Faculty Members Promoted in Fall 2025 

The following faculty members were promoted to Full Professors: 

Lea Christo, Professor of Practice, School Counseling and Resiliency Program

Lea Christo, MSW, LICSW, BCPA, has been promoted to Full Professor of Practice. Christo co-developed the curriculum options in healthcare management at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She received her master’s degree in social work from Boston College and has completed training as a teacher of mindful self-compassion through the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.  

Maria Kalpidou, Professor, Psychology 

Maria Kalpidou, Ph.D., has been promoted to Full Professor. Kalpidou, who has served on the faculty since 1998, is a developmental psychologist whose work centers on fostering the well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults. She is the author of The Development of Children’s Happiness and Success: The Science of Optimizing Well-Being Across the Lifespan, published by Routledge. Kalpidou received her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and her master’s degree in child development from Tufts University. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Lousiana State University. 

 

The following faculty members were promoted to Associate Professors: 

John Bell, Associate Professor, History

John Bell, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor. Bell, who has served on the faculty since 2019, is a social and cultural historian of the United States, specializing in race, education, and the Black freedom struggle. He is the author of Degrees of Equality: Abolitionist Colleges and the Politics of Race, published by LSU Press. Bell received his bachelor’s degree in religious studies and history from the College of William and Mary. He received both his M.A. in history and Ph.D. in American studies from Harvard University. 

Soraya Betancourt-Calle, Associate Professor, Biology 

Soraya Betancourt-Calle, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor. Betancourt-Calle, who has served on the faculty since 2014, received her bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in microbiology and medical zoology from the Universidad de Puerto Rico. She received a second master’s degree, in microbiology and immunology, from the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in cell biology and anatomy from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.  

Lorette McWilliams, Associate Professor of Practice, School Counseling Program

Lorette McWilliams, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor of Practice. McWilliams, who has served on the faculty since 2017, received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her master’s degree and a certificate of advanced graduate study in school psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She received her Ph.D. in education from Lesley University. 

Ryan Paskins, Associate Professor of Practice, Rehabilitation Counseling

Ryan Paskins, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor of Practice. Paskins received his bachelor’s degree from Weber State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. in social work from Utah State University.  

Suzanne Kozak, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Suzanne Kozak, M.A., has been promoted to Associate Professor. Kozak, who has served on the faculty since 1999, received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Nazareth University and her master’s degree in mathematics from Binghamton University.  

 

The following faculty members have joined the Assumption community as visiting Assistant Professors: 

• Doug Reilly, Biology 
• Daniel Schwartz, English
• Stephanie Bouley, Biology
• Lauren Crockett-Girard, English
• Barry Knowlton, History
• Samantha Davis, History
• Mark Leary, Health and Human Services
• Tom Miles, Philosophy
• Erica Gange, Sociology
• Alberto Castillo Ventura, Modern Classical Languages and Cultures