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Ying Diao is an ethnomusicologist and cultural anthropologist whose work centers on the intersection of sound, media, and religion, with a particular focus on music, minority, and transnational cultural production in the China–Southeast Asia borderlands. She is the author of Faith by Aurality in China’s Ethnic Borderland: Media, Mobility, and Christianity at the Margins (University of Rochester Press, 2023). She was the 2022–2023 SSRC Arts Research with Communities of Color Fellow, during which she explored artistic innovation and community engagement of Ragamala Dance Company, exploring how South Indian diaspora artists navigate the U.S. performing arts industry to make their culturally rooted art forms accessible to contemporary audiences while challenging stereotypes about tradition, creativity, and community. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, an MA in Theory of Literature & Arts from Fudan University, and a BA in Chinese Language & Literature from Tsinghua University.

Carlos Mario Mejía Suárez is a professor of Spanish with a PhD from the University of Iowa. He teaches elementary and intermediate Spanish, along with courses on Latin American literature and culture. He also contributes regularly to LALACS, Comparative Literature, and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. Mejía Suárez has published numerous scholarly articles on Latin American literature and is the author of "Escrituras de lo diabólico" (2021). He has also published short stories in various print and online journals. His creative work includes the novellas "Antonieta de muchos nombres" (2024), "La máquina de Hotefes contra las tebiras" (2024), and novel "El señor de las erratas" (2025). His short stories have received  honorable mentions from Revista Archivos del Sur (2024) and the Plentitudes Short Fiction Prize (2025). His most recent research and writing focus on memory, nature, environmentalism, and contemporary Colombian literature.

Dr. Laura D. Triplett began her Gustavus career in 2008 with a faculty appointment in geology. Now established in the department of Environment, Geography and Earth Sciences, she teaches courses related to earth surface processes, environmental geochemistry, hydrogeology and climate change. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on topics as varied as reconstructing past water quality conditions in lakes and rivers, quantifying impacts of invasive species on freshwater geochemical cycling, and creating state-wide landslide susceptibility maps. In all her research, Dr. Triplett seeks out collaborations with community stakeholders. And, Dr. Triplett has involved Gustavus students in almost all aspects of her research program from designing preliminary studies, to executing major multi-year projects funded by external foundations and government agencies, to presenting findings at national scientific conferences.

Dr. Loramy (Mimi) Gerstbauer teaches courses in international relations, US foreign policy and Latin American Politics. She contributes to multiple interdisciplinary programs, with longtime leadership roles in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. Her research is on peacebuilding NGOs and transitional justice and reconciliation in international politics. She has published multiple peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and a book on apologies in US foreign policy. She served as a US Fulbright Scholar at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland, and taught at Kansai Gaidai University outside Osaka, Japan. She serves with the nonprofit organization, Peace and Hope International, working for human rights across Latin America, and has taken student groups to Nicaragua, Colombia, and Peru. She has been at Gustavus since 2001 and completed her PhD at the University of Notre Dame.    

Matthew earned a comprehensive bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His many years of experience include roles at UWEC, the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, the Heyde Center for the Arts in Chippewa Falls, and the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild in Eau Claire.

He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with honors including the Porter Award for Creativity in Theatre. Since graduate school, Matthew has been the Technical Director for the Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, Montana, the TD and Scenic/Lighting/Sound Designer for the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre, and a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

At Gustavus he teaches a variety of technical theatre courses while overseeing the construction of the scenic elements for all of the department's productions in both theatre and dance. He enjoys juggling and magic in his free time.

Peg O’Connor is the author of the forthcoming book on addiction and recovery titled, Recovering Character: Knowing How to Belong to Yourself. She is the author of three other books on addiction including Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering (Wildhouse Publishing, 2022), Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery (Central Recovery Press, 2016), and The SoberPhilosopher Workbook for Exploring Addiction and Creating Recovery (Wildhouse Publishing, 2023). 

O’Connor is the author of the popular blog series, Philosophy Stirred, Not Shaken. The title of the series is a wink and nod to martinis. She has written opinion pieces for The New York Times, The Minnesota Star Tribune, USA Today, The Daily Herald, and Dallas Morning Herald. O’Connor has appeared on numerous television, radio, and podcast programs and has been quoted as an expert in publications ranging from The New York Times to Cosmo.

Sarah Ruble is a Professor of Religion and specializes in the history of Christianity in the United States. She is the author of The Gospel of Freedom and Power: Protestant Missionaries in American Culture After World War II (University of North Carolina Press, 2012). She has also published articles on topics such as gender in U.S. religious history, the American missionary movement, and Lutheran contributions to American religion. Dr. Ruble is also a frequent presenter at adult forums and lifelong learning programs. She has developed two YouTube-based curricula for adult forums, one on the history of Christianity and race in the United States and the other on the development of Christian doctrine. Both are available on her website sarahruble.com.

At Gustavus, Dr. Ruble teaches a broad range of courses in the Religion Department. She also currently serves as the Faculty Director of Assessment and as Gustavus’s Accreditation Liaison Officer. In 2025 she was awarded the Faculty Service Award for her contributions to the Gustavus community.

Scott Moore has enjoyed more than four decades of experience as a musician and educator. His career includes over a thousand concerts with renowned American orchestras and jazz legends to collaborating with pop music icons and touring Broadway productions. He is the only bass trombonist to have studied in the Juilliard School's Professional Studies program.

Now that he has moved beyond the stage, Dr. Moore is a dedicated mentor at the College, where he challenges students to rethink their attitudes and perspectives. His core message to students is to cultivate resilience by embracing a positive outlook and understanding the powerful idea that we can become what we think about. He has served as a department chair and has taught a wide range of courses, from music theory and history to technology and academic research. Currently, his courses on pop music and seminars for first-year and advanced students focus on a powerful lesson: the joy of creation should always be celebrated over the stress of competition.

Dr. Annalise Rivas teaches all levels of Russian language at Gustavus, as well as contributing to the Eastern European & Eurasian Studies and Comparative Literature programs through courses on Eurasian culture, film, media, and literature. Her scholarly interests focus on pedagogical practices in the teaching of foreign languages, particularly the use of authentic literary texts in building language proficiency. In addition to language pedagogy, Annalise recently focused her scholarly efforts on diversifying and amplifying the voices of Russian speakers from outside of the Russian Federation, including receiving a fellowship to spend time in Central Asia learning more about variations in Russian language use. Prior to arriving at Gustavus, Annalise lived and worked in several different countries, sparking a curiosity and love of travel that she strives to share with students through telling stories, cooking regional foods, and encouraging international experiences. 

Dr. Chad Winterfeldt is Cantor of Christ Chapel where he oversees music in the chapel, teaches music theory and church music, directs the handbell ensembles, and maintains an active organ studio. He has received the Swenson-Bunn Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence, a recognition by which nominations and selections are administered wholly by Gustavus students. Chad holds degrees from the University of Nebraska, Yale University, and Concordia College, Moorhead. A frequent recitalist, he has performed internationally for the Early Music Festival in Wittenberg, Germany, and in solo performances in Leipzig (Thomaskirche) and Naumburg (Wenzelskirche), Germany. Other notable recitals include complete performances of Messiaen’s La Nativité and Bach’s Leipzig Chorales. He collaborates often with the choirs, bands, and orchestras at Gustavus and enjoys liturgical playing for worship services. An active church musician, he is Director of Music at Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Ernest Briggs is a professor of Theater and teaching Performance 1 and Performance 2, Improv, Directing and World Theater Analysis. He has recently directed The Secret in the Wings, Transforming and previously directed The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Gustavus. Briggs has been a Warner Bros Discovery Early Access Early Career Bootcamp Fellow, Guthrie Theater Theater Management Fellow, and Park Square Directing Fellow. 

Ernest Briggs has been an actor, director, producer and teaching artist for more than 15 years. He has been seen on the stages at Guthrie Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, Park Square Theater, South Coast Repertory, Pangea World Theatre, Children's Theatre and in films such as Unholy Communion, Ode for Leviticus, and Sold Out. 

Dr. Glenn Kranking is a historian of Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Russia, and Eastern Europe. He has lived, studied, and researched extensively in Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Russia. In addition to his regular rotation of courses, Glenn has also taught courses on Nordic explorers, disaster films, and movie musicals. Glenn is currently working on a book manuscript about the Swedish minority population in Estonia during the Second World War as the region passed from independent to occupations by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany; during that time frame, the majority of the Swedish population fled to Sweden as wartime refugees. He also researches and teaches on propaganda, with a recent interest in political stickers as urban propaganda. During summer months, he routinely works as an expert lecturer with Smithsonian Journeys on tours through Scandinavia, around the Baltic and North Seas, and the Rhine River Valley.