Meet the UWC Team
Faculty Writing Consultants
UWC Associate Director of Writing
Jared Featherstone, M.F.A.
Jared Featherstone directs the University Writing Center and teaches courses in the School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. He has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. His interests include mindfulness, cognition, contemplative writing, and pedagogy. He is a certified Koru Mindfulness Meditation teacher.
Assistant Professor of Writing and Liaison to CHBS
Lucy Bryan Malenke, M.F.A.
Lucy Bryan Malenke (she/her/hers) is the Writing Center’s liaison to the College of Health and Behavioral Studies. She also coordinates presentations and workshops for the UWC and serves as a writing and instructional consultant for students, staff, and faculty. Her areas of expertise include writing in the disciplines, peer review, and personal statements. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Penn State University and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her personal essays, short stories, and journalism have appeared in Earth Island Journal, Quarterly West, Sojourners, and Superstition Review, among others. She is the author of the book In Between Places: A Memoir of Essays (Homebound Publications, June 2022). In addition to all kinds of writing, her interests include racial justice, wilderness preservation, mindfulness practices, and service learning.
Faculty Associate
Kevin Jefferson, M.A.
Kevin Jefferson (he/him) is a Faculty Associate from the School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. He has a background in 19th- and 20th-century British and American literature and a history of long road trips. His teaching and research interests include first-year composition and editing; rhetorics of place, the environment, and the West; and publishing student writing. He works with the student editors and faculty reviewers of the James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ) to promote, publish, and share undergraduate scholarship from all JMU disciplines.
Writing Center Specialist
Rodolfo ("Rudy") Barrett, M.S.
Rodolfo "Rudy" Barrett (he/him) is a Writing Center Specialist in JMU's Learning Centers and a lecturer in the School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. He has worked in the UWC as both an undergraduate peer consultant and a graduate teaching assistant. Rudy's research interests include composition pedagogy, intercultural communication, and rhetorics of gaming.
Graduate Writing Consultants
Graduate Assistant
Jordan Marie Arnold
Jordan (she/her) is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Teaching program. She graduated with a BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021. She also has an associate degree in General Science. Jordan is an avid reader, writer, and crocheter.
Graduate Assistant
Brianna Sage
Bri (she/her) is a second-year English graduate student. During her undergraduate years, she majored in English with a concentration in British literature and obtained her BA in 2020. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, hiking, listening to true crime podcasts, and playing board games badly.
Graduate Consultant
Iliana Cosme-Brooks
Iliana (she/her) is a first-year master's student in WRTC. She just graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Arts and Humanities and Professional and Public Writing, where she also worked at the Writing Center for a year. In her free time, Iliana enjoys various textile arts, reading and recommending YA novels, and slowly building her vinyl collection.
Graduate Consultant
Adrianna Ladd
Adrianna (she/her) is a graduate student in the Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication M.A. program. She recently graduated from Le Moyne College with a B.A. in English Literature and minors in Advanced Writing and Psychology. She is excited to continue her work as a writing consultant here at JMU!
Senior Consultant
Jack Mairs
Jack (he/him), from Richmond, Virginia, earned his bachelor's degree from JMU in 2022 with a major in Marketing and three years of University Writing Center experience. Jack enjoys hiking, playing video games, overanalyzing pop culture, and hanging out with friends.
Undergraduate Writing Consultants
Peer Consultant
Sarah Allen
Peer Consultant
Grace Altman
Grace Altman (she/her) is a junior Theatre Education major with a minor in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. She enjoys thrifting, drinking iced vanilla lattes, and going on hot-girl walks.
Peer Consultant
Alex Davis
Alex (she/her) is a sophomore Kinesiology major with minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and Pre-PT. She writes for the opinion section of the Breeze, JMU's official newspaper. Alex enjoys rock climbing in her free time, and she is the Social Chair of Club Climbing.
Peer Consultant
Fabi Garcia
Fabi (she/her) is a senior double majoring in WRTC & SMAD with a concentration in digital video and cinema from Northern Virginia. She is a copy editor for JMU’s yearbook, The Bluestone. In her free time, Fabi enjoys reading fantasy novels, going to the movies, and learning about new languages and cultures.
Peer Consultant
MacKenzie Graber
MacKenzie (she/her) is a junior Media Arts and Design major with a concentration in Digital Video and Cinema and an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor. She is a member of The Breeze Video and enjoys watching movies and spending time with friends and family. She hopes to work as a screenwriter in the film and television industry.
Peer Consultant
Evan Holden
Evan (he/him) is a senior political science major with a minor in Asian studies. He serves as the acting President of the JMU Honor Council and as an Accountability Board Member for JMU's OSARP. He has served as both a writer and editor for the opinion section of The Breeze, JMU's official newspaper, and as a Senator for the Student Government Association for the Finance Committee.
Peer Consultant
Kristy Kocot
Kristy (she/her) is a senior WRTC major with a minor in Family Studies. Outside of the Writing Center, Kristy is involved in the JMU Delta Delta Delta sorority and enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and riding horses. After graduation, Kristy hopes to attend law school.
Peer Consultant
Catherine LeHanka
Catherine (she/her) is a senior Psychology major with minors in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Northern Virginia. She is an active member of Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society, Psi Chi, and the JMU Rock Climbing Club. Catherine loves reading, listening to true crime podcasts, and spending quality time with friends and family. She plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career as a children’s therapist
Peer Consultant
LauraJean Logue
LauraJean Logue (she/her) is a senior Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication major from Yorktown, VA. She is currently a lead editor on the board of the James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal. After graduation, she plans to work as a technical writer and travel abroad. Outside of class, she enjoys reading novels, painting, working out at UREC, and spending time with friends.
Peer Consultant
Ryan McGowan
Ryan (he/him) is a junior Political Science major with minors in Education and Interdisciplinary Social Studies. He is a writer for The Breeze sports section and a member of the JMU club Ultimate Frisbee team. Ryan is from Fairfax, Virginia, and is a passionate Washington sports fan. He hopes to attend graduate school and become a high school history or government teacher..
Peer Consultant
Ayana Oancea
Ayana (she/her) is a senior Engineering major with a minor in Mathematics from Merrick, New York. In her free time, Ayana enjoys cooking, traveling to new places, spending time with her friends, and listening to music. She hopes to work as a coastal resilience or structural engineer on climate change issues such as sea level rise.
Peer Consultant
Lily Parker
Lily (she/her) is a junior Anthropology major with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. She is bilingual in English and ASL. In her free time, Lily enjoys visiting downtown Harrisonburg, overwatering her plants, and getting piercings (eight so far!). She isn't sure of her post-undergrad plans, so if anybody has any ideas, please let her know.
Peer Consultant
Kate Peppiatt
Kate (she/her) is a senior Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication major with minors in Spanish and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. On campus, Kate is an active member of Students Helping Honduras and Her Campus. She also serves as a Managing Editor for the James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal. In her free time, Kate loves to read, travel, and spend time with friends.
Peer Consultant
Luke Pineda
Luke (he/him) is a senior Political Science major with a WRTC minor from Fredericksburg, Virginia. He spends his free time being an epic gamer, writing music, and binge-watching lots of anime. After JMU, Luke hopes to pursue a career as a political commentator.
Peer Consultant
Grace-Lauren Richmond
Grace-Lauren is a junior double major in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication and Spanish with a minor in Business Spanish. She is an intern for Bluestone Communications PR and a Small Group leader for InterVarsity. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, spiking, and rock climbing.
Peer Consultant
Ava Seif
Peer Consultant
Caroline Smith
Caroline (she/her) is a senior History and Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication double major with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies from Roanoke, Virginia. She serves on the editorial board for the James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal. Caroline enjoys knitting while reading or binge-watching new shows.
Peer Consultant
Rachel Tan
Rachel (she/they) is a junior Music Performance major with minors in Music and Human Services and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies from Richmond, VA. On campus, she is involved in Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministries. In her free time, Rachel enjoys composing music, cooking, dancing, and watching Marvel movies with her friends
Administration
Director, JMU Learning Centers
Laura Miller, Ph.D.
Laura Miller directs JMU's Learning Centers and is an Assistant Professor in the School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication. She holds a Ph.D. in Composition and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Miller conducts research on tutoring efficacy, writing mindsets, and composition practices. So What? The Writer's Argument, a first-year writing textbook she co-authored with Dr. Kurt Schick, is in its third edition. She consults with students and faculty on all kinds of writing.
Assistant to the Director, JMU Learning Centers
Joan Fahrney
Joan Fahrney's primary duties include administrative support to the Director, departmental human resource support for hiring, payroll, wage, and audit, data analysis and reporting, and coordination of the administrative support staff.
She is currently working toward her BA in Integrated Business Informatics and Human Resource Development. In her spare time, Joan enjoys time with her family, genealogy, and antiquing.
Administrative Assistant, JMU Learning Centers
Lucas G. Hopper
Lucas Hopper (he/him) is an Administrative Assistant at the Learning Centers. He graduated JMU with a BA in Psychology and an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor. In his spare time, he likes binge-watching comedies, reading webcomics, and exploring downtown Harrisonburg.
