Abbey Excellence

Author: The Crusader Staff Writers

Welcome to the 13 new faculty members at the college [in Fall 2022]! The departments of Accounting, Biology, English, Health Administration, Honors College, Human Services, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology, and Sport Management all have new faculty members.

Elizabeth Bookwalter
Assistant Professor of Psychology

I am excited to once again be part of the Abbey community! I earned a double major in Theology and English for my bachelor’s degree at Belmont Abbey College. During my time as a student at the Abbey I ran for the Track & Field team, focusing primarily on the 400m dash. I attended graduate school at Divine Mercy University in Virginia where I earned my Psy.D. in clinical psychology (plot twist!). Over the past 5 years, I have worked in a variety of clinical settings including a college counseling center, neuropsychology assessment, and a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. As a clinician, I am passionate about addressing trauma, complicated grief, and interpersonal dynamics.

At the Abbey, I am teaching Introduction to Psychology, Seminar in Counseling, and Senior Practicum in Applied Psychology. I am having a blast and enjoying getting to know the students in my classes. Expect to see my husband and me (and possibly our dog, Monty) at many of the Abbey Home games. Go Crusaders!

Josh Chen
Assistant Professor of Human Services

I have a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Virginia and a M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary. Previously, I spent 7 years living and working in the “hyper ghetto” of N. Philadelphia as a pastor, teacher, and professor among Black, Puerto Rican, and Cambodian communities where broken social systems meant life chances are significantly lower than among middle-class white communities. However, I also saw the beautiful possibility of a diverse community of Christians who worked to make broken things better and bring broken people to a Savior who had been broken on their behalf. It is my conviction that the church must recapture our identity as people who exist, not for ourselves, but for others (Mt. 25:40; Jas. 1:27; Jer. 29:7). This means that the gifts with which God has entrusted us are not meant for ourselves but for others; fruit does not exist for its own sake but to nourish others. Speaking of gifts, I am happily married to my wife, Hannah, with two bright, beautiful, and bold biracial daughters, one 5 years old and one 16 months old. I love reading fantasy/sci-fi, playing board games, singing acapella, beat-boxing with my daughters, playing worship music on my guitar, and dabbling in martial arts. But, most of all, I love diversity and talking with students about the sociological imagination. My office is always open in WGS 113E!

Melissa Horstman
Assistant Professor of Nursing

I graduated from Purdue University with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2013 and transitioned into bedside practice in critical care rotating through Neuro, Surgical, and Medical ICUs before landing in a Surgical/Trauma Stepdown Unit. When my husband’s job moved us to Charlotte, NC I changed gears in my nursing practice and began working in Clinical Research by coordinating and managing care of clinical research patients enrolled in pharmaceutical and device trials along the continuum of the research process. During that time I went back to school at Queens University of Charlotte and obtained her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in nursing education. I then moved into a quality assurance/educator role within the clinical research department, but found my true calling here at Belmont Abbey College a couple years later and I am so excited to be here!

I live in Fort Mill, SC with my husband and dog. And I am an aspiring cut-flower gardener, a puzzler, and lover of a good book and cup of coffee.

J. Brent Hayes
Assistant Professor of Biology

I am originally from Clover, S.C. I went to Winthrop University and Sherman College.

I was a practicing Chiropractor for about 10 years. I have also taught human anatomy and physiology for the past 13 years.

Prior to moving back to the Carolinas, I lived in the arctic tundra of northern Indiana for 12 years. I am excited to be back home, teaching at the Abbey, and enjoying the scenery and weather again.

Elizabeth Elkind
Professor of Nursing

Dr. Elizabeth Elkind received her PhD in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning K – Corporate from Capella University. She has a MBA from the University of Phoenix, a MSN in Perinatal Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and her BSN from Holy Family University. She is a board certified Informatics Nurse through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In addition, Dr. Elkind is the Editor for the Journal of Informatics Nursing, the American Nursing Informatics Association’s official journal.

Lindsay Hofferberth
Assistant Professor of Sport Management

Lindsay joins Belmont Abbey in the Sport & Motorsport Management Program after serving as an adjunct instructor during the 2021-2022 school year. She began her professional career in 2008 as the Director of Entertainment and Game Operations for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Since 2012, she has served as a graphic designer/operator for a variety of live television sports broadcasts. She has supported events for schools in the ACC, NASCAR, the Charlotte Hornets, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. Lindsay earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UNC Charlotte and a Master’s degree in Sports Management from Liberty University. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, she has called Charlotte home since 2004.

Lindsay Adams Kennedy
Assistant Professor of English

Lindsay Adams Kennedy is a professional playwright and academic, whose research explores virginity, consent, confessional spaces, and depictions of invisible disability in Early Modern drama and poetry. Most recently her chapter “‘A document in madness’? Disability Erasure in Contemporary Rewrites of Ophelia” was published in Adaptations of Mental and Cognitive Disability in Popular Media by Rowman & Littlefield and her article “Catcalls and Live Chat: Or, How Livestreamed Performances Illuminate the Early Modern Audience” was published in the Sixteenth Century Journal. She has an MFA in Playwriting from the Catholic University of America and is a PhD Candidate at Saint Louis University.

Emily Nishiyama
Assistant Professor of Nursing

Emily Nishiyama is an Assistant Professor with the Nursing Department here at Belmont Abbey College. Currently, she is responsible for teaching pre-licensure BSN students in both didactic and clinical settings.

She has been in nursing education for 8 years and has a background in simulation education, curriculum development, and instructional design. With a diverse background in professional and clinical nursing, Emily has a passion for using creativity in the classroom through the utilization of technology and active learning strategies to engage all types of learners. She follows a student-centric approach while striving to create a safe learning environment that fosters mutual trust and respect.

She is active in various departmental, college, and community service initiatives. Most recently, she has served as an active board member with the Gamma Iota Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, is currently a member of the Southwest Region for the North Carolina Nurses Association, and was selected as a 2021-2022 Faculty Fellow for the Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship program with the UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2009 and her Master of Science degree in Nursing Education from Gardner-Webb University in 2014. Her past clinical practice experiences involve working as a Registered Nurse in both medical-surgical and emergency
settings.

Outside of her professional life, she enjoys staying active, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and two young sons.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022 Issue of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.