Saint Vincent College has announced the addition of seven new full-time faculty members. The faculty members include: Dr. Kimberly Baker, Dr. Sara Lindey, Fr. Stephen Concordia, O.S.B., Br. Fernando Lanas, O.S.B., Dr. Paul Follansbee, Dr. Daniel Vanden Berk, and Dr. Carla Zema. Elizabeth Donnellan will move from the Psychology Department to the Education Department, and part-time lecturer Thomas Octave will be a full-time instructor.

Dr. Kimberly Baker

Dr. Baker is an assistant professor of Theology. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia in 1989, was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in 1995 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in January. She most recently served as an instructor at the University of Notre Dame in the Theology Department.

Dr. Sara Lindey

Dr. Lindey will serve as an assistant professor of English. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri and was awarded a Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota in 2008. Dr. Lindey has served as an instructor at the University of Minnesota from 2002 through 2007 and also mentored the literature and composition instructors during that time.

Fr. Stephen Concordia, O.S.B.

Fr. Stephen will be an assistant professor of fine arts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a master’s degree in theoretical studies both from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1980 and 1984, respectively. He also received diplomas in organ and Gregorian chant from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. He was awarded bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and theology from Sant Anselmo in Rome in 1996. Fr. Stephen was ordained a Benedictine priest at the Abbey of Montecassino in Cassino, Italy in 1995.

Br. Fernando Lanas, O.S.B.

Br. Fernando will serve as an instructor of modern and classical languages. A native of Ecuador, Br. Fernando earned his bachelor’s degree from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in 1997, a Master of Divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary in 2005 and a master’s in Latin American Literature from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. He is a native Spanish speaker and is also fluent in English.

Dr. Paul Follansbee

Dr. Follansbee will serve as the James F. Will Professor of Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 1972, his master’s from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Hartford, Connecticut in 1976 and was awarded his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 1981. He most recently served as a division leader in the Materials Science and Technology Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Dr. Daniel Vanden Berk

Dr. Vanden Berk is an assistant professor of physics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics-astronomy from the University of Wisconsin in 1990, and was awarded a master’s degree and Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Chicago in 1991 and 1997, respectively. He most recently served as the senior research assistant at Pennsylvania State University, where he was also a member of the graduate faculty.

Dr. Carla Zema

Dr. Zema will serve as an assistant professor of economics. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Saint Vincent in 1995 and completed economic graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis in 1996. Dr. Zema was awarded a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University where she focused her dissertation on health services research, and outcomes and quality of care. She most recently worked as the associate director of health economics and outcomes research at Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Elizabeth Donnellan

Ms. Donnellan will serve as instructor of education. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1989, received a master’s degree from Rhode Island College in 1992 and was awarded a field certificate in field traumatology in 2003. She is a Ph.D. candidate at University of South Florida, where she recently won the Provost’s Award for top graduate research. She spent last year teaching in the Saint Vincent College Psychology Department.

Thomas Octave

Mr. Octave is an instructor of fine arts. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004 and was awarded a master’s degree from Duquesne University in 2007. He completed post-master’s work at Duquesne in the spring of 2008. He has taught at Saint Vincent since the fall of 2006 and has served as music director or vocal coach to many area high schools since 2005.

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