Pacific University offers congratulations to faculty members who were granted promotion in rank in Spring 2025.
The following members of the faculty have been recommended for promotion and tenure. More information on their bios can be found, here.
Assistant Professor to Associate Professor:
Carrie Larson, EdD
School of Learning and Teaching, College of Education
Caroline McCarty, PhD, OTR/L
School of Occupational therapy, College of Health Professions
Michael Espiritu, PhD
School of Pharmacy, College of Health Professions
Alisa Sheth, PhD, OTR/L
School of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Professions
Talina Corvus, PT, DPT, PhD
PHD in Education and Leadership, College of Health Professions
Diana Honorat, PP, OTD, OTR/L
School of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Professions
Adelle Monteblanco, PhD
School of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences
Michelle Pliske, DSW
School of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences
Aimee Wodda, PhD
School of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor to Full Professor:
Kathrin Theumer, PhD
School of Art & Humanities, College of Arts & Sciences
The following faculty were recommended for promotion only.
Jill Dolata, PhD – Associate to Full Professor
School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Education
Dr. Jill Dolata is the Interim Director for the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) within the College of Education (COE) at Pacific University, where she has been a faculty member since 2018. She teaches courses in both the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program and has served as the advisor for the undergraduate CSD minor. Dr. Dolata manages the program's status as a fully accredited graduate program. She is also a Graduate Faculty trustee on Pacific University’s Board of Trustees.
Wilber Ramirez-Rodriguez, RDH, BSDH, DDS-Peru – Associate to Full Professor
School of Dental Hygiene Studies, College of Health Professions
As a healthcare provider Wilber’s vision is to improve access to quality dental care for underserved populations while also educating future healthcare professionals. By highlighting the needs in our communities, he inspires others to contribute to this important cause. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Peru and completed his Dental Hygiene degree and Dental Therapy certificate at Pacific University. In August 2010, he joined the School of Dental Hygiene Studies as an adjunct faculty member. In 2013, he became the first co-faculty member in collaboration with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. In 2017, he was appointed to manage the Smile Care Everywhere. He currently serves as the Mobile Dental Clinic Coordinator. the Hispanic Dental Association, Dental Therapy Association, and local public health organizations.
Jenelle Shanley, PhD – Associate to Full Professor
School of Graduate Psychology, College of Health Professions
Dr. Shanley’s research and clinical interests focus on parent-child interactions, parenting programs, evidence- based programs/practices, and dissemination and implementation of evidence-based program into community settings. Specifically, she has extensive experience with evidence-based parenting programs that address child behavior disorders, parenting issues, child maltreatment, and childhood obesity. Dr. Shanley’s recent research efforts include serving as the co-Principal Investigator of an NIH R21 grant (1R21HD094227-01A1) to assess the parenting culture and service system in Kenya to inform the adaptation and initial implementation of SafeCare for its first implementation in Africa.
Jessica Merlo, ParmD, BCACP, RPh – Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
School of Pharmacy, College of Health Professions
Jessica Merlo, PharmD, BCACP received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2017 followed by a PGY-1 residency at the West Texas VA and a PGY-2 residency in ambulatory care and academia at Pacific University and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. Following residency, she joined Pacific University School of Pharmacy faculty in 2019 and became board certified in ambulatory care pharmacy later that year. Dr. Merlo currently serves as the coordinator of the Pharmacy Skills and Application series, coordinates multiple courses within the Integrated Science and Therapeutics series, and teaches various topics within these course streams including pharmacologic management of asthma/COPD, pain, and substance use disorders.
Jo Isgrigg, PhD – Associate to Full Professor
Director, Office of Scholarship & Sponsored Projects
As director of Pacific University’s Office of Scholarship & Sponsored Projects, Jo Isgrigg, PhD, is an experienced research administrator dedicated to enhancing the university’s research and scholarly enterprise through strategic initiatives, research development opportunities, and collaborative partnerships. She received her BS in Psychology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and a PhD from Portland State University. She oversees research development, sponsored projects services, and the outstanding teams in the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance and the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute. Her efforts have positioned Pacific as a leading research-active institution nationally, as she builds strategic alliances with federal funding agencies and other external stakeholders.
Stacy Wong, PT, DPT, PCS – Associate to Full Professor
School of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training, College of Health Professions
Dr. Wong was previously employed at Legacy Health, Development and Rehabilitation –Salmon Creek, in Vancouver, Washington where she focused on pediatric patient care. Prior to this opportunity, she worked at Creighton Pediatric Therapy in Omaha Nebraska, where she served many roles including Site Coordinator for Clinical Education, Aquatics Program Director, Mentor for the Creighton University Pediatric Residency Program, and Clinical Instructor. The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties recognizes Dr. Wong as a Board-Certified Pediatric Specialist. She was also recognized by the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy as the 2018 recipient of the “Outstanding Pediatric Clinical Practice Award” for going above and beyond, demonstrating creativity, adaptability, and dedication.
Jeannine Chan, PhD – Associate to Full Professor
School of Natural Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry
Dr. Jeannine Chan hails from Southern California and is an associate professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at Pacific University. Jeannine received a BS in chemistry and a BFA in ballet from the University of Utah. After three years working in an environmental analytical chemistry lab, she pursued a PhD in biochemistry at Utah State University. Her postdoctoral research, which was supported by a two-year USDA postdoctoral research fellowship, was conducted at Montana State University, after which she served as an assistant professor at Utah Valley State College for two years prior to joining the chemistry department at Pacific University in 2006. Here at Pacific, she primarily teaches courses in general chemistry and biochemistry. Her research interests, which lie in the area of protein structure - function relationships, particularly of metalloenzymes, was sparked by her graduate and postdoctoral work, both of which focused on bacterial enzymes of the global nitrogen cycle.
Yasutaka Maruki, PhD – Associate to Full Professor
School of Arts and Humanities, College of Arts & Sciences, World Languages and Cultures
Professor Yasutaka Maruki was born in Tokyo, Japan, came to the US for a graduate school, and received Ph.D. in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Yasutaka has been teaching Japanese courses in all levels along with FYC and HUM/THEA courses at Pacific University since 2006. He sincerely enjoys teaching and being a part of learning experience especially through supervising senior capstone of Japanese Major. Pacific is the only school in the entire United States that the Japanese majors write their theses in Japanese, and he is truly proud of the students’ accomplishments. As for his own writing, Yasutaka’s first research focus was Traditional Japanese Theater called Noh. His current research focus is the pedagogy of language and cultural education, where he examines how we can effectively acquire linguistic and cultural knowledge and apply the skills into the workplace and everyday life.
Liesl McCormick, PhD – Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
School of Natural Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, Biology
Assistant Professor Liesl V. McCormick (BA Biology, Carleton College; PhD Biology, University of Oregon) is trained as a developmental neurobiologist, but currently pursues the scholarship of teaching and learning. At Pacific, she coordinates the introductory biology curriculum (both lecture and lab courses) among the many faculty and staff who teach it every semester. She currently teaches both semesters of introductory biology and their labs (Biol200 & Biol200L, Biol201 & Biol201L), supervises senior thesis capstone projects (Biol490), and has taught several upper-division and non-majors biology courses in the past. Her teaching includes mini-lectures interrupted by clicker questions, think-pair-share, group problem-solving, and case studies. The introductory biology labs that she has helped to develop use guided inquiry that helps students explore hypothesis generation, data analysis and interpretation, and experimental iteration.
William Hefner, OD, MEd, MSS, FAAO – Associate to Full Professor
College of Optometry
Dr. Bill Hefner currently serves as the Associate Dean of Clinical Programs in the College of Optometry. A private practitioner for twenty years and a veteran with more than twenty-four years of service in the United States Air Force, Dr. Hefner leverages his considerable organizational skills and mission-driven focus in leading the College’s four internal clinics, one affiliated clinic at the Washington State School for the Blind, and the mobile Eyevan, accounting for roughly 12,000 patient encounters per year and nearly $2.5 million in billable charges. Additionally, Dr. Hefner oversees and directs the 136 affiliated externship placements across the United States, Canada, and Germany and is responsible for ensuring the quality of the training and education the college’s fourth-year students receive.