University in 2010. His work on the relationship between extreme climate events and population changes has made him a leader in his field. He teaches several courses in the department, including Anthropocene: Archaeology of Sustainability, Archaeology of the North American Southwest, and the Collapse and Sustainability of Past Societies. Students describe him as a dynamic teacher who focuses on the real-world application of the theories and methods studied in his courses. Ingram serves on the Library and Information Technology Task Force, the STEM@CC Task Force, and consistently maintains the highest advising load in the department. - Jean Lee, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Lee is a 2014 graduate of the University of Vermont, where she received her doctorate from the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources. She has worked extensively in sub-Saharan Africa, where she examined the extent to which pro-poor carbon projects achieve both carbon dioxide emissions and poverty alleviation. Shifting her scholarly focus to the Southwest region, she has recently published work on the role of community-based organizations in the development of oil and gas on federal lands, and was a co-author on a study centered on convention theory and why certification systems fail. A truly interdisciplinary scholar and teacher, she teaches Ecological Economics, Environmental Management, Environment and Business and a variety of other core and elective courses. She serves as an advisor on the State of the Rockies board, the Humanities@CC task force, and is a strong advocate of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students in STEM disciplines. - Katrina Miller-Stevens, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business
Miller-Stevens earned a doctorate in Public Affairs at the University of Colorado-Denver in 2010. Her teaching style has been characterized as “warm demander”; students see her classes as both challenging and nurturing. Her classes include Nonprofit and Business Management, Financial and Managerial Accounting, and Social Entrepreneurship. She was the leader in the development of the new Business, Economics and Society major, which places traditional concepts of economics and business within larger societal constructs, focusing on issues of diversity and equity and thus provides curricular support to the college’s antiracism commitment. Miller-Stevens also serves in a variety of positions in service to the college, most notably as the faculty director of the Public Interest Fellowship Program and the faculty director of the Nonprofit Initiatives Program. In 2020, she was named the Bill Barton Professor of Economics and Business. She has published 18 peer-reviewed articles, six book chapters, and is nearing completion on two books on organizational development and the motivations of charitable giving. - Christina Rader, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business
Rader is a 2015 graduate of Duke University, where she obtained her Ph.D. in business administration. Her research agenda focuses on decision-making and advice. Rader’s teaching repertoire includes courses in Judgement and Decision Making, Business Organization and Management, and Principles of Financial Accounting. Rader’s efforts were integral to the development of the new Business, Economics, and Society major. She has served on the Curriculum Executive Committee last academic year, where she took a leading role in the implementation of the new general education requirements. She also co-chairs the General Education Assessment Committee and is the faculty adviser for the Women in Business club. - Tina Valtierra, Assistant Professor of Education
Valtierra is a 2014 graduate of the University of Denver, obtaining her Ph.D. in curriculum studies and teaching. Her scholarship focuses on inclusive pedagogies, culturally responsive teaching, and teacher thriving. In the last four years, she published four articles (including one which won the prestigious Hunkins Distinguished Article Award presented by the oldest teaching and curriculum organization in the nation) and co-authored a book with her Education Department colleague, Manya Whitaker. She has established important collaborations with the Denver Public School system and District 11 that benefit CC’s graduate and undergraduate students in education. She is one of the most popular teachers at the college. Many students — including nonmajors — say her classes have transformed their ways of thinking and being in the world. Valtierra has been at the forefront of the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as a member of the Diversity and Equity Advisory Board, adviser to the Stroud Scholars program, and the faculty director for the Children’s Literacy Intervention program.
Faculty members awarded emeriti status who are retiring at the end of academic year, or retired after the Board of Trustees meeting in February 2020, include:
- Barry Sarchett, English, started in 1989
- Tom Lindblade, Theatre and Dance, started in 1989
- Marlow Anderson, Mathematics and Computer Science, started in 1982
- Stephanie DiCenzo, Physics, started in 1982
- Mario Montaño, Anthropology, started in 1990
- Marc Snyder, Organismal Biology and Ecology, started in 1996
- Ralph Garcia-Bertrand, Molecular Biology, started in 1991
The Board also approved new charter trustees Justin “Chester” White ’15 and Tony Rosendo ’02, a former alumni trustee who will join as a charter member in 2022, and new board officers Jeff Keller ’91, P’23, chair; Ryan Haygood ’97, vice chair; and Heather Carroll ’89, secretary. The positions are effective July 1.