Faculty Marshal History

Prior to 1978, there was no Faculty Marshal at the College of Charleston. It is unclear what prompted the decision to establish the position, but in the 1978 Commencement program, a Faculty Marshal was listed among the processional for the first time. Though no name was published, institutional memory confirms that Harry Freeman, the beloved Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology department, was the first Faculty Marshal at the College of Charleston. Professor Freeman served as Faculty Marshal for over a decade, until Professor William (Bill) Lindstrom assumed the role in 1990. Dr. Lindstrom had been a faculty member in the Department of Physics before serving as the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and then as Director of Enrollment Management. 

In 2002, after Dr. Lindstrom had served for 12 years as Faculty Marshal, the role passed to Professor Lynn Cherry, who joined the College in 1991, and at present continues as an active faculty member in the Department of Communication, of which she is a founding member. Like her predecessors, Dr. Cherry served a 10-year term from 2002-2011, and a 3-year term from 2013-2016, with Dr. Alison Smith of the Department of French, Francophone & Italian Studies, stepping in during the 2012-2013 academic year.

In 2016 Professor Devon Hanahan, faculty member of the Department of Hispanic Studies, succeeded Dr. Cherry, and served through the 2023 Spring commencement ceremonies.  Professor Hanahan is responsible for creating the Cistern Closet, which provides free, gently used commencement attire for students.

Beginning in Spring 2023, a new tradition was established that names the annual recipient of the William V. Moore Teacher-Scholar Award to the position of Faculty Marshal.

Faculty Marshal

Heather Fullerton
Associate Professor, Biology

School of the Arts

Hsin-Ching Wu
Assistant Professor, Arts Management

Hsin-Ching Wu specializes in nonprofit arts and cultural management, public policy, and social equity. Her research addresses topics such as national arts branding initiatives, artists' contributions to public value, digital branding for government public relations, and issues affecting immigrant and marginalized populations. Recognized with the Best Paper by Emergent Arts Administration Educator award by the Association of Arts Administration Educators, she also serves on the board of Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts. Wu, a Founders’ Fellow of the American Society for Public Administration, holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. With experience in university gallery collection management and private art collections, she explores diverse narratives in cultural institutions. She has also been a research affiliate at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

School of Business

Peter T. Calcagno
Professor, Economics

Peter Calcagno earned his B.S. in Economics and History from Hillsdale College and Ph.D. in Economics from Auburn University. He is currently a Professor of Economics at the College of Charleston. He is the founding director of the Center for Public Choice & Market Process, an undergraduate free market center. The Center includes the Market Process Scholars, a multi-year mentoring program focused on research and study of markets and professional development. He is a Public Choice and Public Policy Project Fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research. He serves as the Treasurer of the Public Choice Society and president of the Classical Liberals in the Carolinas. He has served on the board of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. His primary research areas are applied microeconomics, specifically public choice economics and political economy. Before CofC, he taught at Wingate University, Jacksonville State University and Georgia State University.

School of Education

Kelley Mayer White
Program Director, Early Childhood Education

Kelley Mayer White is professor of early childhood development in the Department of Teacher Education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood and elementary literacies, social and emotional development and creating effective learning environments. Her teaching is centered on fostering student autonomy, belonging and competence. White researches the impact of teacher-child relationship quality and classroom climate on children’s learning and development. She also serves as director for early childhood undergraduate and graduate programs. In her free time, Kelley enjoys reading, running and spending time at the beach with her husband and two young daughters.

School of Health Sciences

Tom Carroll
Senior Instructor, Health & Human Performance

Tom Carroll is an accomplished educator with a rich background in teaching and administration. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1991 from the College of Charleston and later obtained his master's degree from Auburn University. With eleven years of teaching experience at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, Tom began his tenure at the College of Charleston in 2003. Currently, Tom serves as the Associate Chair of the Department of Health & Human Performance and the Director of the Physical Activity and Lifetime Movement Program. His dedication to education and student development is evident through his leadership and commitment to the college community. Outside of his professional life, Tom enjoys staying active with his family. He and his wife, who is also a graduate of the College of Charleston, are proud parents of five children.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Julia Eichelberger
Professor of English

Julia Eichelberger, who joined the English Department in 1992, teaches American literature, writing, and interdisciplinary courses in Southern Studies, African American Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Honors College. As co-chair of the College’s Committee on Commemoration and Landscapes, she works with other faculty, staff, and students to research the College’s past and share stories that can inspire us in the present. Other research focuses on the life and works of Eudora Welty and other American writers. Awards include the College’s Service and Advising Awards in 2011, the Phoenix Award for Welty scholarship in 2016, SC American Association of University Professors Champion Professor in 2019 for advocacy for adjunct faculty, and in 2024 she received the SC Governor’s Humanities Award. She serves on the executive board for the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston and the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, an interfaith, grassroots organization. Her family includes CofC alumni Sara, Ben, and Julie Holl Hutchinson; Sara’s partner Brian, a former CofC affiliate faculty; and husband Roy Hutchinson, a retired attorney who enjoys auditing CofC courses.

School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs

Nadia Avendaño is an associate professor of Spanish and an affiliate faculty member in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Her research interests are in Chicanx and Latinx literature, and she teaches all levels of Spanish, with a focus on Latin American and U.S. Latinx literature, to Spanish majors and minors. She regularly teaches Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies and a FYE Seminar course. She is currently the director of the Spanish as a Heritage Language Distinction Program (SHLD) that offers Hispanic/Latino students a unique and valuable connection to Spanish and their Latino identity. Before joining the faculty at the College of Charleston, she earned a B.A. in Spanish and French at the University of California, Davis, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Hispanic literature from the University of Arizona. In her free time, she loves traveling with her family, exercising, and spending time with friends.

School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics

RoxAnn Stalvey
Senior Instructor, Computer Science

RoxAnn Stalvey serves as Senior Instructor and Associate Chair in the Department of Computer Science at the College of Charleston. Holding dual B.A. degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from Wofford College and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina, she combines technical expertise with a deep commitment to teaching and mentorship. Her research focuses on broadening participation in computing through the development of innovative K–12 instructional materials and educator workshops. RoxAnn is recognized for the meaningful connections she builds with her students, guiding them through their academic journeys and making a lasting impact on their lives. She and her husband, Miles, are proud parents of three children, all working in STEM fields—their youngest graduated from the College of Charleston in 2023. As the youngest of seven children and a first-generation college graduate, RoxAnn attributes her success to her remarkable parents, who celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in 2025.

School of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Allison Welch
Associate Professor, Biology

Allison Welch is an associate professor in Biology and affiliate faculty in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She served as Director of the undergraduate Environmental and Sustainability Studies program from 2016-2024, during which time she led the development and implementation of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies major at the College of Charleston. Welch maintains an active research program involving undergraduate and graduate students investigating effects of climate change, environmental contaminants, and other stressors on amphibian ecology, behavior, and life history. Her teaching includes courses on biodiversity and herpetology as well as introductory and capstone courses in environmental and sustainability studies. She received the College’s Distinguished Advising Award in 2022. Before joining the faculty of the College of Charleston, she earned a B.S. in Biology from Truman State University and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina. Outside of work, Allison enjoys spending time with her spouse—fellow Biology faculty member Bob Podolsky—and their two teenage children.

Honors College

Lancie Affonso
Honors Faculty Fellow & Director of ELLC

Lancie Affonso ’96 is a first-gen graduate of the College of Charleston and an alumnus of the Honors Program. He completed his IMBA from USC’s Darla Moore School of Business in 1998. After working with a startup, he returned to the College of Charleston in 2001 to continue his interdisciplinary lifelong learning journey by teaching and mentoring FYE students in Computer Science, Business, and Honors. He currently serves as an honors faculty fellow and director of the Honors Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community (ELLC.) He is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Undergraduate Mentor Award. In his free time, he has been spotted in a CofC T-shirt walking across the cistern or biking on campus or downtown.

Graduate School