LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College is pleased to announce the hiring of eight faculty members for the 2025-26 academic year.
Dr. Elizabeth A. Baker will start a position of assistant professor of history. She earned her doctorate in history from the University of Notre Dame. As a researcher, Baker specializes in the gender and cultural histories of the British Empire with a specialization in colonial South Asia. At Saint Vincent, she is excited to be teaching courses on both world history and European history. Dr. Elizabeth Barker will start a position of lecturer of art history. Barker graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s in the history of art before earning master’s and doctoral degrees from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. A seasoned museum curator and director, Barker also serves as director of Saint Vincent’s Verostko Center for the Arts.
Father Matthew Lambert, O.S.B., S’16, will start a position of assistant professor of theology in the College and Seminary. He received an SSL from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and a PhD from the University of Notre Dame. This upcoming semester he will teach two sections of Biblical Foundations in the College and one section of Luke-Acts and the General Epistles in the Seminary. His primary area of interest is biblical exegesis, including issues of hermeneutics.
Dr. Yara Acaf will start a position as assistant professor of communication and media studies. She will teach Public Speaking, Advanced Public Relations and Advertising and Popular Culture. She received her PhD in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and her research mainly focuses on integrated marketing communication, often in environmental, health, and sports contexts.
Dr. Sarah Hejnosz, C’18, will start a position of assistant professor of chemistry. After graduating from Saint Vincent College with a bachelor’s in chemistry, she earned her PhD at Duquesne University and worked as a medicinal chemist at Biohaven. She will be teaching courses in organic chemistry and will continue to study innovative and efficient ways to make drug-like scaffolds in her research here at SVC.
Lisa Atkinson is the director of the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Nursing. She was a critical care nurse and earned her master’s degree from Waynesburg University with a concentration in nursing education. She earned a post-graduate certificate in leadership and management in healthcare simulation from Robert Morris University. She is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and will begin the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the fall at Chatham University. She is currently teaching Foundations of Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Practice course for Saint Vincent’s nursing program.
Dr. Kimberly Whiteman is the director of the Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing program and a professor of nursing. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and Waynesburg University with a focus on using evidence-based quality improvement techniques to improve bedside nursing care.
Dr. David Adams will start a position of assistant professor of management: operational excellence. He possesses extensive military, professional and academic experience in leadership and operational excellence. Previously an adjunct faculty member at Saint Vincent College, he founded the Adams Strategy Group, focusing on patient safety culture and strategic leadership. Dr. Adams is a 22-year U.S. Navy veteran with expertise in anti-terrorism and holds a doctorate in strategic leadership. He also consults for Massachusetts’s Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, contributing to statewide safety strategy.
Katherine Pomerleau, C’07, Esq., will start a position of assistant professor of business law. After graduating from Saint Vincent, Pomerleau earned a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and a juris doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Pomerleau will leverage her experience as a commercial litigator in her courses on business law, politics and related topics.
