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Solon Simmons is the Vernon and Minnie Lynch professor at �鶹��Ƶ’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the director of The Narrative Transformation Lab (TNT Lab). A sociologist by training, he is the current president of the faculty senate and author many books and articles on narrative and storytelling in peace and politics, including Conflict Resolution after the Pandemic Building Peace, Pursuing Justice (2021), Root Narrative Theory and Conflict Resolution; Power, Justice and Values (2020),  and The Eclipse of Equality: Arguing America on Meet the Press (2013), and most recently, Narrating Peace: How to Tell a Conflict Story (2024) and The Handbook of Social and Political Conflict (2025). At The Narrative Transformation Lab, Solon is leading efforts to develop cutting-edge narrative tools for use in practical applications in all types of conflict situations.

is the Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs and a Professor in the Department of Communication. She served on the Faculty Senate from 2014-2025, served as Faculty Senate President from 2021-2024, and has led or participated in dozens of committees and initiatives, including chairing the Faculty Handbook Committee, co-chairing the �鶹��Ƶ Core Committee, co-chairing the Task Force on Reimagining Faculty Roles and Rewards, and serving as a faculty representative to the Board of Visitors. Until 2025, she served as the Director of Fundamentals of Communication and Graduate Student Pedagogical Development in the Department of Communication. She is a co-founder of the    and was the 2021 recipient of the  , �鶹��Ƶ’s highest teaching honor.

Mr. Alacbay is the Secretary of the �鶹��Ƶ Board of Visitors and chair of the Academic Affairs committee. He is Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President of Strategy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a nonprofit organization supporting academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability in higher education. Mr. Alacbay’s research on higher education policy issues has been featured in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Fox News, and Forbes, and he has provided guidance on institutional governance to boards of trustees across the country. Mr. Alacbay received a B.A. in Economics and English from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from �鶹��Ƶ School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the �鶹��Ƶ Civil Rights Law Journal.

Sharnnia Artis serves as Vice President for Access, Compliance, and Community at �鶹��Ƶ. Artis provides strategic guidance to George �鶹��Ƶ’s leadership on initiatives that support institutional access, compliance, and community engagement. She oversees compliance with state and federal mandates, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Titles VI, VII, and IX, ensuring a respectful and fair environment where all members of the university community can thrive. Beyond her administrative leadership, Artis is a University Affiliate Faculty in the College of Engineering and Computing. Artis has published over 50 refereed manuscripts in technical journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings, contributing to the broader dialogue on student success in STEM education. Prior to joining George �鶹��Ƶ, Artis served as Assistant Dean of Access and Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine, in both the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

is the Director of Choral Activities at �鶹��Ƶ. As a Certified Laban Movement Analyst her research focuses on choral conducting pedagogy.

Dr. Billingham is active as a choral clinician and has presented research in Italy, Brazil, and Kenya.  Her Carnegie Hall debut with the University Chorale and tour of Nairobi, Kenya have been artistic highlights at �鶹��Ƶ.

As an active member of the Faculty Senate, Dr. Billingham serves as co-chair for the Organizations and Operations Committee and member of Senate Executive Committee. She represents the College of Visual and Performing Arts on several university-wide committees.

Trishana Bowden leads the philanthropic enterprise for �鶹��Ƶ, Virginia’s largest and most diverse public higher education institution. With more than two decades of fundraising and engagement experience, Trishana provides the strategic vision for the university’s comprehensive advancement program, including annual giving, major and leadership giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, alumni relations, research and prospect management, development services, and donor cultivation and stewardship. 

For the past three years, Trishana has led �鶹��Ƶ’s philanthropic and volunteer communities through the institution’s historic The campaign focuses on advancing student success, research, innovation, community engagement, and stewardship. �鶹��Ƶ Now has already achieved record-breaking success, raising $139 million in its first public year, the highest fundraising total in the university’s history, and is generating meaningful, positive impact across the George �鶹��Ƶ community.

Shane V. Caswell is a Professor of Athletic Training and serves as a faculty representative to the �鶹��Ƶ Board of Visitors, contributing to the Academic Programs Committee. His scholarship focuses on pediatric sports medicine, injury prevention, and brain health. He is the Founding Executive Director of the Sports Medicine Assessment, Research & Testing (SMART) Laboratory, where he leads large-scale, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged initiatives, including the Virginia Concussion Initiative (VCI) and Advancing Healthcare Initiatives for Underserved Students (ACHIEVES). These initiatives translate research evidence into practical tools and strategies to improve youth sports safety and brain health outcomes in schools and communities. His leadership and research impact have been recognized with the Earle C. Williams Presidential Medal for Faculty Excellence in Social Impact, the Marsha Grant-Ford Distinguished Research Award, and designation as a Fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

Rick Davis has served as Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts since 2015. He was Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education from 2007-2011. Rick came to George �鶹��Ƶ in 1991 as Artistic Director of Theater of the First Amendment (TFA) after six years at Baltimore Center Stage. An active director of theater and opera on and off campus, Rick has staged productions for Center Stage, Kennedy Center, Opera Idaho, Delaware Theatre Company, Unseam’d Shakespeare Company, American Ibsen Theater, IN Series, and others. He also teaches in the School of Theater and for the Honors College. 

His four books include Calderón de la Barca: Four Great Plays of the Golden Age; co-translations of Ibsen with Brian Johnston (Ibsen: Four Major Plays, vol. I); Ibsen in an Hour (with Brian Johnston), and Writing �鶹��Ƶ Theatre (with Christopher Thaiss). 

At �鶹��Ƶ, he has been honored with the Teaching Excellence Award and as the Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty of the Year. He was educated at Lawrence University (BA) and the Yale School of Drama (MFA, DFA).

Jonathan Dubois is a second-year student at �鶹��Ƶ studying International Security and Law. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, his background informs his strong interest in global security, governance, and justice. He currently serves as �鶹��Ƶ’s Undergraduate Student Body President, where he represents student interests, collaborates with university leadership, and works to enhance the overall student experience. Jonathan is also actively involved in the African Student Association and has held leadership roles in other campus organizations, allowing him to stay closely connected to the university’s diverse student body. Through his academic focus and campus engagement, he is committed to thoughtful leadership, meaningful advocacy, and advancing initiatives that strengthen the �鶹��Ƶ community.

Dr. Kim Eby serves as vice provost for Faculty Affairs and Development. The office provides an intentional, integrated approach to supporting faculty in their scholarly and professional growth and success. In this role, she works to provide innovative career enhancement and recognition and implement evidence-based policies and practices for George �鶹��Ƶ faculty of all career stages, roles, and appointment types. Contributing to a collaborative, dynamic, and thriving faculty community is central to George �鶹��Ƶ mission. A community psychologist, she joined the George �鶹��Ƶ faculty in 1996. In 2002, Eby was awarded the George �鶹��Ƶ Teaching Excellence Award. She served for nine years as the director of the Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence and as associate provost for Faculty Development. Eby has collaborated with campus leaders on multiple institution-wide curricular, strategic, and leadership initiatives. She has served in national leadership roles and is currently the past chair of the Committee on Faculty Affairs, which is part of the Association for Public and Land Grant Universities’ Council of Academic Affairs.

Dr. Cameron J. Harris serves as Area Chair and Instructional Associate Professor for Business Foundations in the Costello College of Business at �鶹��Ƶ. He began teaching at �鶹��Ƶ in fall 2015 and has taught across the Fairfax, Arlington, and �鶹��Ƶ Korea campuses. Dr. Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in Integrative Studies from George �鶹��Ƶ, a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs and a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University. At George �鶹��Ƶ he has received the Costello College of Business Dean’s Teaching Faculty Fellows Award, Curriculum Impact Grants, New Registered Student Organization Advisor of the Year, the Distinguished Black Alumni Award, and the GMU Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity. 

His leadership and service roles have included: Faculty Fellow for the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning; Inclusive Excellence Fellow for the Costello College of Business; and Faculty Representative to the �鶹��Ƶ Board of Visitors Academic Programs, Diversity, and University Community Committee. He currently serves on the Faculty Handbook Committee and the COACHE Leadership team.

David Hull serves as the Senior Associate Dean for the nationally-ranked . A member of Scalia Law’s senior management team, he serves concurrently as the Associate Dean for Academic Administration and on a number of university-wide committees, including the and the . He previously served as the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the , a national non-profit youth development organization, from 2016-2021. From 2009-2016, he held a faculty appointment in the Criminal Justice Department at Saint Anselm College, where he taught criminology, law, and statistics. Mr. Hull earned his BS and MS in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University, his MA in Higher Education Administration from Boston College, and his JD from Boston College Law School. He is currently enrolled in , with a concentration in Higher Education.

Bijan Jabbari  is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at �鶹��Ƶ (USA) and an affiliated faculty member at Institut Polytechnique de Paris (France). He has founded research laboratories that have contributed to the development and global deployment of new Internet architectures and modern wireless communication systems. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to wireless technologies, with patented innovations that are widely deployed in LTE and 5G mobile networks. Dr. Jabbari is a Life Fellow of leading professional organizations, including the IEEE and the IET, and is a recipient of the IEEE Millennium Medal and the Washington Metropolitan Area Engineer of the Year Award. He has also received the Outstanding Faculty Research Award from the School of Engineering at �鶹��Ƶ. Since 2024, he has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Communications and Networks (JCN). He has advised industry and government organizations in the United States, France, Korea, and Japan, and has served two terms in the �鶹��Ƶ Faculty Senate. He currently serves as a faculty representative to the Board of Visitors (BOV) Committee. Dr. Jabbari received the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering, as well as an M.S. degree in Management Science, from Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.

Dr. Cynthia Lum is Distinguished University Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at �鶹��Ƶ and Director of GMU’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. She is a leading authority on evidence-based policing, an approach that advocates that research, evaluation, and scientific processes should have “a seat at the table” in law enforcement policymaking and practice. Lum has studied and written extensively about patrol operations and police crime prevention activities, police technology, investigations and detective work, and evidence-based crime policy. Additionally, she has developed numerous tools and strategies to translate and institutionalize research into everyday law enforcement operations. Dr. Lum is a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology, an appointed trustee to the Council on Criminal Justice, and a board director for the National Policing Institute. She is the founding Editor in Chief of Translational Criminology Magazine. She holds a PhD in Criminology from the University of Maryland, an MSc in Criminology from the London School of Economics, and BAs in Political Science and Economics from UCLA. Professor Lum is a former police officer and detective.

Nilima Hakim Mow is a PhD student in Linguistics in the Department of English and serves as the President of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) for the 2025–2026 academic year. As GAPSA President and Graduate Student Representative to the Board of Visitors, she works closely with senior university leadership and serves on multiple university-wide committees, advocating for graduate and professional student success, equity, and well-being across �鶹��Ƶ’s campuses. Her leadership is grounded in shared governance, community engagement, and strengthening connections between students and institutional decision-making. 

Nilima holds a dual MA in Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Ball State University, where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award, the institution’s highest honor for student teachers. Her scholarly background includes work in language documentation and reclamation, sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, alongside research on multilingual students’ engagement with generative AI in academic writing.

Rose Pascarell is vice president for University Life at �鶹��Ƶ where she leads initiatives on campus climate, student engagement, and student success. She oversees the division that supports and serves George �鶹��Ƶ’s 40,000+ undergraduate and graduate students with a diverse portfolio that includes student access and transitions, engagement, mental and physical health and well-being, retention and success, and post-graduate success. Under Pascarell’s leadership, University Life has advanced student success and well-being by expanding access to mental health services, improving student success coaching programs, increasing accessibility services, and upgrading campus infrastructure to promote inclusive excellence.

Dr. Amira Roess is a Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at �鶹��Ƶ. She is an epidemiologist and recognized expert in One Health research focused on zoonotic diseases epidemiology, multi-disciplinary and multi-species field research. Dr. Roess leads several longitudinal studies to understand emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases globally, including Campylobacter (with support from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), MERS-CoV (with support from the US NSF), and SARS-CoV-2 (NIH, NSF, USDA funding). She holds a PhD in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control from the Johns Hopkins University, an MPH in Epidemiology from UMDNJ/Rutgers University School of Public Health, and BSs in Biology and Philosophy from Saint Peter’s University. She was a tenured Associate Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at George Washington University prior to joining �鶹��Ƶ. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Roess served as the Science Director for the Pew Charitable Trusts Commission on Industrial Food Animal Production and was an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Catherine Sausville is an instructional faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She has been a full-time faculty member at �鶹��Ƶ since 2010 and earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the university. In addition to teaching, she has held several leadership and administrative roles, including Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Math Placement Testing. As Director of Undergraduate Studies, she coordinated the undergraduate mathematics program. As Director of Math Placement Testing, she led math placement testing efforts and founded and managed the Mathematical Sciences Testing Center. She is engaged in shared governance as a Faculty Senator for the College of Science, currently serving as co-chair of the Organization and Operations Committee and as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, with previous service as chair of the Technology Policy Committee, a member of the Academic Policies Committee, and Faculty Senate representative to the Undergraduate Council.

J.P. Singh is Distinguished University Professor at �鶹��Ƶ (USA), and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow with the Robert Bosch Academy, Berlin. He is the Co-Editor of the journal Global Perspectives, published from University of California Press, and Editor of Stanford’s book series “Emerging Frontiers of the Global Economy”. Singh has published 10 books and over 110 articles. He has consulted for international organizations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, and the WTO, and played a leadership role in several professional organizations. Recent awards include nearly $3 million in competitive grants, a Fulbright-Nehru Professional Excellence award, the Outstanding Scholar Award from Schar School, and being named the distinguished scholar in international communication from the International Studies Association. Previously he has taught at the University of Edinburgh, Georgetown University, American University, and the University of Mississippi.

Rachel Spence is the Academic Manager for International Enrollment Partnerships. In this role, she is an integral part of campus internationalization efforts spearheaded by the Global Education Office. As academic manager, she builds the academic components of programs and pathways for international students to earn George �鶹��Ƶ degrees. 

In addition to her role in the Global Education Office, Rachel has served on the Staff Senate since 2022, becoming chair in January 2025. The Staff Senate represents the interests of classified and non-student wage employees to the administration and Board of Visitors. 

Rachel holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina and an M.A. in International and Intercultural Communication from the University of Denver.

Dan Stephens serves as interim chief financial officer and senior vice president, overseeing university-wide finance functions, including accounting, budget, procurement, treasury, and fiscal compliance. 

Stephens has served as vice president of finance since December 2024, when he came to �鶹��Ƶ with more than 35 years of senior financial leadership.  Most recently, Stephens had served as the CFO of the University of West Georgia Foundations, after seven years as vice president for Finance and Administration at Illinois State University. He had previously held various senior financial leadership roles at several universities, including the University of North Texas System, University of Idaho, and Central Michigan University.   

Before devoting his career to higher education, Stephens spent 15 years in senior financial leadership roles at several corporations, focusing on strategic financial planning and multi-year forecasting, beginning as a CPA with Deloitte.