Committees

Cully Stimson – Rector
Mike Meese – Vice Rector
Armand Alacbay – Secretary
Jeff Rosen – Member-At-Large
Bob Pence – Member-At-Large

Armand Alacbay, Chair
Jeff Rosen, Vice Chair
Mike Meese
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Shane Caswell, Faculty Representative
Tim Gibson, Faculty Representative
Jim Antony, Provost and Executive Vice President

Bob Pence, Chair
Jon Peterson, Vice Chair
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Dominique Banville, Faculty Representative
Ali Weinstein, Faculty Representative
Marvin Lewis, Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Mike Meese, Chair
Vacant, Vice Chair
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Michael Wetklow, Faculty Liaison
Ed Dittmeier, Vice President and Chief Audit and Compliance Officer

Jon Peterson, Chair
Vacant, Vice Chair
Bob Pence
Vacant
Vacant
Bijan Jabbari, Faculty Representative
Niki Vlastara, Faculty Representative
Trishana Bowden, Vice President, University Advancement & Alumni Relations

(Parentheses note current year in two-year term)
Jeff Rosen, Chair (1/2)
Vacant, Vice Chair (1/2)
Armand Alacbay (1/2)
Jon Peterson (1/2)
Vacant (1/2)
Vacant (1/2)
Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Faculty Representative (2/2)
Maggie Daniels, Faculty Representative (1/2)
Dan Stephens, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Mike Meese, Chair
Armand Alacbay, Vice Chair
Jeff Rosen
Vacant
Vacant
Igor Mazin, Faculty Representative
Anna Pollack, Faculty Representative
Andre Marshall, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact

Athletics Liaisons – Bob Pence & Jon Peterson
Faculty Senate Liaison – Armand Alacbay
Law School Liaison – Jeff Rosen & vacant
Legislative Liaisons – Jon Peterson & vacant

At all Committees:
Cully Stimson, Rector
Gregory Washington, President
Isaiah Grays, Undergraduate Student Representative
Nilima Hakim Mow, Graduate Student Representative
Solon Simmons, Faculty Representative
Rachel Spence, Staff Liaison

Dr. Caswell is a Professor of Athletic Training and founding Executive Director of the Sports Medicine Assessment, Research & Testing (SMART) Laboratory where he and colleagues conduct research to prevent injury and optimize human performance. His research and outreach efforts have contributed to advancements in the prevention, diagnosis and management of concussion and improved access to healthcare for children participating in sport.

Professor Caswell initiated and leads the Advancing Healthcare Initiatives for Underserved Students (ACHIEVES) project that provides accessible athletic training health care services for middle school students. He also leads the Virginia Concussion Initiative (concussion.gmu.edu (New Window)) where he and colleagues work to empower Virginia schools and their local communities to implement best practices for concussion management.

Dr. Caswell is the recipient of the Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association Researcher of the Year Award and the George Mason University College of Education and Human Development Scholarly Achievement Award. His publications appear in prominent scientific and medical journals and he has delivered scholarly presentations nationally and internationally. He serves as a member US Lacrosse Sport Science and Safety Committee and is on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Athletic Training, Injury Epidemiology, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Dr. Caswell earned his B.S. in Physical Education Teacher Certification and Athletic Training from the State University of New York at Brockport; an M.S. in Athletic Training; and his Ph.D. from Ohio University.

Tim Gibson is an Associate Professor of Communication and Faculty Affiliate in the Cultural Studies PhD program at George Mason University.

Tim Gibson’s research interests include critical media studies, the political economy of communication, and urban studies. He has published articles at the intersection of media and urban studies in a variety of communication and cultural studies journals. He is also author of Securing the Spectacular City: The Politics of Revitalization and Homelessness in Downtown Seattle, a book which explores issues of gentrification and urban poverty in Seattle during the 1990s, and co-editor (with Mark Lowes) of Urban Communication: Production, Text, Context. He is an active member of Mason’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (GMU-AAUP) and currently serves as chapter Vice President. Together with other AAUP members, he has campaigned for donor transparency, faculty participation in the Presidential search, reduced workloads for term faculty, and for fair treatment of Mason’s contract workers. For the next two years, Tim will serve as the President of the Virginia Conference of the AAUP.

Dr. Banville is the Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs for the College of Education and Human Development, and a faculty member in the Health and Physical Education Licensure Program. She obtained her B.Sc. in physical education and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physical Activity Sciences from Université Laval, Québec, Canada. She started her career at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, then moved to the United States in 1999 to take a position at George Mason University. As Associate Dean, she plays a pivotal role in ensuring academic excellence, student success, and a positive, inclusive environment within the College. Dr. Banville’s responsibilities include supporting the development and revisions of academic programs, overseeing student support, and collaborating with counterparts to enhance recruitment and admissions.

Dr. Banville also serves as the Faculty Athletic Representative for George Mason University. In that role, she evaluates and ensures the academic integrity of the intercollegiate athletics program, facilitates institutional control of athletics, and works at enhancing the student-athlete experience. Throughout her time at Mason, she has held other critical leadership positions, such as Director of the School of Kinesiology, Faculty Senator, Academic Policy Committee chair, and Senate Executive Team member.

Her research interests focus on the curriculum and Instruction of physical education in schools and the preparation, induction, and professional development of physical education teachers. She has investigated the induction of teachers, training of cooperating teachers, and is currently looking at the curriculum offered in secondary schools. She is a member of many professional associations (AERA, AIESEP, VAHPERD) and a fellow of SHAPE America.

Dr. Ali A. Weinstein is a Professor of Global and Community Health (GCH) and a Senior Scholar in the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. She has extensive experience conducting human biobehavioral experiments in the laboratory and field, conducts survey research, as well as a small research portfolio of qualitative research. Her research interests focus on fatigue, depression, physical activity, exercise, stress reactivity, chronic illness, and knowledge translation.

 

Bijan Jabbari is a professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University.  He is also an affiliated faculty with Telecom Paris-Tech in France. Dr. Jabbari’s areas of specialization and interests are in wireless communications and is recognized internationally for his contributions to the field of wireless networks through research, standardization, patents and publishing books, articles in refereed journals and conferences.  His patents are being deployed in the LTE and 5G wireless. He continues funded research through grants from US Research agencies including NSF.

He received PhD and MS degree from Stanford University, California, in Electrical Engineering. In addition, he obtained a MS degree in Management Science and Engineering also from Stanford University.  He is a Fellow of IEEE, IET Fellow and received the IEEE Millennium Medal. He is a recipient of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area Engineer of the Year Award and received the VSE Outstanding Faculty Research Award.  Dr. Jabbari has helped industry and governments as an advisor and has been involved in different aspects of the Intellectual Property matters both development of patents as well as an expert witness assisting major law firms and their clients in patent infringement cases in wireless technology, communications services, Internet and software. He is a member of the Mason Faculty Senate. In addition, he is also a volunteer in civic and humanitarian activities as well as the community.   He is one of the co-founders of the American Heart Association’s annual charity event, which in the past 20 years has brought over $20 million for research to this association.

Mariniki Vlastara is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Marketing at George Mason University. She holds a PhD in Marketing from Royal Holloway University of London and MBA from University of Miami. Her research interests focus on consumer behavior, consumer ethics and sustainable development. Before entering academia, she held different executive positions in Marketing and Revenue Planning in the leisure industry. She subsequently served as a consultant in business development for start up ventures developing their marketing strategy and communications plans.

 

 

Debra Lattanzi Shutika is a folklorist and Associate Professor of English. She is the author of Beyond the Borderlands: Migration and Belonging in the United States and Mexico (2011, University of California Press) which won the 2012 Chicago Folklore Prize. She is the director of the Mason-Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation. Her current research is an ethnographic study of community gardens in District of Columbia National Parks funded by the National Park Service. A Fulbright scholar to Ireland (2022-23), Dr. Lattanzi Shutika completed a folklore collection in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) communities of Achill and Erris exploring women’s traditional agricultural practices.  She teaches classes in folklore, ethnography, Appalachian studies, Irish folklore and culture, digital storytelling, and sense of place.

Dr. Maggie Daniels is a Professor of Tourism and Events Management in the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management at George Mason University. Maggie conducts applied research in the areas of regional economic development, tourism planning, sustainable tourism, transportation, park planning, visitor studies, event management, and wedding planning. Over the past twenty years, she has acted as the lead investigator of teams that have completed collaborative research studies in DC, Virginia, and Maryland. She received her BA from Miami University of Ohio, MA from the University of Georgia, and PhD from Clemson University.

Maggie has a combination of over 100 published papers, book chapters, professional presentations, and technical reports to her credit. A recipient of Mason’s Teaching Excellence Award, Maggie empowers her students to develop management skills specific to analytical planning, financial ecosystems, valuation, investment analysis, and capital allocation. Her financial advice and planning expertise have been featured in outlets such as ABC Nightline News, MSNBC News, NPR Marketplace, The Washington Post, United Press International, US News and World Report, and WalletHub.

Maggie has spearheaded research in the niche event area of wedding consulting and has an award-winning book entitled Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients <https://www.amazon.com/dp/0367227843> written with Carrie Wosicki and published by Routledge, with exclusive photography by award-winning photojournalist Rodney Bailey. Maggie is also the lead author on the STEM-based fiction book STRXIA: The Odds are against us <https://www.amazon.com/Strxia-Odds-Are-Against-Us/dp/1543950558>, written with aerospace engineer Matt Michel. STRXIA is designed to introduce elementary school children to the basic principles of physics in an entertaining way, with a focus on Newton’s three laws of motion.

Maggie has championed fundraising for Mason’s Student Food and Housing Insecurity Fund through the development and implementation of Mason Empty Bowls with co-chair Lauren Long, the Director of Student Involvement. This collaborative initiative involves units across campus, ceramic artists, and industry partners. Together with the community at large, we raise awareness and funds for all of the students in our community who face empty bowls each day.

Igor Mazin joined GMU in November 2019 as a Professor of Advanced Studies in Theoretical Physics, after retiring from the US Navy with over 20 years of service at the Naval Research Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow in 1984, where he studied under Nobel Laureate Vitaly Ginzburg. Since then, he has worked at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution in Washington. He has lived in the Washington, D.C. area since 1994.

His research focuses on the theoretical and computational study of quantum materials, particularly superconducting and magnetic materials. In 2004, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and in 2014, 2018, and 2019, he was included in the Web of Science list of the top 0.1% most cited scientists in the world. In 2018, he received the John Bardeen Prize, the highest award in the theory of superconductivity. From 2006 to 2024, he served as an Editorial Board member of the leading US physics journal, Physical Review (series B and X).

Igor Mazin lives in Fairfax, Virginia. He enjoys books, films, theater, and ballet, and his favorite hobby is translating poetry.

Anna Pollack’s research focuses on the relationship between environmental chemical exposures and fertility, pregnancy, and gynecologic health. Critical to understanding these endpoints, she investigates biological mechanisms underlying these processes, such as biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption. Dr. Pollack’s research is based in the theory of critical windows of exposure, which emphasizes that the timing of chemical exposures can result in permanent changes. Dr. Pollack’s research also addresses disparities in exposure, which stem from environmental and occupational sources. She seeks to apply methods to examine complex mixtures to better understand their impact on women’s reproductive health.

Prior to joining George Mason University in 2013, Dr. Pollack was trained in reproductive and environmental epidemiology, and epidemiologic methods. She received her PhD in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, MPH in environmental and occupational health from George Washington University, and BA in biology from Smith College. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Mike Wetklow is a CPA with over 30 years of public service experience, including 17 years as a federal senior executive. His career has focused on financial management and auditing, with roles at the GAO, KPMG, and the Maryland Legislative Auditor’s Office. This experience provided a foundation for his later work in modernizing policies and building control environments.

At the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Mike led DHS in establishing internal controls for the newly formed agency following 9/11, helping to resolve material weaknesses and contribute to the department’s first clean audit opinion. He also worked on government-wide financial policy at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and helped establish the federal government’s first Enterprise Risk Management framework. Later, at the National Science Foundation (NSF), he was involved in fintech initiatives, including the use of robotic process automation and the exploration of blockchain technology. He also co-authored a governmentwide CFO Council strategy for workforce modernization. As Chief Risk Officer at the IRS, he oversaw the agency’s risk portfolio, supporting its AI initiatives and helping to ensure positive audit outcomes.

He is now dedicated to training the next generation of accounting professionals as a Faculty Instructor at George Mason University, a role that builds on his prior experience as an adjunct professor since 2023 and reflects his ongoing commitment to public service and education.