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Executive Council 2026-2027
President
Elected Office
Ruth Whisler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Northern Arizona University - Yuma Branch Campus
Immediate Past President
Elected Office
Karen Jarratt-Snider, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Applied Indigenous Studies
Northern Arizona University
President-Elect
Elected Office
Pete Martini, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Nevada State University
Vice-President / Secretary
Elected Office
Kara Ahearn
Assistant Clinical Professor, Social Work
Northern Arizona University
WSSA Council Members
Council Member Through 2029
Elected Office
Pierre M. Atlas, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, Indiana University Indianapolis
Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Council Member Through 2029
Elected Office
Fernando Viacava Breiding
Tecnológico Nacional de México, Campus Morelia
Michoacán, Mexico
Council Member Through 2028
Elected Office
Erik Dean
Full Time Instructor, Department of Economics
Portland Community College
Council Member Through 2028
Elected Office
Elvis Nshom, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, CHABSS at California State University San Marcos
Department of Communication & Media Studies
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Samar Zahrawi
Associate Professor, Department of World Languages & Cultures, Integrated Studies
Sam Houston State University
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Aresta Tsosie-Paddock, Ph.D.
American Indian Studies, Linguistics
Center for University Education Scholarship (CUES) Distinguished Fellow
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Stephanie Kunze, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Northern Arizona University
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Lily Zeng, Ph.D.
Professor & Graduate Coordinator, School of Media and Journalism
Arkansas State University
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
E. Scott Lee, D.A.
Chair – Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science
Associate Professor of Political Science
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Melissa Beigert, Ph.D.
Director of High School Programs Academic Success
Austin Community College
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Tonia Warnecke, Ph.D.
George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair
Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
Council Member Through 2027
Elected Office
Esther Lamidi
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Ex-Officio Council Members
Executive Director
Larry A. Gould, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus,Northern Arizona University
Contact For:
- All WSSA business matters
- All WSSA legal matters
- All WSSA election matters
- Proposals to add or delete WSSA sections
Conference Manager / Business Manager
Thomas Stark, BA
Owner, One Stone Web
Contact For:
- All WSSA website matters
- All WSSA conference matters
- All WSSA conference facility matters
- All WSSA conference business matters
Co-Editor, Social Science Journal
Mandi Bates Bailey, Editor-in-Chief
Middle Tennessee State University
Co-Editor, Social Science Journal
Gladys Mitchell-Walthour, Editor-in-Chief
North Carolina Central University
Co-Editor, Social Science Journal
Anne Price, Editor-in-Chief
Valdosta State University
Co-Editor, Social Science Journal
Dr. James M. Avery, Editor-in-Chief
Stockton University
Managing Editor, Social Science Journal
Jennifer Woodward, Managing Editor
Middle Tennessee State University
Association Archivist
Nina Burkardt, Ph.D.
Midcontinent Ecological Science Center
United States Geological Survey (retired)
Social Media Presence
Oliver Harkins
Northern Arizoina University - Yuma