Executive Committee

Kasi Kiehlbaugh is the director for Health Sciences Design. In this new Health Sciences program, Kasi develops courses that teach students how to apply design thinking principles to health and wellness challenges through experiential, project-based, collaborative learning. With a research focus on improving STEM education, her passion is teaching (and co-teaching) courses designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between peer groups from across the University. She is working to support institutional change in educational practices at the University of Arizona by advocating for the increased adoption of high-impact teaching practices, training in culturally responsive practices for undergraduate research mentors, program-level assessment as a mechanism for continuous improvement, and more comprehensive faculty and staff development. Kasi completed her BS and MS at the University of Arizona and her PhD at UC Berkeley, all in chemical engineering. She is also a Faculty Fellow at the new Honors Village and one of UArizona’s original Hispanic-Serving Institution Fellows, reflecting her deep commitment to equity and inclusion.

Jennifer Fields is the Director of the Office of Societal Impacts at the Office for Research, Innovation & Impact (RII). RII supports the world-class research enterprise at the University of Arizona, which is ranked among the top 20 public universities nationwide with more than $687 million in research activity. Prior to her role at RII, Jennifer was  the co-founder of the University of Arizona STEM Learning Center and served as its associate director from 2012 to 2015. A specialist in STEM education and inclusion, she has been instrumental in improving the education and career readiness of underserved and underrepresented students.

John Pollard is the Associate Dean for Academics for the W.A. Franke Honors College and a Professor of Practice in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona. John is an award-winning educator who is the co-author of the nationally recognized Chemical Thinking curriculum and associated eBook. In addition, John has authored several popular YouTube and TedEd videos centered around fundamental ideas in general chemistry. He is an expert and advocate for evidence-based instructional practices and spearheaded the Collaborative Learning Space movement on campus where traditional spaces are transformed into classrooms that facilitate active learning. As the Associate Dean for the University of W.A. Franke Honors College, John leads the development of innovative learning experiences for students that include experiential learning opportunities at the Biosphere 2 facility, co-taught interdisciplinary courses, and the implementation of the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) methodology classes meant to promote cultural competencies with Honors students. Learning theories and practice are also at the center of John's research as he studies how metacognition, self-reported learning, and group interactions influence learning outcomes during active learning in Collaborative Learning Space environments. He also studies how learning environments can influence the development of interdisciplinary reasoning skills in students. 

Amy C. Kimme Hea is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Success in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). In this role, Dr. Kimme Hea is responsible for curriculum review and assessment, student enrollment management, student recruitment and retention, undergraduate advising, and student engagement. She leads the Undergraduate Council in SBS and serves on campus-wide committees including the College Academic Administrators Council and the University-wide General Education Committee. With the support of the SBS Dean’s Office instructional team, Dr. Kimme Hea coordinates projects to support student learning, teacher development, and curriculum design and delivery in SBS and across the University of Arizona. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in writing, rhetoric, technology studies, and professional and technical communication, and she has won recognition for her excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Kimme Hea currently holds two national executive positions, Executive Board Member for the Council of Writing Program Administrators and Associate Chair of Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition. At the University of Arizona, she served as a Faculty Fellow for Program Assessment (2011-2013) with the Office of Instruction and Assessment and participated as a Fellow with the Academic Leadership Institute (2011-2012).

Ellen McMahon's practice spans art, design and writing. She teaches interdisciplinary seminar and critique courses in the Studio Art Graduate Program as well as the seminar, “Art, Design and Environment.” Since 2005 McMahon has developed a number of interdisciplinary collaborations, providing practical experience for students, and creating significant bonds and long-term benefits to the community. In 2007 McMahon received a Fulbright Scholars Grant to contribute as a writer and graphic designer to an interdisciplinary conservation project in Mexico. In 2010 she received a grant from Confluencenter for the project, "Parallel Play: Interdisciplinary Responses to a Dry River," to collaborate with faculty and students from CAPLA, Creative Writing, Geography, and Ecology on a project addressing the aqueous ecology of the region. This work is collected in the book Ground|Water: The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River, which she edited with colleagues Beth Weinstein and Ander Monson. Released in January of 2013, it has won national and international design awards. Her latest essay is published in The Nature of the Desert, edited by Gary Nabhan, 2020.

McMahon oversees numerous ongoing student projects addressing climate change and social and environmental justice issues and is currently collaborating with forest mortality scientists on several projects related to the decline of Southwestern forests.