LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College is pleased to announce the hiring of three faculty members for the 2026-27 academic year.
Dr. Jessica J. Black will join the Saint Vincent College faculty as an assistant professor of psychological science and was also recently named the Rita McGinley Endowed Chair in Early Learning and Children’s Media. Black is a licensed clinical health psychologist. She earned her PhD from the University of Cincinnati and completed a two-year T-32-funded fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. Black is looking forward to teaching courses such as Health Psychology and contributing to works that promote children’s health through strengthening relationships with their helpers.
Dr. Olivia S. Long will join Saint Vincent College as a professor of biochemistry. She previously served as a program director at the National Science Foundation and as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. At Saint Vincent, she will teach biochemistry and cell biology courses. Her research focuses on using genetic and molecular approaches to study human disease and also explores STEM education, with a particular interest in supporting undergraduate research and student success.
Michelene Orteza is the David M. Roderick Endowed Director of Libraries at Saint Vincent College. She earned her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Music from West Virginia University. Before coming to Saint Vincent, she was the library director at Thiel College in Greenville.
