Board of Directors    
        President

        Convener

Ching-Hua Wang, MD., Ph.D.
Professor of Immunology and Microbiology
Special Assistant to the Provost, Director of MS in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
California State University, Channel Islands

Ching-Hua Wang is currently serving as the Special Assistant to the Provost at California State University, Channel Islands.  She is working on developing additional academic programs and establishing partnerships with regional and international organizations.  Dr. Wang's educational background includes an MD from Beijing Medical College, an MS from Beijing University Health Science Center, and a PhD from Cornell University.  She has been a professor in the CSU system since 1990. She was a professor at California State University, San Bernardino from 1990-2001. She was then recruited as a founding faculty member at California State University Channel Islands in 2001.

In the last 10 years, Dr. Wang has been heavily involved in curricular development and implementation for the BS, BA in Biology and the professional science master’s degree programs including MS in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics and MS in Biotechnology and MBA dual degree programs.  She was also instrumental in developing the BS in Environmental Science and Resource Management, BA in Liberal Studies, BS in Nursing, and BS in Health Science programs. She served as the Chair of a combination of multiple academic programs including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology and Nursing programs from 2001-2009. She has been the Director of MS in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics program since 2005. A professor of Immunology and Microbiology, Dr. Wang is the author of more than 30 peer-reviewed journal or book chapter publications, and more than 30 presentations at professional conferences. She has helped obtain over $1.6M funds from private sources and corporations and more than $13.5M in grant and contract funds over the past two decades.

      Financial Officer  

Cynthia Bainton, MBA
Administrative Manager, Biotechnology Programs
Northeastern University

Cynthia Bainton is administrative manager of  Biotechnology Programs at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She joined Northeastern in 2003, when the Biotechnology PSM Program was in its first year and has overseen its growth from three students to its current enrollment of 100 students. Ms. Bainton also manages Northeastern’s newest PSM program in Biopharmaceutical Regulatory Science.

Previously Ms. Bainton held positions in development and administration at the International Institute of Boston (IIB), a non-profit social services agency serving immigrants and refugees and was an ESL/EFL teacher at EF International Language Schools in Boston and the American Language Institute in Lisbon, Portugal. Ms. Bainton earned her MBA from Northeastern University and her B.A. in English from Bowdoin College.

Immediate Past President

Dagmar Beck, B.A.
PSM Program Director
Rice University

Dagmar Beck has been involved in the PSM movement since 2002 when she was hired to assist in starting the three Professional Science Master's Program tracks at Rice University's Wiess School of Natural Sciences. Since then, she has facilitated the tremendous growth of the program collaborating with students, faculty across campus and with corporations involved in the three program tracks. She has been actively involved in the NPSMA since its start-up and has served as Vice-President, President, and committee chair on several committees including the membership drive committee. She chaired the 2nd National NPSMA Conference committee organizing a highly successful conference in Atlanta in 2010. As the Program Director of Rice University’s PSM program, she is responsible for admissions, enrollment, course development, recruitment, corporate relations, marketing, student advising, budget administration, management, grant writing and program development. 

Dagmar’s business degree from Germany and her language skills allowed her to pursue a career with several international corporations in Germany and the U.S. involved in import and export, international trade, and banking. Following her true interest in education, she redirected her career first working for a private language school in Houston, then accepting her present position with Rice University, while at the same time continuing her own education in the U.S. and earning a B.A. from the University of Houston.

Board Members

 
Elizabeth Ambos, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor
for Research Initiatives and Partnerships 
California State University System

Elizabeth (Beth) Ambos is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Initiatives and Partnerships. In this capacity, she supports California State University (CSU) system research and sponsored programs efforts, fostering external and internal support for CSU mission-related initiatives and partnerships that may involve multiple campuses, including support from federal and state government and private foundations.

Most recently (2003-2006), Dr. Ambos served as Associate Vice President for Research and External Support in the Division of Academic Affairs at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Prior to that administrative appointment, she served as Graduate Dean (2002-2003) and Associate Dean in the College of Natural Sciences in Mathematics (1998-2003) at CSULB. A professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at CSULB, she is the main author or co-author on more than 30 peer-reviewed journal or book chapter publications, and more than 80 presentations at professional conferences. She has helped obtain and/or manage more than $16M in grant and contract funds over the past two decades.

Dr. Ambos received her A.B. in Geology from Smith College (magna cum laude), and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in marine geology and geophysics. After completing her Ph.D. degree in 1984, she was a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, and then held a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Since coming to the CSU in 1989, she has helped lead research and technology transfer development, general education, teacher preparation, faculty professional development, and high school to college transition reform initiatives.

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Joaquin Carbonara, Ph.D.
Professor of Mathematics
Buffalo State College

Joaquin Carbonara has been heavily involved in the creation of the undergraduate applied mathematics program and the graduate PSM in professional applied and computational mathematics at Buffalo State College. He is the PI of two NSF grants (CSUMS: URGE to compute and Science Master's Program -SMP-) to support the undergraduate and graduate programs at BSC (respectively), and has held a number of leadership roles in both programs.

His education includes a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California in San Diego, and a MS in computer science from the University at Buffalo. As an undergraduate he studied at San Diego State University, the Universidad Central de Venezuela and the University of Florence, Italy. He has published joint articles with faculty and students in the areas of mathematics, physics, ecology and biophysics.

He was one of the first members of Venezuela's system of symphonic orchestras ("El Sistema"), where he played the flute. He has a lifelong passion for understanding how science, technology and the arts can help us understand the world and how that, in turn, can be used to connect theory and practice to create a high quality and sustainable educational, economic and social environment.

David W. King, Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
State University of New York at Oswego 

David King is Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at the State University of New York at Oswego, with responsibility for promoting and enhancing two dozen graduate programs at SUNY Oswego which enroll about 1,000 students. He also has general oversight for the varied sponsored research programs on the campus. Dr. King studied at the University of Rochester, the University of London and SUNY Stony Brook, earning a Ph.D. in modern European Intellectual and cultural history. During his tenure at SUNY Oswego, Dr. King has held a variety of faculty and administrative positions.

Dr. King is Director of the SUNY PSM Consortium which is comprised of 17 of the senior campuses in the SUNY system, including the four major research universities.  These SUNY campuses have established strong working collaborations with many regional businesses and economic development agencies which have facilitated the creation of PSM degrees across the SUNY system. King was instrumental in organizing the SUNY campuses to receive two large Sloan Foundation grants that have supported the development of 15 new PSM degree programs to date with another 15-20 PSM programs in development.  He has been Co-P.I. of both grant projects.  King was appointed SUNY System PSM Program Director in February 2007.

Dr. King has been extensively involved in promoting collaboration among SUNY campuses and in building partnerships between higher education institutions and regional business and industry leadership. During the past five years, Dr. King has made numerous presentations addressing PSM related topics at conferences and workshops sponsored by CGS, NPSMA, NCSL, and others.  He has also provided consulting services for the development of PSM programs for the public university systems in the Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, the Mid Atlantic Association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and most recently for the City University of New York system.  He serves on the external PSM Advisory Boards for CUNY and for the HBC & U PSM Consortium.  Nationally, he has served on the PSM Advisory Board for the Council of Graduate Schools.

Patricia Komuniecki, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Graduate Studies and Vice Provost, Graduate Affairs
University of Toledo

Patricia Komuniecki is the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at The University of Toledo (UT).  Dr. Komuniecki earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Biology from Newton College (Boston College) and Mount Holyoke College and her Ph.D. in Zoology from The University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Prior to assuming her faculty position at UT in 1985, she conducted postdoctoral research in parasite biochemistry at The University of Notre Dame and pharmacology at the former Medical College of Ohio. As a Professor of Biology, she has garnered more than $4M in research grant funding as well as teaching/mentoring doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students in lab and classroom for more than 25 years. She has previously held administrative appointments as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Michael N. Morad, M.S.
Quality Assurance Manager
Abbott Vascular – Structural Heart Division

Michael Morad graduated from a PSM program in Medical Product Development Management at San Jose State University in 2010 and has become involved in the National Professional Science Master's Association to develop the Association’s PSM alumni network and student outreach programs.

Michael is employed by Abbott Vascular as a Quality Assurance Manager. He has been with Abbott for over seven years holding leadership roles in the areas of Operations Quality, R&D Quality and Product Quality. In addition, Michael worked for Stanford University Medical Center for over two years where he managed Pre-Analytical Operations for the Hospital’s Clinical Labs.  In addition to his PSM degree Michael holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology from San Jose State University as well as certifications for ISO 9001/13485 Lead Auditor and Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Auditor and Certified Quality Manager through the American Society for Quality.  

John Nishio, Ph.D.

HydroBlox™ Western Region
Chico, California

John Nishio is responsible for western regional activities of HydroBlox™, a company that produces a clean technology product.  He is an agricultural consultant to conventional and organic growers.  He established the PSM Programs in Environmental Sciences at California State University, Chico and served as its first director.  He was the project manager for the construction of Nigeria's first integrated waste management facility.  Before relocating to Chico State, Professor Nishio was at the University of Wyoming, where his laboratory made many fundamental discoveries about plant leaf metabolism.  He holds several patents related to plant productivity.  Dr. Nishio has interests in increasing enrollment and retention of diverse students in STEAM fields, particularly in the environmental sciences.  He is a dedicated, lifelong environmentalist.  Nishio has a BA in Biology from UC Santa Cruz, and he completed all the coursework for a Master in Environmental Education at CSU, San Francisco, before receiving his Ph.D. in Molecular and Physiological Plant Biology from UC Berkeley.

Donald E. Pierson, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Don Pierson is the Vice Provost for Graduate Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He also serves as System Coordinator of the Planning Committee for Professional Science Masters Programs at the University of Massachusetts. The professional science masters initiative is a vital component in the effort to strengthen graduate programs at the University of Massachusetts. In the past two years, the campus governance systems have approved 19 PSM programs as Options within the various science masters degrees programs.

Pierson earned an A.B. in Psychology cum laude from Princeton University, a Masters in Education, Research in Instruction from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in Education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He has worked for IBM, served as an elementary school principal, conducted a ten year longitudinal study of early childhood education, and directed university partnerships with urban schools and community organizations. Prior to his current position at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, he served as Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of Education for 18 years and as Interim Provost for one year. He has served as Principal Investigator for numerous private foundation and public grants, including the Northeast Network STEM Pipeline (2004-2008) and TEAMS Academy for accelerated high school students to take college level courses in Technology, Engineering, Math, and Science.  

Inge Wefes, Ph.D.
Director of PSM Programs, College of Medicine
University of South Florida

Inge Wefes serves as the Director and Student Advisor of the Biotechnology and the Bioinformatics PSM Programs and three Graduate Certificate Programs.  She is also course director and instructor of six graduate courses and one undergraduate course.

Dr. Wefes was educated at the University of Tübingen, Germany, where she received a MSc in Biology and Philosophy and a PhD in Genetics. Following her dissertation, she pursued postdoctoral training and an instructorship at Harvard Medical School in Boston followed by a faculty position in the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa.  In 2002 she initiated and drove the development of the USF PhD-PLUS program, which allows Medical Science Graduate Students to pursue a Ph.D. and, simultaneously, to study for a Master’s degree.  She also initiated and spearheaded the development of three Master’s programs (Bioethics, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology).

Joseph Whittaker, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor of Biology
Morgan State University

Joseph A. Whittaker is Dean of the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Professor of Biology at Morgan State University. He oversees more than 100 faculty members in five academic departments, programs in Medical Technology and Actuarial Science, and the Estuarine Research Center. His professional expertise includes more than 20 years of undergraduate, graduate and medical education, with numerous contributions to these fields. He has authored over 32 articles published in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Neuroscience and the International Brain Research Organization. Also, as current President of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, he serves on the Board of Directors, the Strategic Planning Committee and the Committee on Qualifications and Membership, among others. He is the current Vice Chair of the HBCU Mid-Atlantic Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Alliance as well as the MSU Liaison to the HBCU-PSM Steering Committee. Dr. Whittaker is spearheading the development of an interdisciplinary PSM program at Morgan State University and has been an active participant in the Council of Graduate Schools’ Professional Science Master’s Stakeholders Group charged with developing criteria for PSM designation and recognition.

Dr. Whittaker is trained in Neuroscience and Cellular Electrophysiology and has served previously on the faculty of Howard University and the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in Atlanta, GA. While at Morehouse, he spearheaded an initiative to establish the Developmental Neuroscience Program, which drove the design and construction of the current Neuroscience Institute, the first of its kind in a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). This research facility subsequently became a prototype for 12 additional NIH-supported Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs currently existing in minority-serving institutions across the United States.

In his leadership role as Dean, Dr. Whittaker has initiated several scientific and programmatic activities that broadly reflect his vision for interdisciplinary collaboration and high academic standards. Through strategic partnerships and funding from corporate entities, such as Hitachi (USA), MedStar and Travelers Companies, Inc., among others, he has facilitated the development of several new academic programs. Among these are certificate programs in Bioinformatics and Applied Interdisciplinary Informatics; a baccalaureate degree program in Actuarial Science and a doctoral program in Industrial and Computational Mathematics. 

Peiru Wu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Director
PSM in Industrial Mathematics
Department of Mathematics
Michigan State University

Peiru Wu is the program director of the PSM in industrial mathematics at Michigan State University (MSU). She has been heavily involved in coordinating the PSM program, and fostering the industry connections with MSU. She has actively participated in the formation of the National Professional Science Master's Association and currently serves on the board of directors.

Dr. Wu earned a Ph.D. in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She conducted research on the development of the singularity method of sedimentation process in the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at MIT. Her postdoctoral research emphasized a mathematical model and simulation of the protein behavior in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware. Subsequently, she worked as a research associate in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University. Later she joined Parke-Davis and initiated and coordinated projects in bioinformatics and filed for a U.S. patent for the data mining algorithm in gene expression data analysis at Pfizer until returning to MSU as associate professor in Mathematics. Her research interests include CFD, data mining, bioinformatics, image processing, mathematical biology and industrial mathematics. Dr. Wu is well published in several fields.

In addition, Dr. Wu was a faculty member in the program for Undergraduates in Biological and Mathematical Sciences (UBM) at MSU; developed the curriculum, text materials, and co-teaching for the core course; and collaborated with the laboratory in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to develop a detailed kinetic analysis of elongation catalyzed by human RNA polymerase II.