Meet the National Executive Committee
Don Zeigler (President) is Professor of Geography at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His affiliation with GTU began in 1970 when he was inducted into Shippensburg University’s Omicron Chapter. After arriving at Old Dominion, he founded the Zeta Chi Chapter and served as its faculty sponsor for many years. Before becoming President, Don served as National 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice-President. In 1997 Don served as President of the National Council for Geographic Education. At Old Dominion, Don teaches courses in cultural, urban, and political geography, and several on-line courses for teachers. His regional interest is the Middle East, where he has traveled extensively. Don likes nothing better than grabbing his camera and backpack and setting off for a few weeks of travel in the Mediterranean realm – or anywhere else. In 2009, he was awarded the Association of American Geographers’ Grosvenor Honors in Geographic Education.
Randy Bertolas (1st Vice President) is Professor of Geography and Chair of the Department of History, Politics, and Geography at Wayne State College in northeast Nebraska. Randy was initiated into the Mu Chapter at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1980. In 2002 he chartered the Lambda Zeta Chapter of GTU at Wayne State College. Between degrees Randy taught high school math and earth science and coached collegiate and prep level wrestling. During the early 1990s, Randy conducted field research on the perception of wilderness from the perspective of Cree Indians in northern Quebec. His current research and teaching interests include natural disasters and recreation, tourism, and sports geography. In 2004, Dr. Bertolas became coordinator of the Geographic Educators of Nebraska, part of the grassroots network of state alliances affiliated with the National Geographic Society that is dedicated to improving and increasing geography education in the nation’s K-12 classrooms. Outside of his classroom teaching, Randy takes students to conferences, leads class field trips, and involves geography majors in the Nebraska State Geographic Bee. Each day Randy emulates his father’s wise advice: “…find a job you love and never work a day in your life!”
Thomas A. Wikle (2nd Vice President) is Professor of Geography and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University. Tom was initiated into the Chi Chapter at Oklahoma State while serving as chapter sponsor in the early 1990s. From 1994 until 1998 he served as Southwest Regional Councilor. At OSU Tom teaches physical geography and a senior/graduate field course exploring natural and cultural resource management in U.S. national parks. His published research has examined topics in human geography ranging from the diffusion of language to the adoption of cellular telephone technology. Dr. Wikle’s recent work with colleagues in OSU’s Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events examined mass burial practices in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the establishment of shelters along the Mississippi coastline in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina. His outreach and fieldwork has taken him to Jordan, Iraq, Vietnam and southeastern India. In his free time Tom works as a flight instructor at Stillwater Regional Airport.
Howard Johnson (Past President) earned two degrees from Valparaiso University and a Ph.D. in Geography from Michigan State. Howard was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for several years before joining the faculty at Jacksonville State University in Alabama where he taught for 34 years and served as department head for 30. He retired from JSU in 2007. Howard has served GTU beginning in 1971 as a chapter sponsor and then as Regional Councilor, 2 nd Vice President, 1 st Vice President, and President. When not traveling, Dr. Johnson and his wife Michal LeVasseur enjoy living in their forest with a variety of creatures, domesticated and not. Howard is active in community theater and enjoys golf and photography.
James
Lowry (Executive Secretary) is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography at the University
of New Orleans. James was initiated into the Beta Iota chapter at East Carolina University in 1986 while working
on his MA degree in geography. Subsequently he was president of the Zeta Upsilon chapter at the University
of Arizona in the late 1980s while completing his Ph.D. studies In 1996 James played a key role in reactivating
the Alpha Pi Chapter at East Central University where he served as faculty advisor until 2002. Dr. Lowry also
served as Southwest Regional Councilor from 1999 until 2007. In 2002 James moved to Stephen F. Austin State
University where he served as faculty sponsor for the Kappa Gamma Chapter. In 2006 he joined the UNO Faculty
where he reactivated the Zeta Lambda Chapter. James was elected National 2nd Vice President in 2007 and in
2008 became GTU’s Executive Secretary. His teaching and research focuses on cultural ecology and the
perception of hazards. James is an animal lover and lives with two beagles (Jesse and Daisy) and one
cat (Danny).
Jeff Lash (Recording Secretary) earned a B.A. in Art History in 1992 from the University of Texas at Austin. He then studied in San Francisco at Transworld Teachers, earning a certificate to teach English as a Second Language. Jeff subsequently moved to San Jose, Costa Rica where he taught English. In 1994, Jeff began his graduate career at Texas State University at San Marcos, earning a masters degree in geography education (1996). Jeff then took a leave of absence from academic life, moving to Morocco where he taught geography at Al Akhawayn University. He returned to Texas State in 1997 and completed his Ph.D. in Geography (2001). Jeff’s dissertation was entitled “Exporting Education: The Case of the American University in Cairo.” He is currently Geography Program Chair and an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Houston-Clear Lake where he also serves as faculty sponsor of the Lambda Tau Chapter. Dr. Lash teaches a wide variety of geography courses and continues to conduct research locally and internationally on human development through education. His free time is consumed by cycling and parenting two young boys.
Michal L. LeVasseur (Comptroller) did herundergraduate and graduate work in anthropology, geography, and science education as preparation for a teaching and administrative career in geography, earth science, and science education at the university level. Having recently retired as Executive Director of the National Council for Geographic Education, Michal now works with the National Geographic Society as a liaison to ten state geography alliances. Gamma Theta Upsilon has been part of Michal’s life since her initiation into the Kappa Kappa Chapter at the University of South Florida (USF) in 1971. Upon joining the geography faculty at USF, she served as Kappa Kappa Chapter advisor. Dr. LeVasseur has served GTU as 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, President, and Past President. Michal’s passion is travel -- anywhere, anytime. Tibet and Inner Mongolia are special places for Michal. She describes Tibet in the early 1980s as being like another planet with a universal language that is not spoken but understood. She recalls a young women and two young men on a pilgrimage to the Potala taking her hand and including her with only a few soft-spoken words. Her trip through Inner Mongolia on horseback was magical, combining her love of horses, open spaces, and new cultures.
Catherine M. Lockwood (Historian) is Professor of Geography in the Department of Social Sciences at Chadron State College (CSC), Chadron, Nebraska. Catherine was initiated into the Zeta Psi Chapter at Bemidji State University in 1986. She has served on the GTU Executive Committee for 22 years as a student representative, 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, President, and Past President. As the only geographer at CSC, she offers a broad range of courses from world, cultural, physical, and area geography to map use, aerial photography interpretation, and advanced techniques and research methods. Dr. Lockwood works closely with students helping them to develop skills and knowledge that are transferable to other subject areas. She encourages educators to use a synthesized approach for understanding, teaching, and applying geographic techniques and concepts within their curriculum. Besides full-time teaching, she is Editor of the Journal of Geography (2004-2010), Chair of ASPRS’ Education and Professional Development Committee (2007-2009), and Co-coordinator for the WETMAAP Project (1996-current). She has received grants from local, state, and federal sources for wetland and education cooperative projects. Catherine’s free time is spent reading, travelling, in the field, and designing needle art.
Mitch Stimmers (Senior Student Representative) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography at Kansas State University where he will graduate in the Spring of 2010. He was initiated into the Beta Psi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1999 where he served as chapter vice president and representative to the Honors Week Steering Committee. At Kansas State Mitch also serves as Historian for the Delta Tau Chapter where he has previously served as chapter president and vice president. His research interests are center on natural hazards and disasters, specifically tornadoes and tornado classification. For Mitch’s dissertation he is developing an index to rate the impact if a tornado event on communities with consideration to past events, fatalities, injuries, and monetary damage. When not working or teaching he enjoys golf and bowling as well as watching hockey (since there aren’t too many places to play in Kansas).
Dawn Drake (Junior Student Representative) is a second year Ph.D. student in the Geography Department at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She was initiated into the Gamma Omega Alpha Chapter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2000 where she served as both Vice President and President. Dawn was instrumental in establishing the Lambda Sigma Chapter at the University of Delaware in 2006 and is one of its eight charter members. Her research interests include economic geography, industrial location, and precision agriculture. Dawn is a teaching assistant for human geography classes as she pursues her dissertation research that examines geographic manifestations of the business literature using a case study of the U.S. farm machinery industry. Beyond her GTU duties, Dawn serves as student representative to the Rural Geography Specialty Group of the AAG and as a member of the Board of Directors for the AAG’s Graduate Student Affinity Group. She is also the first student representative appointed to the Steering Committee of the Southeastern Division of the AAG. In this capacity she has been assisting with local arrangements for SEDAAG’s 2009 meeting. Dawn looks forward to improving the GTU experience for students. In her spare time, she collects and restores antique tractors.
Steven Schnell (Editor, The Geographical Bulletin) is Associate Professor of Geography at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and editor of The Geographical Bulletin, the peer-reviewed journal of student research in geography published by GTU. Dr. Schnell was initiated into GTU while a faculty member at Northwest Missouri State University in 1998 where he served as GTU Faculty Sponsor. At Kutztown University Steve teaches courses in cultural geography, globalization, the geography of the US and Canada, the geography of sub-Saharan Africa, and a senior seminar. His current research interests focus on the creation of local economies in an age of globalization, including an emphasis on sustainable, local agriculture. In his free time Steve pursues interests in travelling, gardening, hiking, and letterboxing.
Richard A. Earl, Omega Omega (Alumni) Chair, was inducted into the GTU Theta chapter at Arizona State University in 1979 after active participation in the geography clubs at UCLA and Cal State University-Northridge. Upon completion of his Ph.D. he became chapter sponsor of the Kappa Xi chapter at New Mexico State. Since 1994 he has served as the sponsor of the Kappa Upsilon chapter at Texas State University that was selected the Chapter of the Year for 1997 and 2004. He has served as the Omega Omega (Alumni) chair on the Board of Directors since 1996. He began teaching at Texas State in 1991 focusing upon physical and environmental geography. Currently he is Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator in that burgeoning program with over 600 undergraduate majors. Over the years he has led a number of field excursions and for field trips for academic credit and professional conferences to Europe, Chile, the American Southwest, and the U.S. – Mexico border region. Besides travel and hiking in geographically “interesting” areas, his favorite activities include jogging, skiing-snow and water, and auto/boat restoration.
Christopher Cusack (New England/St. Lawrence Valley Regional Councilor) is an Associate Professor of Geography at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. Cusack has served as Faculty Sponsor to the Theta Beta chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon for nearly a decade. Chapter activities have been primarily focused around guest lectures and social events, as well as service learning experiences. His research record includes publications on comparative urbanization, as well as urbanization in the developing world and the garden city movement in the United States. Dr. Cusack’s current research interest focuses on urban sustainability in the developing world, with particular concentration on east Africa. Cusack is past-president of the Regional Development and Planning Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers. His travels include many personal and professional trips to various points around the world. His most recent venture was a field course with Keene State College students to Peru, while his favorite place to have visited is St. Petersburg, Russia.
Lisa M. DeChano-Cook (East Lakes Regional Councilor) is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Western Michigan University (WMU). Lisa’s educational background includes a B.S. (General Physics, Juniata College), a M.S. (Space Studies, University of North Dakota), M.A. (Geography, Ohio University), and a Ph.D. (Environmental Geography, Texas State University, formerly Southwest Texas State University). Lisa was inducted into GTU in 1995 while at the University of North Dakota. She was actively involved in GTU at Ohio University and at Texas State. She has held every GTU office as a student and has been the faculty sponsor for GTU at WMU. Lisa’s research interests encompass physical and environmental geography, natural hazards and hazards perception, geographic education and sports geography. She is a co-author on a book focusing on natural disasters and education and is the co-editor of Research in Geographic Education (RGE). Lisa’s teaching responsibilities focus on physical geography and environmental impacts. She plays an active in national and state organizations that promote geography through service on a National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) committee and as coordinator for the Michigan finals of the National Geographic Bee.
Jonathan Herbert (Southeastern Regional Councilor) is a geography professor in the Physical and Earth Sciences Department at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Alabama. John was initiated into GTU while a Ph.D. student at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He presently serves as GTU chapter sponsor at Jacksonville State. John teaches physical geography, map reading, and climatology. His research interests focus on climate change, especially regional impacts on national parks.
Juana Ibáñez (Southwest Regional Councilor) is Instructor and Undergraduate Advisor at the University of New Orleans. Ms. Ibáñez was initiated into Zeta Lambda Chapter at University of New Orleans in 2006 as the chapter’s faculty sponsor. Her background as an archaeologist is helpful in the cultural and physical geography themed courses she teaches. In her spare time she is renovating a Katrina flooded home with her husband. She also spends time quilting, visiting her sons and extended family, and reading mysteries, futuristic science fiction, and Newberry Award children’s books.
Donald J. Berg (Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Regional Counselor) is a Professor in the Department of Geography and History at South Dakota State University (SDSU). He was initiated into the Eta Chapter in 1984. At SDSU Dr. Berg teaches introductory physical geography, world regional geography, environmental hazards and disasters, transportation geography and energy resources, and the history of American Indians. His most recent work is a contribution to Earth: A Concise Atlas (Millennium House) and two new volumes now being edited. From 1994 to 2008 he served as Secretary-Treasurer for the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Div. of the AAG. Prior to receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Berg served with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam Conflict (1966-1969). He enjoys being a step-grandfather with six grandchildren. Donald and his wife also take pleasure in working with students and sharing their travel experiences.
Killian Ying (Pacific Coast Regional Councilor) is Professor of Geography at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). In 1980 he was initiated into Beta Zeta Chapter as a graduate student at The Ohio State University (OSU) and later served as chapter secretary. While Chair of the CSLA Geography Department, Killian became the Lambda Pi Chapter’s first faculty sponsor (2004). He continues to serve as faculty sponsor and was appointed Pacific Coast Regional Councilor in 2009. Dr. Ying obtained his B.S. in economics from the University of Houston, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in geography from The Ohio State University. He held a joint lectureship (assistant professorship) in geography and urban planning at the University of Hong Kong from 1984 to 1988 before returning to the United States. Dr. Ying’s teaching interests include demography, medical geography, methodology, and statistics. His research has appeared in Urban Geography, Urban Studies, and TheGeographical Review. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he enjoys reading, watching sports on television, and babysitting his three grandchildren.
John Benhart, Jr. (Middle States Regional Counselor) is Professor and Chair in the Department of Geography and Regional Planning at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. John was a long time faculty co-sponsor of the Gamma Omega Alpha Chapter of GTU at IUP along with Ruth Shirey. John has been serving as the Middle States Regional Councilor for GTU since 2007. Besides teaching and serving as department chair at IUP, John is also the Director of the Institute of Mine Mapping, Archival Procedures, and Safety, ensuring that spatial data about Pennsylvania mines is organized and accessible to emergency officials and mine operators. In this capacity, John is able to provide undergraduate and graduate students at IUP with hands-on experience with GIS. In addition to research interests in GIS, John has also studied land use change in Bulgaria and is the author of Appalachian Aspirations: The Geography of Urbanization and Development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1865-1900.