UNCSA welcomes new faculty members for the 2023-24 school year
UNCSA has added 12 new full-time faculty members for the 2023-24 school year, as well as 15 adjunct and visiting faculty, in the schools of Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Patrick J. Sims has announced.
"I can't tell you how excited we are to welcome this year's cohort of faculty who are game-changing artists in their respective fields," said Sims. “Their unique gifts and talents will literally change the landscape of how we train future artists, further elevating the transformative power of the arts. To say we are lucky to have them join us while they are in the prime of their careers to teach our students is an understatement. The best is yet to come!”
New faculty include:
Full Time
Fernando Carrillo
Fernando Carrillo is teaching contemporary dance. A seasoned dancer and educator, Carrillo brings over three decades of experience in the Horton Technique. Trained at the Ailey School in New York City, Carrillo has taught at renowned institutions including The Juilliard School, Kirov Academy of Ballet and New York University’s Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21) Musical Theatre Department. He has also led international Horton workshops in Japan, Mexico, France, St. Maarten and French Guiana. Carrillo's career highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, collaborations with Ailey II, Ballet Hispanico and more. He holds a master’s degree in dance from Hollins University.
Britt Juleen Gonzalez
Britt Juleen Gonzalez is teaching ballet. Gonzalez, a 20-year professional dancer, spent most of her career in Europe with the Dutch National Ballet and SemperOper Ballet. She also performed with prestigious companies such as Ballet Arizona and infinite Movement Ever Evolving (iMEE.) Her extensive dance education includes the School of American Ballet and Somatic Movement Education. She is an American Ballet Theatre certified teacher and holds an M.F.A. in dance from Hollins University. As a seasoned instructor, Gonzalez has taught at several San Francisco Bay-area institutions, including ODC Dance Company and LINES Ballet. Her unique teaching approach combines traditional ballet techniques with contemporary expression and kinesthetic development.
Adjunct/Visiting
Emily Nicolaou
Alumna Emily Nicolaou (H.S. ’07, B.F.A. ’09) is teaching contemporary dance. Nicolaou is a dance artist, teacher and choreographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark and Winston-Salem. After joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago II, she pursued her career in Europe, notably with the Danish Dance Theater. She also performed, taught and choreographed worldwide, with a career that spans various genres and regions. She has studied at The Ailey School, Merce Cunningham Studio and Lines Ballet School.
Monica Stephenson
Alumna Monica Stephenson (High School ’01) is the new director of the Preparatory Dance Program. Stephenson launched her career with The Washington Ballet after graduating from the Houston Ballet Academy and UNCSA. She danced with renowned ensembles such as the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Los Angeles Ballet before working in professional musical theater. She served at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as a member of the education staff, as both a teaching artist and the project coordinator for Project Plie, an initiative to increase diversity in classical ballet, and is certified in all levels of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Formerly head of school at The Washington School of Ballet Southeast Campus, she most recently served as the director of community engagement at Miami City Ballet. Stephenson holds a master’s degree in dance education from New York University.
SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Full Time
Yelena Babinskaya
Yelena Babinskaya is teaching lighting design, foundations and programming. Babinskaya is a scenographer with roots in Los Angeles. She brings 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, she works nationwide as a lighting, scenic and costume designer and educator. Babinskaya's credentials include roles as a production manager, technical producer and professor at Pepperdine University, as well as a technical supervisor and teaching assistant at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has contributed to the 9th Edition of the “Theatrical Design and Production” book as a diversity, equity and inclusion editor and received a grant from Opera America in 2021. She is a member of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree in scenic, lighting and costume design from UCLA.
Ted Kraus
Ted Kraus will be teaching technical direction. Kraus is a consultant, educator, author and professional technical director. Kraus has an extensive career in regional theater and production houses in Washington, D.C.; Nashville; and Atlanta, including seven seasons as the technical director for the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre Company. He spent 11 years on the faculty of the University of Arizona. Kraus earned his certification as a project management professional from the Project Management Institute and became an authorized Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) outreach instructor for its 10- and 30-hour trainings. Kraus earned his B.F.A. in theatrical production from Ithaca College and his M.Ed. in organizational leadership and communication from Belmont University.
Rebecca Pancoast
Alumna Rebecca Pancoast (M.F.A. ’05) is teaching scenic art. Pancoast has a varied background in nonprofit and corporate theater, themed entertainment, faux-finishing and concert touring productions. She has been a freelance scenic artist for over 16 years working for organizations including Atomic Design, TAIT, Miami City Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Maltz-Jupiter Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse and others. Pancoast previously taught at Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida. She earned a B.F.A in set design from Rutgers University.
Johan Teng
Alumnus Johan Teng (M.F.A. ’16) is teaching wig and makeup design. Teng is an accomplished
special-effects makeup artist known for his work in film and television. With extensive
hands-on experience in advanced lab techniques, Teng specializes in special effects,
prosthetic makeup and specialty hair work. He has contributed to notable productions
including Guillermo Del Toro's "Cabinet of Curiosities," "Obi-Wan Kenobi," and "Rain
on Me." Teng has studied at the National Taipei University of the Arts and Makeup
Forever Academy in Taiwan. In 2016, he received the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology
Makeup Design Award.
Adjunct/Visiting
Dirk Betzer
Dirk Betzer is teaching drawing. Betzer is an artist and educator who possesses a diverse background in both art and technical roles. His experiences range from teaching drawing as a graduate assistant at Utah State University (USU) to serving as a woodshop technician, foreman and theater carpenter. He has also worked as a stagehand at the Cache Valley Center for the Arts and an over-hire carpenter at Carnegie Mellon University. Betzer holds an M.F.A. in painting from USU and a B.F.A. from the University of Kansas.
Kara Hammond
Kara Hammond is teaching drawing. Hammond is an accomplished artist and educator with a dynamic three-decade career. She has taught at New York University, University of Montana Bozeman and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Hammond has maintained studios in Brooklyn, New York; Alexandria, Virginia; and Winston-Salem. She has had eight solo shows in New York and numerous group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Hammond holds an M.F.A. from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and a B.F.A. from East Carolina University.
Kelly Simons
Kelly Simons is teaching animatronics. Simons is a certified 30-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) professional and holds project management principles and practices certification from the University of California, Irvine. Simons served as the technical director of theater and lecturer of communication arts at Western Colorado University. Additionally, she has been a project manager for prop storage renovation and an assistant professor of professional practice of technical direction at Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. Simons has been involved in organizations such as the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology Intermountain Desert Region, where she serves as a board member and secretary. Simons’ educational background includes an M.F.A. in technical direction from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.F.A. in theater design and a Bachelor of General Studies in film and media studies from the University of Kansas.
Full Time
Kelly Martin Mann
Kelly Martin Mann teaches stage combat. Mann is a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and an actor and combatant with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat. She has primarily freelanced as an actor, choreographer and stunt person. Regional theater credits include performances at the Alliance Theatre Company, Georgia Shakespeare, New Stage Theatre, Mill Mountain Theatre, Southern Arena Theatre and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Credits include productions at Horizon Theatre, Alliance Theatre and True Colors Theatre. She co-choreographed the reopening of the multimillion-dollar attraction Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Mann is affiliated with the North Carolina Stuntmen's Association.
Adjunct/Visiting
Keith Harris is teaching producing. Harris is the owner and lead writer, producer and director of Magnified Productions, a full-service production company and its subsidiary, Southeast Showreels. Harris served as creative producing and screenwriting faculty at Living Arts College, an adjunct professor of acting at Greensboro College and High Point University and a stage combat instructor. His acting career included recurring roles in "The Walking Dead" and "Dopesick." Harris contributed to various productions for firms and organizations including Canopy Partners, Greensboro Radiology, Costco, IdeaItalia, NASCAR's Ace Speedway and others. He's been a guest artist at Notre Dame University and a panelist and judge at the International RiverRun Film Festival. Harris is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a B.S. from Western Carolina University.
Craig Armstrong
Craig Armstrong is teaching creative development. Armstrong is an executive producer, producer and director with over 10 years in the film industry and 25 years in television. Armstrong has won an Emmy Award and garnered six Emmy Award nominations. He has worked on shows including “Survivor,” “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” “Supernanny” and others. Armstrong has produced films including “Jack Frost,” “Talk Radio” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Armstrong has been the CEO and executive producer for 5x5 Media, Gurney Productions and 10Fold Media.
Michael Borowiec
Michael Borowiec
Michael Borowiec is teaching producing His debut feature film “Man Underground” won "Best First Feature" at the Fantasia Film Festival and was distributed by Lionsgate and Indican Pictures. In 2020 he attended the Frontières Financing and Packaging Forum in Sweden with his script “Desert Witch,” co-written with Filmmaking faculty member Sam Marine. His work as a producer includes “Another Zero in System,” distributed by Phase 4 Films and “I Adore Dolores,” which participated in Independent Filmmaker Project Episodic in 2018. Borowiec holds a bachelor’s degree from the film conservatory at the State University of New York Purchase.
Joshua Liberman
Joshua Liberman is teaching cinematography. Liberman has worked on a variety of productions that range from feature films to episodic television and commercials. He was part of the Academy Award-winning team for “The Revenant” and was nominated for an Emmy Award for best lighting direction in a documentary for his work on “Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History.” He holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach.
Sam Marine
Sam Marine teaches directing. Marine is an award-winning writer and director celebrated for her debut feature film "Man Underground" that won best first feature at the Fantasia Film Festival. She has participated in prestigious industry labs and forums. She has taught as an adjunct film professor at Purchase College at the State University of New York (SUNY.) Her impressive career includes roles as a senior producer for Condé Nast Entertainment and working with One-on-One Casting NYC. She co-founded the production company Millennium Blonde and is currently packaging an upcoming horror feature announced in Variety after its presentation at the 2022 Frontières International Co-Production Market. Marine holds a bachelor’s degree in film from the School of Film and Media Studies at SUNY.
Bernice Miller
Alumna Bernice Miller (B.F.A. ’13) is teaching producing. Miller has held a wide array of positions in feature film production, from talent assistant to production coordinator. In unscripted television, Miller is currently a field producer for TLC’s “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.” Previously, Miller has worked in the payroll and accounting departments and as a production coordinator and assistant for a variety of films including “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Juanita,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and others. She holds a master’s degree from Tennessee Temple University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.
Ritch Shydner
Ritch Shydner is teaching screenwriting. Shydner appeared in numerous television shows including “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show” and “Married with Children.” He also appeared in the film “Roxanne.” Shydner later shifted to writing in which he wrote for the television show “Roseanne,” the documentary “I Am Comic,” and a movie adaptation of Bill Maher's book "True Story.” In 2017 Shydner’s book "Kicking Through the Ashes - My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980's Comedy Boom” was published. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College and Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law.
Full Time
Steven Alford
Steven Alford is the new director of the UNCSA Jazz Ensemble. He teaches jazz and contemporary music. Alford began his career as a saxophone graduate of the studio music and jazz program at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He taught modern jazz and improvisation at Mars Hill University and the University of North Carolina-Asheville, developing innovative pedagogy. Serving as coordinator for jazz and contemporary improvisation studies at the University of Minnesota Morris, he introduced a modern multigenre improvisation curriculum. Alford has composed, produced and recorded diverse music, from big bands to punk-jazz ensembles, and has been a fixture in jazz, improvised and experimental scenes. He holds a master’s degree in jazz from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor's degree in saxophone from the University of Miami.
Jordan Bak
Jordan Bak teaches viola. Bak is an acclaimed artist known for his captivating stage presence and dynamic interpretations. With a history of teaching and ambassadorship, Bak has conducted master classes at esteemed institutions worldwide. His highlights include the release of his debut album "IMPULSE" and premieres of contemporary compositions. He's been featured as a soloist with prestigious orchestras including the Sarasota Orchestra, London Mozart Players, New York Classical Players, Juilliard Orchestra and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra. He’s worked as a collaborator with distinguished conductors and performed at well-known venues globally. Bak holds an artist diploma and M.M. in viola performance from The Juilliard School and a B.M. in viola performance from New England Conservatory.
Ksenija Komljenović is teaching percussion. Komljenović is a percussionist, educator and composer from Belgrade, Serbia. Komljenović's musical journey has taken her across continents, performing, teaching and studying in Europe, the United States and Asia. She's a former faculty member at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi who has conducted master classes and organized events such as the TIERRAS South Texas Percussion Competition. Komljenović is known for forming chamber ensembles and composing music, with a recent premiere in Arkansas and a collaborative work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds the distinction of being the first woman from Serbia to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion, which is from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where she also received an artist diploma in percussion performance. Additionally, her education includes an M.M. in percussion performance from Illinois State University and a B.M. in composition from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Serbia.
Adjunct/Visiting
John R. Beck
John R. Beck has been named coordinator for Community Arts & Wellness Partnerships. He is also teaching Afro-Cuban drumming. Beck has been a UNCSA School of Music percussion faculty member since 1998 and also teaches at Wake Forest University. He was previously the president of the Percussive Arts Society and began his career as a member of the U.S. Marine Band. Beck is the principal percussionist with the Winston-Salem Symphony and has also performed with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. Beck is the school liaison to the Intergenerational Center for Arts & Wellness at Senior Services of Winston-Salem and Sophie’s Place Music Therapy Room at Brenner Children’s Hospital. He holds an M.M. with a performer's certificate from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Robert “Robin” Driscoll
Alumnus Robert “Robin” Driscoll (High School ’78) will be teaching oboe. Driscoll is an accomplished oboist and has a rich history of performing with highly regarded orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony and Atlanta Symphony. He’s served as principal oboe with the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet and Wheeling Symphony and has been recognized by the Pittsburgh Concert Society. He has contributed to oboe education, including a role in rebuilding the oboe studio at UNCSA. Driscoll holds a U.S. Patent for an innovative oboe reed-making machine. He has a master’s degree from Cleveland Institute of Music.
Bruce Earnest
Bruce Earnest is teaching opera studies. Earnest has served in music and worship ministry in the United States and Germany for 22 years. He has stage directed, music directed or produced over 120 musical theatre and opera productions at universities and professionally. As an artist, Earnest appeared as a soloist in concert, opera and musical theatre in the United States, Germany and Austria. He was previously the vice president of advancement at the University of Mobile and has also served as assistant vice president of academic affairs, dean of graduate programs and associate dean of the Alabama School of the Arts. Earnest has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Music degree from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Westfield State University.
Joey Lavarias
Joey Lavarias teaches aural skills. Lavarias is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG). He holds a former graduate assistantship at UNCG and teaching fellowships at Juilliard. He served as principal bassoonist for six years in the Juilliard Orchestra and Opera, performing under renowned conductors worldwide. Lavarias’ contributions extend to orchestras such as the Billings Symphony and ensembles such as the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic. He holds the second bassoon position with the Durham Symphony Orchestra and maintains a strong interest in music theory, with a particular emphasis in ear training. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School.
Robert Franz
Alumnus Robert Franz (B.M. ’90, M.M. ’92) is the new music director of the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra. Franz is also the music director for the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada and the artistic director for the Boise Baroque Orchestra in Idaho. Franz was the former associate conductor of the Houston Symphony and former music director of the Boise Philharmonic. He has collaborated with the Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, Italy’s Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina and others. He’s worked with a wide array of artists and composers and curated a variety of concerts and community engagement events.
Adjunct/Visiting
Alex Deal
Alex Deal teaches biology. Deal previously worked as a lab technician in developmental neuroscience at the University of New England. Deal conducts drug abuse neurochemical response research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow. Deal holds a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Davidson College, a master’s degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy in neuroscience from Wake Forest University. Alex's research journey includes a postdoctoral position at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, exploring prenatal alcohol exposure effects on brain development.
Veronica Kavass
Veronica Kavass teaches creative writing. Kavass previously taught at Watkins College of Art and wrote about art for publications including Burnaway and The Nashville Scene. She began working with artists in 2006 as an archivist at Headlands Center for the Arts in California. Her writing is largely influenced by her current/previous work as a criminal defense investigator, teacher, oral history interviewer and curator. Inspired by her three years working as a public defender investigator in New Orleans, she is currently writing about memory and language in the criminal justice system. She holds a master’s degree from Chelsea College of Art in London and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Minnesota.
Full Time
Leah Sink Haynes
Leah Sink Haynes is teaching humanities. Haynes, an accomplished educator, has a diverse background in teaching and editing. She has taught writing and literature at Wake Forest University (WFU) and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG). Her career includes roles as an assistant professor and graduate teaching intern, along with writing consulting at UNCG. Haynes’ contributions extend to editing various publications, including co-authoring "B.E.A.M: Putting Your Sources to Work." She's received awards such as the Outstanding Dissertation Award from UNCG and is an active member of several professional organizations. Haynes holds a Ph.D. in English from UNCG and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WFU.
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September 27, 2023