Dr. Arnold joined the YHC Faculty in 1987.  Trained in botany, he enjoys teaching courses related to that field, as well as beekeeping, general biology, ethnobotany and mycology.  His research interests include plant/insect relationships, especially as they pertain to forest health issues and apiculture.  He also is very interested in the ecology of plant/mycorrhizal relationships and the floral diversity of the southern Appalachian region.  He is a co-founder and host of the Young Harris Beekeeping Institute and supervises the YHC Hemlock Project.  He particularly enjoys working with YHC students as they explore the natural world around them through research in the field and the laboratory.  In his spare time, Dr. Arnold enjoys hiking, geocaching, playing/singing/listening to music, and is a former hockey player and general sports fanatic.

Dr. Alexander (Alex) P Barnes joined the YHC faculty in 2018. Dr. Barnes specializes in the study of optimization, and statistics. In addition to his study of optimization, Dr. Barnes conducts research in sports analytics including a handful of YHC athletic teams. Since arriving at Young Harris College, he has taught at all levels of math classes. Including introductory general education courses in math as well as upper-level electives and required courses such as Linear Optimization, Probability and Statistical Inference, Differential Equations, and the Calculus sequence. Dr. Barnes particularly enjoys YHC’s undergraduate research program since it allows him to mentor students as they conduct their own research in similar interest areas of optimization, statistics, and sports analytics. In his free time, he enjoys being with his family, hiking, gardening, and any sports. 

Dr. Amy Boggan joined the YHC faculty in 2012. A Mississippi native, her research interests focus on human expertise, particularly how the human brain develops various types of visual (e.g., chess positions, faces, music notation) and auditory (music, birdsong) expertise and the memory and perceptual advantages shown by experts. Specifically, she wishes to better understand types of expertise that involve more than one sensory modality simultaneously (e.g., sightreading music requires sight, touch, and hearing).  She has presented her research at several professional conferences and is an author on papers appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Neuroscience Letters, and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. While at Young Harris, Dr. Boggan has created several psychology elective courses such as the Psychology of Music and Human Error, a class about human factors psychology. She is passionate about undergraduate research as an opportunity for students to shine outside the classroom. As someone who has previously taught political science, geography, and the humanities, she encourages her students to appreciate the connections across disciplines and consider their contributions as individuals and community members. Outside of the classroom, she is a musician and an avid birder (bird-watcher).  She enjoys nature photography, and in 2019 one of her photos appeared in Birds & Blooms magazine.     
 

Dr. Mary Brink joined the YHC faculty in 2014.  Dr. Brink teaches art history and art appreciation. In her classes, she focuses on active learning. In some classes, students design Gothic stained-glass windows with compasses to learn about connections between math, art, and history. In other courses they play board games where they act as ancient Roman art patrons, or they compete in architectural scavenger hunts across campus. These types of activities focus on experiential learning, where students can develop a deep understanding of the cultures, values, and objectives tied to the artworks they study. Dr. Brink especially enjoys teaching Women and Art, Twentieth Century Art, and Contemporary Art Issues. In her classes she strives to instill her love of art history in her students, helping bring the past to life for them and showing them how our study of history can reveal more about our own lives and society. Her research focuses on late nineteenth century French painting, especially Symbolism and the Salons of the Rose + Croix. In her research she uses statistical analysis to understand group dynamics and trends within the critical response to art exhibitions. 

Dr. Hayes Bunch joined the faculty of Young Harris College in the Fall of 2022. He conducts the Young Harris College Concert and Jazz Bands, teaches Percussion Class and Advanced Conducting for music education majors, and Applied Major Percussion lessons.

As a conductor, Dr. Bunch has led works and collaborated in rehearsal and performance with Oberlin Conservatory’s Stephen Hartke, Harvard Professor Emeritus and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Bernard Rands, University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory professor and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Zhou Long, and eighth blackbird. He has presented research on programming possibilities for electronics and ensemble at the Southwestern Division Conference of the College Band Director’s National Association, and has participated in conducting symposia with Richard Clary, Eugene Corporon, Michael Haithcock, Craig Kirchoff, Gary Lewis, H. Robert Reynolds, Kevin Sedatole and Mallory Thompson. Bunch has also served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for various concert, marching, chamber music, and solo events in Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, Texas, Michigan, and Tennessee. Dr. Bunch has served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina Aiken, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (MI), the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), the Temple Independent School District (TX), the Interlochen Arts Academy (MI), and the Obion County Schools (TN).

Dr. Bunch performed as a percussionist under the baton of Leonard Slatkin on the Grammy Award Winning recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and Experience (Naxos), internationally at the Beijing Modern Music Festival at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, with the Fountain City Brass Band (MO), Temple Symphony Orchestra and Temple Jazz Orchestra (TX), Plymouth Symphony (MI), and with artists Randy Brecker, Allen Vizzuti, Gordon Goodwin, Bill Watrous, among others. He currently enjoys playing with the Tri-State Community Band in Blue Ridge, GA.

Dr. Bunch’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, as well as honorary memberships with Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi.

Dr. Bunch is student-centered and feels that YHC students are thoughtful, kind, driven, intellectually curious about art and music, and committed to making a difference in their communities and academic disciplines. When not teaching and researching, he enjoys watching sporting events, visual art, and reading.

Dr. Clara D. Busby joined the YHC faculty in 2022. She specializes in British Romanticism and Composition, Rhetoric, and English Studies. Since her arrival, she has taught courses in British literature and English Composition. Dr. Busby conducts research in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature, focusing on aurality and the intersections of sound studies, cognitive poetics, and Composition and Rhetoric. She aspires to direct a digital humanities project on poetic recitation that preserves and appreciates diverse performance translations. Her most recent publication in Romantic Circles Pedagogy Commons, “Ideal Presence and the Past and Present Acoustic Ecologies of Romanticism: Reader–Listener–Performers and Their Recitations and Auditory Translations,” calls for the innovative teaching and preserving of Romantic texts using new technologies. She appreciates how welcoming YHC students are and looks forward to mentoring them and learning more about their interests and how she might help them accomplish their goals. When she is not teaching, Dr. Busby can be found walking her dogs, working in her garden, hanging out with her family, and on Saturdays during football season, cheering for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Dr. Anne Marguerite Coyle joined the YHC faculty in the fall of 2022. Her research focuses on conservation, population, and landscape ecology, specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Statistics. Her Master's research studied the impacts of land use on fish community structure using the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI). In this, she integrated the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation into GIS to create an erosion potential model for the state of North Dakota. For her PhD and beyond, she researched the ecology of nesting golden eagles in Western North Dakota.   She is still working with her data including telemetry locations she collected from tagged juvenile golden eagles. Her research served as a model for conservation, working with multiple interest groups, agencies, businesses, and landowners. Dr. Coyle is interested in future research involving the conservation of plants and plant-insect interactions.

Previously, Dr. Coyle enjoyed teaching various science courses and hired many students to assist in her research. She particularly enjoys YHC's undergraduate research program since it allows her to mentor students as they conduct their research. Since arriving at Young Harris College, she has taught introductory courses in biology, senior research capstone, and a GIS independent study course.

Over the years, she has worked for various federal and state agencies in GIS, ecology, wildlife/forestry management, and environmental review. She loves hiking and running, is curious about many subjects, such as history and physics, and enjoys art, music, writing, and photography.

Ms. DeFoor was appointed adjunct instructor of music in 2000 and instructor of music in 2012. She has studied with Elizabeth Buday (piano), Peter DeWitt (organ), and Jan van Otterloo (organ).                                                                                  Ms. DeFoor has been an independent music teacher for 40 years in Florida and Georgia. Ms. DeFoor has extensive accompanying and collaborative music experience in both chamber and orchestral settings.
Ms. DeFoor is a nationally certified member of Music Teachers National Association, Georgia Music Teachers Association, Past President of Fort Myers Music Teachers Association (1993-1995), Past President (2013-15) of the Northeast Georgia Music Teachers Association and past Georgia Music Teachers Association State Certification Chair (2016-2018).  Ms. DeFoor serves as the faculty advisor for the Young Harris College collegiate chapter of MTNA.  A member of Mu Phi Epsilon International Honor Fraternity since 1979, Ms. DeFoor was instrumental in forming YHC’s first chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, Zeta Kappa, in 2011 and is the chapter advisor.  She is also a member of Phi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Fraternity, the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music USA and the International Ernst von Dohnanyi Research Center.

Ms. DeFoor is an adjudicator for piano auditions, festivals, and competitions in Georgia and the Southeastern states.

Zachary R. Dehm joined the faculty of Young Harris College in the spring of 2022. Dehm has also taught at Boston College, the University of Michigan, and the University of Toledo, among other colleges and universities around the country. He particularly enjoys teaching World Religions at YHC. He finds that his students work hard to draw connections between the course content and their own personal interests. Outside the classroom, Dehm especially enjoys traveling to new states, countries, and national parks.

Dr. Donovan joined the faculty at YHC in 2021 after a long career as the CEO of an international management consulting firm. He is able to combine academic knowledge with years of practical experience in his courses. His current interest lies in writing the Leadership Competency Series which consists of 5 short books to help individuals develop their potential for leadership. He enjoys the energy and enthusiasm for learning that YHC students bring to the classroom. 

Gina Marie Dropp joined the Department of Theater as a guest artist in 2020, teaching Sketch Writing for the student devised production of "POC: People of Change." Dropp then returned as a guest artist in Fall of 2021, teaching a playwriting workshop and directing the production of "The Wolves." In Spring of 2022, Gina joined the faculty as an adjunct instructor of theater. Gina enjoys working with students in the classroom and at rehearsal teaching script analysis as a foundation for expanding their acting ability, growing as theater collaborators, and writing their own original material. As a YHC alumna, Gina finds working with the most recent generation of YHC talent inspiring and energizing. Gina is also a playwright, working on full length plays, such as "Ghosts From a Secret Past," a mystery drama that received a reading at Pumphouse Players Theater in Cartersville, GA. 

Dr. Fant joined YHC in August 2020. As a retired Air Force officer, he has held a variety of positions in industry, academia, and government, such as a Program Manager of a national gas turbine R&D consortium supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, a Lead Applications Engineer at Rolls-Royce Engine Company in Indianapolis, the Director of Mechanical Engineering at Indiana University Purdue University of Columbus (IUPUC), and recently as lecturer of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University.  He has taught courses in engineering design, engineering statics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, solar energy, and aerospace propulsion.  He is also a licensed professional engineer (PE). Hobbies include playing golf and pickle ball, watching football, playing cards, woodworking and home renovation projects.

Dr. Kevin Geyer joined the YHC faculty in 2019. Dr. Geyer has teaching and research interests in the areas of ecology and environmental sciences such as climate change, soil and microbial ecology, and lake/stream ecology. Dr. Geyer has published research on his explorations of climate and environmental effects on soils from around the U.S. Midwest, New England, and Antarctica. Since arriving at Young Harris College, he has taught introductory biology courses as well as upper-level Biological Research Methods, Invertebrate Zoology, Ecology, Biosphere Sciences, and Global Change Biology. He also serves as the Director of the YHC Honors Program to provide enriching research and classroom opportunities for the college’s Honors members. Dr. Geyer appreciates YHC students’ engagement with their instructors and peers, and eagerness to learn new skills in the classroom, laboratory, and outdoors. In his free time, Dr. Geyer is traveling, reading history and fiction, cooking, and exploring beautiful southern Appalachia.

Dr. Nathan Gray joined the YHC faculty in 2009. His teaching specialties are Public Policy, Education Policy, Political Philosophy, and Business Ethics, and his research interest is in K-12 Schooling Policy, specifically regarding school choice policies. He and a coauthor have a book forthcoming in 2023 on the current state of the school choice debate. In addition to publishing papers on education policy, he has also presented papers at a number of conferences on gun violence and is interested in a number of social issues affecting policy. When not teaching and researching, he is most likely reading, running, travelling, watching sports, or spending time with his family. 

Dr.  Hallett is an interpersonal communication specialist. She has been teaching Communication Studies at Young Harris College since 2008. In addition to her current roles at the College, she has also served as the director of the Rhetorica Speaking Center (2009-10 and 2016-17); and was the elected Faculty Senate President in 2019-2020. Since 2010, Dr. Hallett has served on the editorial board of Communication Teacher and has also reviewed for the Iowa Journal of Communication, Southern Journal of Communication, and numerous communication textbooks. She has focused her professional development activities on curriculum development and teaching. Dr. Hallett’s teaching interests are primarily in intergroup and interpersonal communication topics including: language and social interaction; gender, family, nonverbal, intercultural, deception, relational, social dominance and conflict management. Her research agenda has been guided primarily by intergroup issues and language, including gender and (mis)communication. Dr. Hallett combines her love of teaching with her love of sports in her role as a Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for Young Harris College. As such, she serves as a representative for YHC to the NCAA Division II and provides oversight for the academic success of all student-athletes at YHC. She is currently the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) liaison to the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA) and is the former Chair of the PBC’s FAR Council (2015-2017). 

Dr. Helbert joined Young Harris College in 2022. His research background is in comparative literary traditions in medieval Britain, especially literature about King Arthur. He primarily publishes on Middle English, Latin, French, and Middle Welsh literary and historical traditions, including Laʒamon's Brut, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, Fouke le Fitz Waryn, Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, Welsh Court Poetry, and political prophecies. He also has side interests in ""medievalism"" (modern literature and cultural products which depicts the Middle Ages), especially in American culture, on which he has published.

Dr. Helbert regularly teaches the "old" literature for the Language and Literature Department and offers specialty classes on Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, the History of the English Language, Medieval Romance and Historiography, King Arthur, and Literary Theory. Before coming to Young Harris College, Dr. Helbert was a professor at West Texas A&M University.

Outside of research and teaching, Dr. Helbert tries to spend as much time as possible outside in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. He enjoys whitewater kayaking, hiking, hunting, fishing, gardening, and writing about himself in the third person.

Brian Hoffman has served as an instructor of computer science and chemistry at Young Harris College since 2006 and has taught a wide variety of courses. His areas of interest are the application of computers to real world problems, computer literacy, the history behind chemistry and physics, and the understanding of chemical bonding and reactivity. He began his career studying the application of Ab Initio Electronic Structure Theory to small molecules such as the hydroperoxyl radical dimer, carbon disulfide, and monomethyl gallium. He then went on to teach classes in both computer literacy and web design and helped train high school teachers and college instructors how to teach online and use multimedia resources.  Currently, he teaches a mixture of chemistry and computer science courses such as CHEM 3110: History of Chemistry, CHEM 3410 & 3420: Physical Chemistry I & II, and CSCI 1610 & CSCI 1620: Introductory and Intermediate Programming. Professionally, Dr. Hoffman is a member of the American Chemical Society and the Association for Computing Machinery and has served as the secretary and the chair of the chemistry section of the Georgia Academy of Science.  Outside of the classroom, Dr. Hoffman loves to work with computers and play computer games. He is also a martial artist and spends some evenings learning Karate and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. 

Dr. Linda G. Jones joined the YHC faculty in 2009 as YHC was transitioning to a four-year college.  Prior to that time, Dr. Jones conducted research for a number of years in cell signaling mechanisms in the cardiac and auditory neural systems and has published journal articles in those areas.  During her career she has worked at a number of universities in Tennessee, California, South Carolina, Arkansas, Utah and Montana and has enjoyed her experiences in each place. Since arriving at Young Harris College, she has taught classes in Anatomy & Physiology, Comparative Anatomy, Animal Physiology, Developmental Biology, Parasitology and Neuropharmacology.  Dr. Jones is very much invested in YHC’s undergraduate research program since it allows her to mentor students as they conduct their own research. Dr. Jones is gratified to be able to live in the mountains of southern Appalachia and feels closer to her family heritage here. In her free time (of which she finds little) she enjoys many outdoor activities such as hiking, birding, gardening and canoeing.  She also engages in creative pursuits such poetry, cooking and artsy projects.  She plays both the piano and banjo very poorly, and you would not want to hear her on either. 

Mikala Jones joined the English faculty in 2020 and works with students in first-year composition courses. Among her many side quests, she holds positions with the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators, the Composition Studies journal, and the College Guild organization. Her work can be found in The Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition’s journal, Peitho, and Salvation South. Beyond reading and writing, Ms. Jones also enjoys hiking, learning new crafts, and pretending to leash-train her cat, Hadley. 

Dr. Jen Julian joined the Young Harris College faculty in 2019. Her short story collection, Earthly Delights and Other Apocalypses, was the winner of Press 53’s Fiction Prize and was published in Fall 2018. Her work explores the aesthetic and political potential of surreal, magical, and gothic genres, and her stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including SmokeLong Quarterly, Greensboro Review, and Chattahoochee Review, among other places. Due to her diverse interests, Dr. Julian enjoys overseeing YHC’s Undergraduate Research Program and mentoring students to pursue their individual research passions. When she is not teaching or writing, she enjoys illustrating, practicing yoga, growing vegetables, and tending to the whims of her enormous ginger cat.

Mr. Mike Lalone joined the YHC faculty in 2019.  Mr. Lalone is the resident clay expert at YHC and enjoys teaching introductory, intermediate, and advanced ceramics courses in the Department of Art. A life-long potter, Mr. Lalone is a masterful artist with wheel throwing, hand building, and glazing techniques. He enjoys working with YHC students from all backgrounds and majors, and his love of clay is contagious. Mr. Lalone regularly teaches popular ceramics workshops at clay centers throughout the Southeast and beyond. His beautifully crafted vessels, forms, and sculptures are featured in galleries and collections across the United States and around the world. 

Dr. Jonathan Micancin joined the YHC faculty in 2019. Dr. Micancin studies the behavioral ecology, evolution, and conservation of cryptic amphibians. He and his undergraduate research students discovered the decline of southern cricket frogs in the Southeast, extended the known range of Collinses’ mountain chorus frog in Georgia, and are currently surveying rare and imperiled Appalachian salamanders. At Young Harris College, he has taught Introduction to Biology 2, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, Conservation Biology, Animal Behavior, and Ecology. Dr. Micancin also promotes sustainability through management of invasive and native plants and is a founding member of the local chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society. He particularly enjoys mentoring field research and conservation projects at YHC because of our students’ valuable combination of intelligence, athleticism, and enthusiasm. Dr. Micancin is an avid whitewater kayaker.

Dr. Joseph Pate joined the YHC faculty in 2012.  Dr. Pate specializes in experiential learning, education, and practice, specifically through leveraging outdoor and adventure contexts to achieve diverse educational outcomes. Some of Dr. Pate’s favorite classes include Environmental Stewardship & Interpretation, Leadership in Wilderness Contexts, Outdoor Risk Management, The Appalachian Trail, and Experiential Education and Practice.

Dr Pate’s background in the philosophy and theory of experiential education, professional experiences in therapeutic uses of adventure, outdoor recreation, outdoor education, and environmental programming, and research interests in qualitative inquiry, phenomenology, affect theory, and creative pedagogical practices inform his orientation to teaching, leading, and scholarship.

Dr. Pate’s research focuses on leisured and affective spaces of personal meaning, relevance, significance, and connection, as well as deeply sought after and revered human experiences and interactions. Dr. Pate has greatly enjoyed his opportunities at Young Harris College working with students through a variety of undergraduate research opportunities, and helping students transition to graduate school or their professional journeys.

When enjoying his leisure time, he engages his passions of music, canoeing, hiking, and exploring the natural beauty and wonders in Young Harris and beyond.  

Dr. Ray joined Young Harris College in 2009. Since, then she has  been teaching classes in computer science,
physical geography, geology, climate physics, ArcGIS, physics, and advanced physics classes.

Dr. Ray has  extensive experience with online teaching methods using Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle as
well as live sessions with Electa, teams, Blackboard collaborate and  WebEx and use it extensively. She has been teaching online summer classes for almost 9 years.

Dr. Ray's research interests include atmospheric physics , thunderstorm generator currents in the global electric circuit and physics education research.

Outside teaching and research , Dr. Ray does her best, along with her husband Dr. Arunava Roy (a subject matter expert in physics) to spend time with their two kids: an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.   Between helping with robotics, piano and  homework, shuttling to gymnastics, tennis and swimming, they stay very busy. They also enjoy traveling and dining.

Kerry R. Rittenhouse joined the Young Harris College adjunct faculty in 2011 and became a full-time faculty member in 2021. At YHC, his primary teaching responsibilities include Marching Band Techniques, Introduction to Music Technology, Woodwind & Brass Instructional Methods, Student Teacher Supervision and Music Appreciation. His has also taught courses in Music Theory, Aural Skills, Brass Pedagogy along with Choral & instrumental Arranging. He has great interest in the training of the next generation of outstanding music educators. In addition to his teaching duties, he is currently the director of the Purple Reign Pep Band at YHC.

Before coming to YHC, he served as the Director of Bands at West Laurens High School and Dublin High School in central Georgia and at Union County High School in Blairsville, Ga. His High School bands have performed nationally several times and consistently received superior ratings and awards throughout his career. An active adjudicator, he has critiqued both marching and concert events throughout the southeastern United States.

Trained on the trumpet, he has performed with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, the Statesboro-Georgia Southern Symphony Orchestra, the Men of Note Big Band, the Brasstown Big Band, the Dublin Big Band (now the Georgia Big Band), the Northwinds Symphonic Band and the Tri-state Community Band. He has also served as the director of both the Young Harris Community Band and the Brasstown Big Band. 

His past and present professional associations include the Georgia Music Educators Association, The National Association of Music Education, The National Band Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the International Association for Jazz Education. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (ZO) and the Phi Beta Mu (Z).

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, home improvement projects and is a member of several fraternal organizations.

Dr. Shelley M. Sanderson, a native of Warner Robins, GA, joined the Young Harris College Department of Music faculty in the fall of 2015. Before teaching on the collegiate level she was Director of Choirs for middle and high schools in the middle Georgia area.   While a K-12 teacher she musically directed and conducted multiple musicals and ran a private voice studio since 2006. Dr. Sanderson is an active researcher, clinician, and adjudicator. She has been published in the Florida Music Director and The 5th, 6th and 7th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education, and presents regularly at NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education Conferences and GMEA In-Service Conferences. Her research interests include Assessment in Music Education, High School Musical Theater Instruction, and Music and the Exceptional Learner. Dr. Sanderson was awarded the David Wilmot Prize for Excellence in Music Education (2014), while at the University of Florida and was the vocal winner for Georgia College and State University Aria/Concerto Competition (2010). She loves staying connected to K-12 music programs by judging for GHSA Literary Competitions, Guest conducting Honor Choirs, and adjudicating LGPE.

Dr. Sanderson coordinates the Bachelor of Music Education program, teaches multiple Music Education courses, including, Introduction to Music Education, Voice Methods, Secondary Music Methods, and Elementary Music Methods. She also has an Applied Voice studio and teaches on the rotation of Performance for Musical Theatre. She is also the advisor for the Collegiate National Associate for Music Education (CNAfME) chapter at YHC. Dr. Sanderson loves seeing her students grow into confident and dynamic educators and performers during their time at YHC. When she is not teaching or researching, she loves spending her time with her husband James and daughter Sofia at the beach or at Walt Disney World. She also loves her time singing in the professional Georgia women’s choir, Lux.

Dr. Chris Sass joined the YHC faculty in 2011. Dr. Sass has taught more than 20 different classes during his time at YHC, including math classes from general education courses such as College Algebra to upper-level major courses such as Real Analysis. He has also taught honors courses on fractals, mathematical logic, and radical American environmentalism. In his free time, Dr. Sass enjoys hiking and running. He runs both road races and ultramarathon trail races.

Dr. Andrew Sehmann joined the YHC faculty in 2019.  Dr. Sehmann teaches horn, aural skills, and music appreciation in the Department of Music. Current and former students have place first chair in the Georgia All-state Symphonic Band, been accepted to and attended GHP, and attended NYO-USA at Carnegie Hall.

Andrew plays with multiple orchestras in the Southeast. He is third horn in the Augusta Symphony, and second horn with the South Carolina Philharmonic. He has played under multiple conductors such as Keith Lockhart, Bruno Weil,  Courtney Lewis, Jeff Tyzik, Dirk Meyer, Timm Rolek, Joann Faletta, Ken Lam, Garrett Keast, Matthias Bamert, John Morris Russell, and Morihiko Nakahara.

His previous teachers have included: Marie-Luise Neunecker, Wolfgang Vladar, Johannes Hinterholzer, Jean Martin-Williams Mick Sehmann, Richard Deane, James Naigus, Hazel Dean Davis, Achim Reus, and Kevin Reid. Andrew's horn of choice is a Rauch (No. 127) and is highly proficient on both Wagner Tuba and Alto-Horn. He lives with his wife Ashley, a private piano teacher in Athens with their rescue dog, Stella.

Dr. Amanda Song joined the YHC faculty in 2009. She specializes in analytical and environmental chemistry. Dr. Song has published a number of papers on the detection and speciation of big molecules found in natural environments. Since arriving at Young Harris College, she has taught general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, and environmental chemistry. Dr. Song enjoys teaching all her classes, particularly analytical chemistry, which offers her the opportunity to challenge students to examine the physical world with accuracy and precision. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, and cooking.    

Dr. Stiglich is a European historian specializing in modern German history. Since joining the faculty of Young Harris College in Fall 2020, she has enjoyed teaching a variety of classes in German, European, and world history.

Dr. Stiglich's specific research interests include the history of East Germany and the process of German unification and postsocialist transition. Her research has been supported by the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies at the Free University of Berlin, where she was a fellow during the 2015-2016 academic year. Her work has also been supported by the Central European History Society and the Graduate School at UNC. Dr. Stiglich is currently working a monograph project about everyday life and postsocialist transition in the former socialist model-city, Eisenhüttenstadt.

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Stiglich enjoys staying active by running, playing soccer, hiking, and spinning. She also likes to explore the beautiful region around YHC by taking longer camping and backpacking trips when time allows. Dr. Stiglich is originally from the Pacific Northwest and she'll never miss an opportunity to tell you about it.

Charlie Swor has been teaching at Young Harris College since 2011. He is originally from Lake City, Tennessee, and spent most of his childhood in Franklin, TN.

At YHC, Charlie teaches courses in general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and green chemistry. His primary research interests are coordination chemistry, ligand design, and green and sustainable chemistry. He is an active member of the American Chemical Society and the Georgia Academy of Science. He also volunteers with MountainTrue, a local non-profit focused on clean water, resilient forests, and healthy communities.

Charlie’s favorite thing about YHC are the students. He enjoys getting to know them, showing them new and interesting concepts, and demonstrating the role of chemistry in the world we live in. He feels especially rewarded when a student finally understands a difficult concept, and when he sees our alumni using their chemistry knowledge in their professional lives.

In his spare time, Charlie and his family go on adventures in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and whitewater canoeing. He is also a lifelong fan of the Atlanta Braves.
 

Anne Towns joined the Theatre faculty at Young Harris in 2013. She teaches Acting, Directing and Dramatic Literature. Theatre Young Harris directing credits include Little Women, My Fair Lady, Bakkhai, First Lady Suite and the world premiere of Little Piglet Gets a Sister. Anne has acted and directed professionally around the country. She is a proud Associate of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and an active member of The National Alliance of Acting Teachers, The Michael Chekhov Association and The Playwright’s Center.

Dr. Whisenhunt specializes in Modernist American poetry, specifically the works of Marianne Moore. Over the years, her research interests have expanded to include film adaptations and to the works of Alabama authors, Truman Capote and Eugene Walter. Like all English faculty, she enjoys teaching lower-level composition and American Literature survey courses, but Dr. Whisenhunt also adores teaching courses such as Women and Literature, Hemingway, American Modernism & Postmodernism, Realism & Naturalism, and Southern Literature. She appreciates the opportunity to work with students at all levels during their four years at Young Harris College. She finds them to be curious, compassionate, and frequently inspiring. When she is away from campus, Dr. Whisenhunt enjoys reading novels she knows she will never teach, exercising, hiking, and entertaining her family and friends.  

Dr. Woodbury joined the Young Harris College faculty in 2019.  He is an interdisciplinary scholar, with an emphasis on economics.  He teaches in the disciplines of Economics, Finance, and Public Policy, including courses like Intermediate Macroeconomics, Investments, Environmental Economics and Policy, Law and Economics, Forecasting and Time Series Analysis, and Sports Economics.  His research focus is on tax base mobility and fiscal federalism issues in public finance.  His research has been published in International Tax and Public Finance and Public Finance Review.  He enjoys playing and watching sports with his family.