Faculty Highlight
Dr. Virginia Husting, Professor of Sociology and director of Gender Studies
Dr. Husting specializes in identity formation, symbolic interactionism, and cultural studies, discourse analysis, popular media and culture, gender and feminist theory, nationalism, globalization, social movements, political theory, science and technology, and sexuality.
Dr. Reshmi Mukherjee
Dr. Reshmi Mukherjee is a visiting Assistant Professor of English at BSU. She joined BSU in fall 2013 and teaches Literature and gender courses. She specializes in Anglophone and francophone literature, postcolonial studies, subaltern theory, transnational feminist theory, and cultural politics. While an avid researcher, she is also a strict believer in grassroots level activism against all forms of inequality and discrimination. As an MPhil student in India, she worked with several non-profit organizations on the issues of anti human trafficking for prostitution and advocacy programs for anti-domestic violence laws in India.
Dr. Lisa McClain
Dr. Lisa McClain is an Associate Professor of History and Gender Studies at Boise State University. Her fields of specialty include the history of Catholicism, the history of religion during theRenaissance/Reformation era, and the intersections of gender, religion, and popular culture in early modern Europe. She is the author of the book Lest We Be Damned: Practical Innovation and Lived Experience among Catholics in Protestant England 1559-1642 published by Routledge in 2004, and articles in journals such as Church History, Sixteenth Century Journal, the Journal of Religious History, and Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature.
She served as Director of Gender Studies from 2002-2011, during which time the program received the Emerging Center Award from the National Council for Research on Women in 2010. In the field of Gender Studies, Dr. McClain has researched the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault perpetrated against women with disabilities as part of her work in Gender Studies. Her work has been published in Barbara Waxman Fiduccia Papers on Women and Girls with Disabilities published by the Center for Women Policy Studies based in Washington DC.
She currently serves as state secretary for the Idaho Safe Schools Coalition, and on campus she co-advises the BSU Gender Studies Club. For her work, she was named an Idaho Woman of the Year by the Idaho Business Review in 2008, an Idaho Woman Making History in 2009, and was a Les Bois Awards finalist in 2009 as well. Dr. McClain is an activist for equity issues—particularly gender, disability, and sexual orientation—in academia, in Boise, and throughout the state.
Dr. McClain is married with a daughter and son. She is a lector and lay Eucharistic minister at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Boise. She enjoys many athletic activities, especially swimming, hiking, snowshoeing, tennis and racquetball. She also reads avidly in many genres and loves to cook, especially Italian and Indian food. (That’s why she engages in so much athletic activity.) She enjoys quiz-type games and became a 1-day Jeopardy
Dr. Laura L. King
Dr. Laura L. King has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice since 2012 where she teaches courses primarily in research methods, statistical analysis, and victimization. She completed her Ph.D. in Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The majority of her research interests focus on forms of gendered violence with an emphasis on sexual offending and victimization. She has published peer-reviewed articles on traditional gender role and rape myth acceptance, attitudes toward prison rape, and forthcoming books chapters on the evolution of sex crimes legislation and victims’ involvement in the criminal justice system. In February, she will conduct a presentation entitled “Gendered Perceptions of Sexual Violence” at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting. In addition to conducting workshops on sexual violence as a part of Victims’ Rights Week and the Idaho Victim Assistance Academy, she is also a member of the Idaho Coordinated Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence Committee and the Gender Studies Advisory Board at Boise State University.
Dr. Shelle Poole
Shelle has held several global leadership positions in a Fortune 500 company. She is life-long learner who enjoys all aspects of the learning process; from being a student, to teaching, mentoring and coaching, and research. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Boise State University. Shelle holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership, and a Ph.D in Adult and Organizational Development which she applied in developing high performing teams. Throughout her career she has also focused on developing women; within the Enterprise, the classroom, and her Ph.D grounded theory research was specifically designed to contribute to women’s development. Shelle is a native Idahoan, who has worked in a global job for 13 years. So while living in small Idaho she has been able to experience many different cultures. Her children are 6th generation Meridian-ites and she loves having 4 generations of family as part of her daily life. For fun, Shelle reads, researches, skis, enjoys friends & family, works in the garden, and teaches at BSU.
Dr. Janice Neri
Janice is Professor of the History of Art and Visual Culture in the Art Department at Boise State. One chapter of her book, The Insect and the Image: Visualizing Nature in Early Modern Europe, 1400-1700 (University of Minnesota Press, 2010), examines connections between science and the decorative arts in the work of the artist-naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. Neri can often be overheard stating, “I like pictures of bugs, not bugs,” when called upon to identify, touch, or dispose of an insect.
Melissa Wintrow, M.Ed. Higher Education Administration
Boise State University Living Learning Communities Program, Assistant Director of Gender Studies, Adjunct Instructor Saga Leadership Associates, co-owner. I have worked in higher education for the past twenty-five years at six different universities in positions in housing and residence life, advising, women’s center, instruction, and curriculum design. I was hired as Boise State’s first full-time Women’s Center Director in 2000; working with talented stakeholders, we developed a variety of programs to educate our community about topics surrounding gender and developed services to support survivors of violence and women returning to college, to name a few. I currently serve as the Assistant Director for Residential Education for the Living Learning Communities Program in Housing and Residence Life where I supervise the faculty-in-residence team and the curriculum for the program. For the past 10 years, I have also served as an adjunct instructor for gender studies. Most recently, I am co-owner of a leadership consulting firm, Saga Leadership Associates, where I share my love for learning and facilitation in a variety of settings including education, corporate, government, and non-profit settings. I am passionate about teaching and learning and strive to create the best possible conditions for students and leaders to learn and grow. My life story is a testament to the benefits of mentoring and grassroots involvement. I have been mentored by some powerful leaders, one in particular, Dr. Pat Dorman, founder of the Women’s Studies Program at Boise State. It is my mission to give back and to serve as a “guide on the side” to the students and leaders with whom I work. I have experience working in the following areas: human rights education, curriculum design, leadership and staff development, strategic planning, program development, gender studies, service learning, event planning, supervision, victim/survivor advocacy, outdoor education, and assessment. Throughout my career I have focused on women’s leadership development and empowerment. Some of my past positions at Boise State include President of the Professional Staff Association, coordinator of the Boise State United Way Campaign, committee that developed the Shared Values Statement for Boise State, Campus Read Committee, and project manager of NEW Leadership Idaho (a statewide conference to inspire college women to get involved in politics and run for public office).
Dr. Manda V. Hicks
Dr. Hicks is the Director of Forensics at Boise State University and an Army veteran. Her research interests include gender and military culture, culture and communication, performance studies, and forensic pedagogy, She teaches classes in public speaking and debate, culture, and gender in communication. She is particularly interested in grounded theory and experimental methods and data presentation. She believes that war does strange things. She adores John Waters. She is a fairly reliable gardener. She is a totally unreliable unpacker. She believes in the trans-formative power of queer theories. Her favorite podcast is “How Was Your Week” with Julie Klausner