Office of Community-Based Learning Announces 2026-27 Faculty Collaborative This year’s collaborative includes 16 faculty members representing a variety of disciplines.

By Brian Laubscher
September 15, 2026

The Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL) at Washington and Lee University has announced the members of its fifth CBL Faculty Collaborative, who will receive training and work with students and community leaders to strengthen partnerships in the surrounding community.

The collaborative program provides faculty and instructors with the best and most innovative practices in community-based learning, offering them key resources and connections across the university of foster professional and institutional growth.

Participants in the program design their own CBL courses and teach classes that are intended to make a positive impact on the local community. This year’s collaborative includes 16 faculty members, the largest group in the program’s five-year history.

“The response to outreach this year about the collaborative has been above and beyond our expectations,” said Sascha Goluboff, director of Community-Based Learning and professor of cultural anthropology. “I believe this shows the positive resonance that service-learning and community engagement have with our faculty. I can’t wait to see what amazing opportunities they create for our students in partnership with our generous community partners.”

The 2026-27 CBL Faculty Collaborative includes the following faculty members:

Emma Aldrich ’22, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering
Aldrich joined the W&L faculty this summer after earning a Ph.D. in biological engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and biology from W&L.

Brian Brockbank, Assistant Professor of Accounting
Brockbank is in his third year at W&L after six years as an assistant professor of accounting and one year as a visiting assistant professor of accounting at Oklahoma State University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Oklahoma.

Calvin Bryan, Assistant Professor of Economics
Bryan is in his second year at W&L after serving as a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University, where he earned a Ph.D. in natural resource economics. Previously, he was a recreation technician with the U.S. Forest Service and a sixth-grade math teacher with the Teach for America program. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science in bioenvironmental science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in economics from San Diego State University in addition to his Ph.D.

Kimberly Eller, Assistant Professor of Journalism
Eller is in her first year as a member of the W&L faculty after eight years with Hearst Television. She served as news director at WJCL in Savannah, Georgia, and assistant news director at WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and KSBW in Salinas, California. She also spent nearly 19 years as a producer with WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia. Eller holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Hollins University.

Zannatul Ferdous, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
Ferdous is in her first year at W&L after serving as an adjunct professor at George Mason University. She has also taught at Trinity Washington University and the University of Dhaka (Bangladesh) and was a graduate student researcher at Imperial College London (U.K.), where she earned a Ph.D. in life sciences research. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology and a Master of Science in public health from Dhaka, a master’s degree in oncology and cancer biology from the University of Leicester (U.K.) and a master’s degree in data science from Eastern University in Pennsylvania.

Jacob Kraus, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
Kraus is in his second year as a member of the W&L faculty after serving as a visiting assistant professor of biology at Bates College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Reed College and a Ph.D. in integrative biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Hye Rin Lee, Visiting Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
Lee is in her first year at W&L after serving as a postdoctoral researcher and teaching associate at the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research. She has also served as an adjunct professor at California State University, Long Beach, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Delaware. Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from Franklin & Marshall College and a Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Irvine.

Johanna Lehnert, Visiting Instructor of German
Lehnert is in her second year at W&L after serving as a teaching assistant during the 2025-26 academic year. She recently earned a Master of Arts in American studies and German from University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and teaching from the University of Cologne (Germany).

Quinn Lester, Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics
Lester returned to W&L this summer after two years as a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Johns Hopkins University and one year as a visiting assistant professor at George Washington University. Previously, he served as a visiting assistant professor at W&L in 2022. Lester holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics and religious studies from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in political theory from Johns Hopkins.

Sybil Prince Nelson ’01, P’28, P’30 Associate Professor of Mathematics
Prince Nelson has served as a member of the W&L faculty since 2020 after spending four years as a visiting faculty member at The Citadel. She has also taught at Ashley Hall School and Georgetown Day School. She currently serves as W&L’s AI fellow, assisting faculty and students in their use of artificial intelligence. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and music from W&L, a Master of Science in mathematics from the College of Charleston and a Ph.D. in biostatistics from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Ehi Rajsky, Assistant Professor of Accounting
Rajsky is in her fifth year as a member of the W&L faculty. Before entering teaching, she was a public accountant specializing in tax compliance for alternative investment partnerships. She holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), an MBA in accounting from LaSalle University and a Ph.D. in business administration from Temple University.

Jaime Roots, Assistant Professor of German
Roots has taught at W&L since 2019, first as a visiting assistant professor and eventually as assistant professor. Before W&L, she was a lecturer in German at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Roots holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and German from the University of Idaho, as well as a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine.

Nathan Shearer, Associate Professor of Physical Education and Wrestling Coach
Shearer is in his 15th year as wrestling coach and associate professor of physical education. He has led the Generals to three conference titles and guided his student-athletes to six All-America citations. Shearer coached at Heidelberg University and Ohio Northern University before arriving at W&L. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in social studies from Ohio Northern University and a Master of Education in intervention services from Bowling Green State University.

Francisco Tijerina, Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish
Tijerina is in his first year at W&L after serving as a graduate student lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis where he earned a Ph.D. in Hispanic studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and digital media and a Master of Arts in humanistic studies from Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico).

Christian Walkes, DeLaney Center Postdoctoral Fellow
Walkes is also in his first year at W&L after serving as an adjunct lecturer with the Museum of African American History at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and secondary education from UMass Boston and also holds a Master of Arts in educational studies from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in education from Harvard University.

Wenqi Yang, Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies
Yang is in her second year as a member of the W&L faculty after serving as a visiting assistant professor within the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University. She was a Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Grinnell College, where she was also a lecturer in the Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies Department. Additionally, Yang was an instructor and teaching assistant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she earned a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in East Asian studies. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Tsinghua University (China).