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.