Janis Duncan, LCSW duncanj4@unlv.nevada.edu

Janis Duncan holds a masters degree, MSW in Social Work with a Clinical/Psychiatric concentration, from Tulane University and has done postgraduate course work at Harvard University. She is a professional Psychotherapist with 32 years of experience and maintains a private practice. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, she taught at Rutgers University, Stockton College in New Jersey, and was an Internship Supervisor for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Social Work. One of Janis's specialty areas is adoption reform. She has been an active keynote speaker, consultant and seminar facilitator for professional adoption organizations/conferences across the U.S. She is currently working on a book and documentary film titled "Hiding Places," which researches historical to current perspectives whereby women have been forced into concealment. Her professional paper titled "The Secrecy of American Unwed Mothers and Maternity Homes" was presented in Belgium in 1995 at the Tri-Country (Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands) annual Adoption Conference. Janis currently teaches WMST 113 classes and serves as a faculty advisor for the new all-women's dormitory floor known as W.I.L.L. "Women Involved in Leadership and Learning" at UNLV. Having a passion for acting, Janis performs in the UNLV production of the Vagina Monologues every year.  She is an active feminist who enjoys teaching and supports the important Women's Studies creed of "changing the world, one mind at a time."

Colleen Hall-Patton, Ph.D. hallpatt@unlv.nevada.edu

Colleen Hall-Patton teaches WMST 113 for Women’s Studies and several classes in Sociology for UNLV and the University of Phoenix. Her B.A. and M.A. are in Anthropology from UCLA and her PhD is in Sociology from UNLV (2004).  Her area of study is using quilting to understand the changes in women’s lives after World War II.  Her most recent publication is about Jean Ray Laury, an influential designer and quilter active since the early 1960s (Uncoverings 2005, Journal of the American Quilt Study Group).  She is a member of Celebrity City Chorus, which just placed 8th at Sweet Adeline’s International competition. 

Angela Hernquist, PhD angela.hernquist@unlv.edu

Angela Hernquist received her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado and her M.B.A. from the University of Denver, Daniels School of Business. She has also attended the London School of Economics and the University of Bordeaux, France. Dr. Hernquist completed her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Nevada of Las Vegas (2006). Her dissertation and her research focus on dynamic leadership in changing contexts and the insights and experiences of women in top leadership roles (CEOs, Presidents, & Chairman of the Boards). Dr. Hernquist has taught undergraduate courses in Business and Management and graduate courses in Leadership Development, Strategic Decision Making, and Organizational Leadership of Multicultural Change.

Sharon Hughes, MBA sharon.hughes@unlv.edu

Sharon Hughes has degrees in Behavioral Science and Business Administration (MBA) from California State University, Dominguez Hills and is completing her doctorate in Educational Administration (ABD) at Pepperdine University. She has more than 25 years of educational administrative and senior level nonprofit management experience and has spent the majority of her life working with marginalized populations. She has certificates in Community College instruction and Adult Learning. She has numerous commendations for her community work from City, State and National organizations. She is President of Access One Grant Writing, a grant writing and research organization (www.accessonegrants.biz). She is also a Federal Grant Reviewer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has been an adjunct professor for the University of Phoenix for 14 years.

Jan Oller, M.A. jan.oller@unlv.edu

I graduated from UNLV with an M.A. in Anthropology in 2004. My area of expertise focuses on linguistic and psychological anthropology, and more specifically the study of identity formation among migrant populations, the discourse of identity within a post-colonial context, and the relationship between the market, culture, and the individual as pertaining to identity formation. I have successfully been published in the Public Anthropology, Journal Archive Project, and am currently the author of a forthcoming book dealing with language conflict and identity formation among Mexican immigrants in the United States.   

Sandler, Amy amy.sandler@unlv.edu

Jeannine Talar, Ph.D. proftalar@yahoo.com

Jeannine Klein Talar teaches WMST113 both in the traditional classroom environment as well as online. Talar holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Marquette University, a master’s degree in urban affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. She also holds an Accreditation in Public Relations. Her professional career includes more than 15 years as a wire service reporter, newspaper editor and reporter and broadcast journalist. She also served as a public information officer for several Clark County government bodies as well as webmaster for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Today, she is involved in working with nonprofit organizations across the country to develop and evaluate community service programs as well as to secure grant funding. Her research interests include domestic violence, social issues, politics, virtual communication and social support networks.

Dustin Wax, Ph.D. Candidate dustin.wax@unlv.edu

Dustin M. Wax is a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology at the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he is completing a dissertation on action anthropology and the development of an engaged anthropological practice. He currently teaches anthropology at the Community College of Southern Nevada and Women’s Studies at UNLV. His research interests include the history of anthropology, Cold War history, Native American cultures, gender roles and sexual identity, and the representation of culture and identity in scientific literature, museums, and the mass media. He has also been active in attempts to use the Internet to improve and broaden research, education, and academics’ involvement with their society, and is a founding contributor to the anthropology site Savage Minds (www.savageminds.org).

Maria Williams, Ph.D. maria.williams@unlv.edu 

Maria Teresa Alves Williams earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at UNLV in May, 2007. Her doctoral dissertation is titled: Voices of Three African American Female College Presidents: A Qualitative Examination of Their Pathway to Higher Education Leadership Positions. Her area of focus is on the intersection of race, class and gender, particularly as it pertains to women of color. Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Mrs. Williams obtained her bachelor's degree in social work at Colorado State University and a masters degree in clinical social work at UNLV. She worked for many years in a variety of social work positions.

Rebecca Zisch, M.A. zischwmst@aol.com

Rebecca Zisch is a part-time faculty member in the Women’s Studies department of University Nevada Las Vegas and the English department of Community College of Southern Nevada.  However, she is better known in the Las Vegas community as a regular commentator for both Nevada Public Radio and City Life.  She holds a bachelors degree with honors from Willamette University and a masters degree in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State University.  Her academic work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Journal of Popular Film and Television.  She also regularly presents original research at national conferences on such topics as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Mr. Rogers.  Prior to her current professional incarnation, Ms. Zisch was a curator for a variety of museums, including the American Museum of the Moving Image in New York, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland and the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas.  Rebecca is also known as a jazz singer and stage performer.