Faculty and Staff Advisory Council - College of Arts and Sciences

The CAH Advisory Council provides guidance, feedback, and support to the directors. Its members are drawn from departments and units across campus in the arts, humanities, and adjacent fields.

Nicole Branch

University Library

Nicole is the Dean of the University Library at Santa Clara University. In her time at Santa Clara, Nicole has also held the positions of Associate University Librarian, Head of Instruction & Assessment, and Assessment Coordinator & Instruction Librarian. Prior to becoming a librarian, Nicole worked for over a decade in non-profit organizations that advanced educational and racial justice in public schools and districts in the East Bay and San Francisco– work that continues to inform her approach to librarianship. Nicole’s scholarship focuses on the intersections of critical theory, research methodologies, and information literacy.

Meilin Chinn

Philosophy

Meilin Chinn is a philosopher and teacher of Chinese Philosophy, Aesthetics, Environmental Philosophy, and Buddhism. Across her work, Chinn focuses on broadening the cultural and conceptual boundaries of philosophy. Her current projects include a book about musical meaning (Listening into the Distance) and a series of essays on Daoism, nature, and environmental crisis. Chinn also maintains a long-running scholarly and artistic investigation into the void.

Scot Hanna-Weir

Music

Scot is Director of Choral Activities, conducting the University's two major choral ensembles, and Artistic Director of the Santa Clara Chorale, an auditioned community choir celebrating its 60th anniversary season. In addition to his conducting engagements, Scot is also an active composer with a particular focus on fusing electronics and choral performance and addressing issues of social justice and inequity through choral literature.

Kai Harris

English

Kai is an author and professor of creative writing who specializes in fiction, African Diaspora writing, and the slave narrative genre. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, What the Fireflies Knew (February 2022, Tiny Reparations Books) is a coming-of-age novel that explores family dynamics and generational trauma through the lens of Black Girlhood. In addition to fiction, Kai has published poetry, personal essays, and peer-reviewed academic articles on topics related to Black girlhood and womanhood, mental health, social justice, generational trauma, and Black identity.

Past Advisory Council

Past Faculty/Staff Advisory Council Members

2023-2024

Lauren Baines, de Saisset Museum, lbaines@scu.edu

Nicole Branch, University Library, nbranch@scu.edu

Meilin Chinn, Philosophy, mchinn@scu.edu

Justin Clardy, Philosophy, jclardy@scu.edu

Sonia Gomez, History, sgomez@scu.edu

Allia Griffin, Ethnic Studies, agriffin@scu.edu

Scot Hanna-Weir, Music, shannaweir@scu.edu

Kai Harris, English, kharris@scu.edu

Mythri Jegathesan, Anthropology, mjegathesan@scu.edu

Brian Thorstenson, Theatre and Dance, bthorstenson@scu.edu

2022 -2023

Lauren Baines, de Saisset Museum, lbaines@scu.edu

Nicole Branch, University Library, nbranch@scu.edu

Justin Clardy, Philosophy, jclardy@scu.edu

Allia Griffin, Ethnic Studies, agriffin@scu.edu

Scot Hanna-Weir, Music, shannaweir@scu.edu

Kai Harris, English, kharris@scu.edu

Angela Holzmeister, Classics, aholzmeister@scu.edu

Mythri Jegathesan, Anthropology, mjegathesan@scu.edu

Brian Thorstenson, Theatre and Dance, bthorstenson@scu.edu

Michael Whalen, Communication, mwhalen@scu.edu

2021-2022

Bruno Ruviaro <bruviaro@scu.edu>,

Katherine Aoki <kaoki@scu.edu>,

Sharmila Lodhia <SLodhia@scu.edu>,

Danielle Morgan <dmorgan@scu.edu>,

Daniel Turkeltaub <dturkeltaub@scu.edu>,

Kristin Kusanovic <kkusanovich@scu.edu>,

Karen Peterson-Iyer <kpetersoniyer@scu.edu>,

Nicole Branch <nbranch@scu.edu>

Justin Clardy <jclardy@scu.edu>

2020-2021

Aldo Billingslea <abillingslea@scu.edu>,