Writing Program Leadership Team
The Writing Program Leadership Team is made up of members of the English Department faculty and staff and a number of experienced graduate instructors working as Writing Program Assistants (PAs) who have been selected for their various areas of expertise and their ability to help others develop as professionals. We hope you will get to know each of these staff members and feel comfortable asking them for advice and assistance.
The Directors and Program Secretary
- Professor Bob Broad, Director of Writing Program
- Nancy McKinney, Assistand Director of Writing Program
- Martha Frieburg, Writing Program Secretary
The Program Assistants
Professor
Bob Broad
Director of Writing Program
Williams 304
438.7704
Bob Broad came to Illinois State University in 1994. His special interests
include linking writing instruction to the democratic public sphere and
using writing assessment to support and drive best practices in the teaching
and learning of writing. Bob has taught writing to students at all levels
from kindergarten through doctoral studies. Here at ISU he teaches graduate
and undergraduate courses in English Studies, English Education, writing
pedagogy, writing assessment, and research methods. Bob is author of the
book What We Really Value: Beyond Rubrics in Teaching and Assessing
Writing as well as articles on writing assessment in the journals Assessing
Writing, Research in the Teaching of English, and the Journal
of Writing Assessment.
Nancy McKinney
Assistant
Director of Writing Program
nemckin@ilstu.edu
Williams 312
438.3396
Martha Frieburg
Writing Program Secretary
mrfrieb@ilstu.edu
Williams 325
438.3957
Martha Frieburg has held a full time Staff Clerk Civil Service position in the Writing Programs Office since 1996. She has a BS in Office Technology and Certificates in Word processing and Medical Transcription with a bachelors degree in art from ISU. Martha has five daughters. If you need to find something in the Writing Program office, Martha is the one to ask! Martha is also the state secretary for the Illinois Association of Teachers of English and she also works with the Illinois State Writing Project budget.
Writing Program Assistants (PAs)
Godwin Agboka
Writing Program Assistant
gyagbok@ilstu.edu
STV 203J
438.2086
Godwin Yaw Agboka, who comes from Ghana, is in his second year of the PhD program, where he specializes in Technical Writing (International Technical Communication, specialization). He is interested in how information products that cross cultural boundaries are localized. Specifically, his research critiques limitations of current approaches to localization that over-emphasize business priorities in designing communication across cultural and linguistic boundaries, and further explores the ways in which the cultural components in these documents are approached and discussed in more fluid and complex ways. Godwin has a Diploma in Journalism. He also received a B. A. in English and Theatre Arts from the University of Ghana, besides his M.A. from Illinois State University. Besides writing on political and social issues—when he is not writing academic papers—Godwin spends a considerable amount of time watching soccer, tennis, or listening to good music.
Ricia Chansky
Writing Program Assistant
rachans@ilstu.edu
STV 203J
438.2086
Ricia comes from Boston, MA. She has a BA in PoliSci and an MA in Writing,
Lit, & Pub. Ricia moved here from DC where she taught writing, lit,
media, and film studies at GW for a number of years. After leaving that
position she directed lit and art programs at the National Museum of Women
in the Arts. Ricia is a 2nd year Ph.D. student, specializing in visual
literacy. In her real life she enjoys jazz, modern art, and horror movies.
Personally, Ricia doesn't get out of bed if there's no coffee.
Kyle Jensen
Writing Program Assistant
kajense@ilstu.edu
STV 203K
438.8077
Kyle Jensen, entering his third year as a doctoral student, studies the intersections between post-structural theory/anti-foundational philosophy and composition/rhetoric. He is particularly invested in the post-process sub-discussion which attempts (is attempting) to ratchet up the intellectual level of the field's conversations by advancing the concepts of contingency and excess as key tropes for exploring what happens when we write. In addition to serving as a program assistant, Kyle is also an editorial assistant at JAC. He and his wife Patty moved to Bloomington from Washington (the state), and are the proud owners of a precocious (often klepto) beagle named Bruchi.
Brooklynn Lehner
Writing Program Assistant
bllehne@ilstu.edu
STV 203K
438.8077
Brooklynn Lehner is a second-year Ph.D. student who received her B.A. from Saginaw Valley State University in 2004 and her M.A. from the University of Toledo in 2006. Brooklynn’s academic interests focus on representations and rhetorics of motherhood, specifically among adaptations of texts. She is interested in examining how and why motherhood and the mother figure(s) in texts change from source texts to the adaptations and, more important to her, what those changes signify. Brooklynn can often be found at the dog park with her two puppies or driving up to Michigan to visit her family.
Kyle Mattson
Technology Liaison
ktmatts@ilstu.edu
STV 203J
438.2086
Kyle Mattson is in his third year toward the PhD in English Studies. Prior to joining the program, he taught composition in Minnesota while completing his MA at St. Cloud State University. Kyle also spent three-plus years in Singapore where he taught English—both business writing, project report writing, and ESL—to students attending polytechnic in the city-state. Kyle's research in Technical Communication draws on areas in neosophistic rhetoric, professionalization, usability testing, and International Technical Communication (ITC). On Sunday afternoons, he can be seen driving his daughter to and from Chinese language class, where he "strives to keep up with her."
Marie Moeller
Writing Program Assistant
memoell@ilstu.edu
STV 203K
438.8077
Marie Moeller is in the third year of her Doctoral program, where she specializes
in Composition and Rhetoric, Gender Studies, Autobiographical Writing, and
Distance Learning Pedagogy and Theory. Marie earned her B.A. in 2000 from
Buena Vista University and her M.A. in 2002 from ISU. In the fall of 2004,
Marie returned to ISU after a stint as a full-time composition instructor
in Iowa. Originally from Minnesota, Marie enjoys the snow and cold and wishes
Illinois had more of both, which most find odd at best and crazy at worst.
Marie can often be found in her car, returning to Minnesota to see her favorite
dog Yoda, a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, and the rest of her family.