Experts

Rita Colistra

Academic Community Engagement and Branding

Dr. Rita Colistra is an associate professor of public relations in the Reed College of Media. She returned to her home state in 2008, after earning her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Roy H. Park Fellow. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University.

Brett White

Nonprofit development, fundraising and support

Brett White is the 15th Executive Director of the United Way of Marion County in Fairmont, WV. Prior to his current role, he was the Director of Development and Communications at the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties. Before joining the United Way family, he was the Program Coordinator at the WVU Center for Civic Engagement.

Heather Foster

State and National Service Participation

Heather Foster’s passion for volunteerism and National Service is contagious. She started her journey as an Energy Express AmeriCorps volunteer in 1996. She now has the honor of promoting service and volunteerism as the Executive Director of Volunteer West Virginia, an agency that administers $8 million annually in funding for service and volunteer programs.

Kristi Wood-Turner

Advocacy and Awareness

Dr. Wood-Turner is the Director for the West Virginia University Center for Service and Learning. She received her Doctorate in the field of Educational Leadership Studies at WVU with a focus in Higher Education Administration. She has a Master of Arts in Applied Social Research and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.

Traci Knabenshue

Sustainability Expert

Traci's work includes spearheading supporting development of recycling programs at regional campuses, spearheading the plan for single stream recycling and empty-your-own trash on the main campus.

Suzanne Gosden Kitchen

Workplace Diversity, Training & Development, and Organizational Behavior

Dr. Suzanne Gosden Kitchen, a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Management at WVU's College of B&E, prepares American and International students to become leaders in Human Resource Management. Her areas of expertise include: Human Resource Management, EEO, Workplace Diversity, Training & Development, Business Writing, and Organizational Behavior. She received the 2013 Dean’s Award for Distinction in Teaching, as well as the 2012 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year Award. Additionally, she serves as the MSIR Graduate Program Advisor.