Faculty Promotions Spring 2012
At its May 2012 meeting, the RISD Board of Trustees voted to approve the promotion of six RISD faculty.
PROMOTIONS TO PROFESSOR
LESLIE FONTANA
Associate Professor of Industrial Design
Leslie is a previous winner of the John R. Frazier Award for Excellence in Teaching and has just completed a three-year term as Head of the Department of Industrial Design and a year-long sabbatical leave. Her professional work centers on designing products for children and also the documentation of design processes.
MAIREAD BYRNE
Associate Professor of Literary Arts and Studies
Mairead is currently the chair of the Faculty Meeting and Steering Committee. She is a well-regarded poet, and her courses on reading and writing poetry are a mainstay of the department’s creative writing curriculum.
PAOLA DEMATTÉ
Associate Professor of the History of Art and Visual Culture
Paola is an art and archeological historian with a specialty in Chinese art from the ancient to the contemporary. Her expertise is bolstered by her frequent archaeological expeditions in rural China.
DENNIS HLYNSKY
Associate Professor of Film, Animation, and Video
Dennis is currently the Head of the Department, and also Chair of the Department Heads’ Meeting. He has an avid interest in the use of technology in the arts, and his courses cover all three areas of the department’s curriculum. Notable among his professional projects is a series of documentaries about critical medical cases used as a training tool for medical personnel.
PROMOTIONS TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
LESLIE HIRST
Assistant Professor of Foundation Studies
Leslie is an excellent teacher and a strong contributor to the division; she was an active participant in the recent response to the visiting committee and actively seeks out collaborations with other departments, particularly art history. She travels extensively to pursue research for her own work, which currently features lace, botanical garden design, and graffiti.
LOTHAR WINDELS
Assistant Professor of Furniture Design
Lothar is professionally engaged with industry and active in the department’s sponsored studios. He is respected by his students and by the faculty in the department, and is assuming leadership positions such as graduate program director and chair of a successful search this year.