Clark University welcomed several new faculty members and administrators this semester, and also announced that several current faculty are taking on administrative roles.
Undergraduate scholarship
Cyril Ghosh, professor of political science and the Lloyd B. Politsch ’33 Chair of Law, has been named interim associate dean of undergraduate scholarship, a new part-time position.
In this role, Ghosh will provide faculty leadership for prestigious fellowships and scholarships, ClarkFEST, undergraduate research visibility, and the relaunch of the Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal. He will work across the University to expand students’ access to national and internal competitive opportunities and strengthen how Clark showcases, preserves, and promotes undergraduate scholarly and creative work.
Ghosh, who received Clark’s 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, will continue to teach courses in Constitutional Law and American Government as well as serve as the pre-law advisor.
Research centers
Jennifer Hanselman, associate provost and dean of research, has announced that three faculty members have received interim appointments to lead Clark research centers.
Ken MacLean, professor of sustainability and social justice, will serve as interim director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Eric DeMeulenaere, professor of education, will serve as the interim director of the Hiatt Center for Urban Education.
Christopher Williams, professor of geography, will serve as the interim director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute.
Faculty Fellows
The Dean of the College has appointed a team of faculty fellows supporting strategic initiatives connected to teaching, assessment, learning, and student achievement.
- Nancy Budwig, Senior Fellow for Teaching, Assessment, and Learning
- Rosalie Torres Stone, Community-Engaged Learning
- Mark Jacobs, AI Teaching and Learning
- Erin Nerlino, Learning Partners
- Jie Park, First-Year Intensives
- Beth Bone, Curriculum and Careers
- Alena Esposito, Curriculum and Careers
- Esteban Cardemil, Capstone Experiences
- Cyril Ghosh, Interim Associate Dean of Undergraduate Scholarship
- Mindy Marchand, Honors Director
- Don Spratt, Shaich and Penn Scholars
School of Professional Studies
The School of Professional Studies welcomed two new program directors this summer.
Jon Zlotnik, MPA-SL ’23, has assumed the role of program director for the Master of Public Administration – Senior Leadership Program.
Zlotnik is serving in his 14th year in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing North Central Massachusetts, including his hometown of Gardner. First elected in 2012, he focused on economic development, public safety, municipal fiscal health, and access to healthcare and community services, and played a key role in education funding through the Student Opportunity Act. He is not seeking reelection and will end his tenure in the House of Representatives on Jan. 7, 2027.
Lilo Altali has assumed the role of program director for the Master of Science in Project Management Program.
Altali, an award-winning product innovator, author, and educator, has taught in the MSPM program since 2024; he received the Fiat Lux Teaching Excellence Award in 2025 and the Jonas G. Clark Innovation in Teaching Award in 2026. Beyond Clark, Altali leads product design and strategy at MVP Health Care, where he brings new healthcare innovations to market, and has developed innovation processes for organizations including United Way, Ceres, and Mill City Grows.
New Faculty
Joe Mageary
Associate Professor of Practice and Program Director, M.A. in Mental Health Counseling
Joe Mageary previously served as associate provost for mental health and well-being at Lesley University and as an associate professor in the university’s Department of Counseling and Psychology, where he also served as department chair and director of field training for counseling and psychology. He is a licensed school adjustment counselor and licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts, as well as a nationally certified clinical mental health counselor and a licensed professional counselor in Connecticut.
Ashley Valanzola
David P. Angel Endowed Professorship in Holocaust Pedagogy and Antisemitism Studies
Assistant Professor of History
Ashley Valanzola is a historian of Holocaust Studies and modern France, whose research focuses on memory, women’s and gender history, and museums. Her 2026 book, “When She Remembered: Seven Women who Transformed French Holocaust Memory,” showcases an intertwined group of seven influential women, from well-known figures such as Simone Veil to memory activist Sabine Zlatin, who shaped the production of Holocaust memory in France from 1945 to the present. Her upcoming book project, “Afterlife of the Sacred: Holocaust Museums and American Jewish Identity,” considers the transnational impact of Holocaust memory through a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary study of sacred objects in regional Holocaust museums.
Prior to coming to the Strassler Center, Valanzola earned fellowships for her research from the French Embassy in the United States and the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.
Huang-wen Lai
Visiting Assistant Professor, Language, Literature & Culture
Huang-wen Lai is an author and investigator of modern Japanese literature and culture, with a particular focus on colonialism, empire, and cultural identity in early 20th-century Japan. His research examines Japanese colonial literature, cultural production, and representations of identity across imperial and postcolonial contexts. He is currently researching the role of “in-betweenness” in Japanese colonial literature and culture, using both literary and cinematic approaches to better reveal its impact on the lives of those affected. His forthcoming project examines cinematic adaptations and their relationship to social, political, and literary transformations in East Asia from the 1930s to the present.
Cheryl Maykel
Associate Professor of Practice in School Psychology, Education
Affiliated with Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise
Cheryl Maykel is a nationally certified school psychologist, researcher, and consultant; her work reflects a holistic approach to school psychology that emphasizes student wellness and the development of healthy and supportive educational environments. As an educator, she is dedicated to preparing future school psychologists to support the complex and evolving needs of students and school communities.
Maykel’s research interests center on mind-body health and wellness in schools, with particular interests in mindfulness, physical activity, and stress management.
Pooja Ramankutty
Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Business
Pooja Ramankutty recently earned her Ph.D. in International Business and Marketing from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. In marketing, her research interests include transformative consumer research, with a focus on consumer well-being. Her research focuses on understanding marginalized and/or underrepresented consumer populations and examining how current sociopolitical climates affect consumer behavior.
