2025-2026 ECWCA Board

President and Mentoring Editor of the ECWCA Journal (2025-2027): Grace Pregent (she/her), Michigan State University, [email protected]

Grace Pregent is the Director of the Writing Center at Michigan State University and faculty in Writing and Rhetoric and in Global Studies. Her research, teaching, and community engagement work focus on social justice, narrative theory, partnership building, and organizational management. Grace’s recent work appears in The Writing Lab Newsletter, College Composition and Communication, and the edited collections Public Feminisms and Queer Praxis in the Writing Center: Expanding Intersectional Paradigms. Her book, In Praise of the Minor Character (2023), was published by McFarland Press. Grace enjoys running, traveling, and hiking with friends and family and currently serves as the secretary of the Western Michigan Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.

One punctuation Grace can't live without: I have always loved an em dash.

Vice President (2025-2027): Megan Connor (she/her), John Carroll University, [email protected]

 

Megan Connor is the Writing Center Director at John Carroll University. She has been involved with writing centers for almost twenty years in a variety of capacities, including as an undergraduate tutor, graduate assistant director, director establishing a new WC in a high school, and now director at a small liberal arts college. Megan’s work with writing centers has taught her the importance of building relationships. Specifically, she had learned that listening to understand is essential to building strong relationships. In her role as Vice President, she plans to use this kind of listening to continue the community building ECWCA is already doing.

One punctuation Megan can't live without: Parentheses. I take most of them out when I revise, but I can't live without them in my initial drafting.

Past President (2025-2027): Christina Klimo (she/her), University of Dayton, [email protected]

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, I studied at the University of Dayton where I received my BA and MA in English. After graduation, I spent 8 years as a technical writer. I returned to UD in 2008 to run the writing center. Recently, I have been appointed the Academic Services Coordinator. In this role, I supervise the writing center and also tutoring, embedded tutoring, and Supplemental Instruction. ECWCA has been an important part of my professional journey! I am grateful for all the support of my regional friends! I live near Cincinnati with my husband and am the mom to three kids.

One punctuation Christina can't live without: Exclamation points!

Secretary (2025-2027): Zachery Koppelmann (he/him), Wabash College, [email protected]

I started working in writing centers in the fall of 2005 at Boise State University, and I have been active in writing center conferences and writing centers ever since. I'm now the Director of the Writing Center at Wabash College, one of the few remaining all-male colleges in the country. I love the nuances and options available in writing, and enjoy any discussion about writing and rhetorical grammar.

One punctuation Zachery can't live without: Semicolon. Most useful mark for focus and connection.

Treasurer: Trixie G. Smith (she/her), Michigan State University, [email protected]

Trixie Smith is Director of Graduate Studies in Rhetoric and Writing at MSU, Director of GALE (Global Alliances in Literacy and Engagement), and Director of the Red Cedar Writing Project. Since joining the faculty at MSU in August 2007, she has taught a wide range of courses and directed the writing center for 16 years. Her teaching and research are infused with issues of gender, queerness, and activism even as they revolve around writing center theory and practice, WAC/WID, writing pedagogy, and teacher training. Likewise these areas often intersect with her interests in embodiment, community and global engagement, and the idea that we’re just humans learning with/from other humans (you know, with bodies, feelings, lives outside the academy). She has served on numerous boards and committees including the CCCC Executive Committee, ECWCA, IWCA, and MiWCA and spends much of her time helping develop research and writing centers globally.

One punctuation Trixie can't live without: A colon!

At-Large Representative (2027-2030): Beth Sabo (she/her), Michigan State University, [email protected]

Beth Sabo is the Associate Director of Curriculum at Michigan State University. Over the past (almost) 20 years, she has worked in three different 4-year institutions’ writing centers and has taught writing in high school, in first-year writing, and in upper-level writing-intensive courses. She is passionate about supporting the teaching of writing in all disciplines, especially the sciences. In her free time, Beth loves reading with her cat, Darcy, on her lap.

One punctuation Beth can't live without: The period. Sometimes a sentence just needs to end.

At-Large Representative (2024-2027): Jill Tussing (she/her), Wright State University, [email protected]

I’m the Director of the University Writing Center and Peer Academic Coaching at Wright State University, where I love helping students succeed through peer support! I graduated from Wright State with degrees in Composition & Rhetoric and Student Affairs in Higher Education. Outside of work, I love reading, walking my dogs, 90's sitcoms, and hanging out with my family.

One punctuation Jill can't live without: I'm a sucker for an em dash—the most versatile punctuation mark, in my opinion.

At-Large Representative (2025-2028): Jackie Kauza, University of Michigan, [email protected]

I started working in writing centers as an undergrad and never looked back! I now study writing centers, the teaching of writing, and Writing Across the Curriculum/Writing in the Disciplines, all with the goal of better understanding how writing functions in different communities in order to teach students how to join those communities and develop their own communication skills.

One punctuation Jacqueline can't live without: Em-dash. How dare AI chatbots further sully the reputation of this maligned punctuation mark.

Two-Year College Representative (2027-2030): Eugene Oswald (he/him), Sinclair Community College, [email protected]

Eugene’s educational background is in applied linguistics and French. He has worked at Sinclair Community College since 2018. He is passionate about foreign language education, teaching English to speakers of other languages, and ensuring all students are welcomed. In his free time, Eugene loves spending time with his dogs, playing Pokémon, and traveling.

One punctuation Eugene can't live without: Period (too many comma splices!)

Graduate Student Representative (2025-2027): Nicole K. Golden (she/her), Michigan State University, [email protected]

Hi, there! Nicole is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture at Michigan State University. Primarily, Nicole’s research centers Asian American rhetorics, writing center studies, and technical and professional communication. As a longtime writing center consultant, Nicole is excited to represent the region’s graduate student interests, and she invites you to reach out to her with any questions or concerns.

One punctuation Nicole can't live without: Colon

Undergraduate Student Representative (2026-2028): Bee Arslan (he/him), Michigan State University,  [email protected]

Hi there!! Bee is an international senior student who is majoring in Biochemistry and Biology. He has been a consultant at Michigan State University WC for a year and serves as one of the many coordinators. His work focuses on writing center research, educational policies, and environments. Bee is excited to represent the region’s undergraduate student interests, and he invites you to reach out to him with any questions or concerns.

One punctuation Kimberlee can't live without: Exclamation mark !!

K-12 Representative (2025-2027): Jeffery Austin (he/him), Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency, [email protected]

Since 2006, Jeffrey has been a middle school and high school classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a building-level and district-level department chair, a secondary school writing center director, and county-wide literacy consultant. Jeffrey was the founding director of the Skyline Writing Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, served as the IWCA K-12 Representative, and founded the Washtenaw County Writing Centers Project (WC2P) to grow secondary school writing centers in Southeast Michigan.

Jeffrey’s writing, advocacy, coaching, and teaching practice focus on building humanized, student-centered spaces, disciplinary literacies, equitable grading and assessment practices, and place-and-project based education.

One punctuation Jeffery can't live without: Parentheses (These always more to add!)

ECWCA Journal Editor: Marliee Brooks-Gillies (she/her), Alma College, [email protected]

Marilee Brooks-Gillies is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Alma College. She is the editor of the ECWCA Journal and a past president of the East Central Writing Centers Association. She is a cultural rhetorician whose research focuses on rhetorics of belonging with an emphasis on embodied identities and power. Her work can be found in CCC, Praxis, The Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics, The Peer Review, enculturation, and several book collections. She is an editor of Graduate Writing Across the Disciplines and special issues of Across the Disciplines and Harlot.

One punctuation Marliee can't live without: ;

2027 Conference Host: Mary Helen Truglia (she/her), Indiana University, Bloomington, [email protected]

Mary Helen Truglia is the Director of Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University Bloomington, where she oversees and mentors nearly fifty undergraduate and graduate writing tutors. She also works with instructors regarding best practices in writing pedagogy and runs workshops and learning communities as an Instructional Consultant with the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning. In addition to her writing center work, she has taught various iterations of composition, literature, and honors education courses at IUB and other institutions for fifteen years.

One punctuation Marliee can't live without: Parentheses, definitely (who doesn't love bonus information in a given sentence?)

Content Strategist (2025-2027): Cam Cavaliere (she/they), Miami University, [email protected]

Cam Cavaliere is a PhD candidate at Miami University of Ohio and Graduate Assistant Director of the Howe Writing Center. Their dissertation research focuses on how instructors of writing integrate education tools and technologies into their classrooms and pedagogies. They also have interests in writing center studies and feminist rhetorics. Their work can be found in Peitho and WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship. In her free time, Cam spends time with her dog Bo and partner Hunter by exploring Cincinnati. 

One punctuation Cam can't live without: !