Our People
Hannah Drea
Hannah Drea, MS, BSN, PHN is Nursing Faculty, a Clinical Instructor, and the Clinical Coordinator within the Gustavus Nursing Program. She has taught a variety of courses across the nursing curriculum, including Medical–Surgical Clinical, Pre-Health Professions, Public Health, and Public Health Clinical. Through these diverse teaching experiences, she supports students at different stages of their academic and professional development. She is committed to the College’s liberal arts mission, striving to help students reach their full potential, foster a passion for lifelong learning, and prepare them for lives of leadership and service. Her teaching pedagogy emphasizes student-centered and collaborative learning, encouraging students to actively construct knowledge through experiential learning while adapting to diverse learning styles.
In her role as Clinical Coordinator, Hannah facilitates high-quality clinical learning experiences by securing, scheduling, and managing student placements across healthcare settings while ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards. She serves as a liaison between the nursing program and clinical partners, overseeing site contracts, coordinating student and faculty orientations, and tracking required clinical hours. Her responsibilities include clinical placement management, partnership development with healthcare organizations, and comprehensive compliance and documentation oversight—such as immunizations, CPR certification, background checks, HIPAA training, and adherence to site-specific policies. She also monitors and evaluates the quality and effectiveness of clinical experiences to support continuous improvement and student success.
Hannah brings clinical expertise to her teaching, with a strong background in medical–surgical and endoscopy nursing. Her experience in the Endoscopy Unit includes colonoscopies, esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCPs), BRAVO placements, dilations, pre-operative EGDs for bariatric surgery, and bronchoscopies. She has also been involved in the implementation of robotic bronchoscopies, reflecting her engagement with advancing clinical technologies.
In her medical–surgical nursing practice, Hannah specialized in the care of patients with gastrointestinal and urinary conditions, hospice and end-of-life needs, cancer-related complications, post-surgical recovery, withdrawal management, and a wide range of other medical and surgical conditions. This breadth of experience informs her ability to connect theory to practice and prepare students for the complexities of clinical care.
In addition to her clinical coordination and teaching responsibilities, Hannah is actively engaged in professional service and collaboration through the Gustavus Nursing Program Local Advisory Board, the Minnesota Nursing Student Internship Consortium, and the MN Academic Networking Group. These collaborative groups provide guidance and direction to support best student outcomes by strengthening the connection between didactic course knowledge and clinical practice.
She actively participates in ongoing continuing education to remain current in nursing practice and education. Her professional memberships include the National League for Nursing and the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, through which she stays connected to best practices in nursing education and clinical coordination, further enriching her work with students and colleagues.
Our People
Sean Easton
Seán Easton is a professor of Greek, Latin and Classical Studies (GLCS). His research and teaching are focused on three main areas: Representations of Ancient Greece and Rome in visual media, especially movies and television; epic poetry and later writers who adapt it from it (especially Shakespeare); and environmental thought, peacemaking and the conflict emotions in ancient Greece and Rome. He teaches courses in the following interdisciplinary programs: Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies (PJCS); Comparative Literature; Environmental Studies; Film Studies; and Sports Management. He has published articles and chapters on the Roman epic poet Lucan and the representations of Alexander the Great in Sohrab Modi’s film 'Sikandar' (India, 1941) and Oliver Stone’s 'Alexander' (USA, 2004), the Greco-Persian Wars in the '300' franchise films, Greek and Roman myth in John Frankenheimer’s classic 'Seconds' (1966), Terrence Malick’s epic 'New World' (2005), and George Nolfi’s adventure-romance 'The Adjustment Bureau' (2011).
Our People
Michelle Twait
Michelle Twait has served as a librarian and faculty member at Gustavus since 2000. She provides research assistance and library instruction, builds the collection in several areas (with particular responsibility for the reference collection), and participates in the shared management of the library. Michelle's research interests include the psychology of decision making, information-seeking behavior, libraries as mentoring communities, and U.S. women's history.
Our People
Wade Green
Dr. Green serves as continuing assistant professor and clinical education coordinator for the Master of Athletic Training Program. He has both clinical and didactic experience in the areas of orthopedics, rehabilitation, primary care, and diagnostic ultrasound. He has published in the Journal of Athletic Training Education on parallels between primary care and the athletic training practice. He is also a practicing clinician for the past 18 years in college/university, multi-specialty orthopedics, performing arts, and occupational health settings.
Our People
Kyle Chambers
Kyle E. Chambers is the Associate Provost for Institutional Research & Analytics. He leads a team focused on leveraging data to support strategic decision-making across the institution. Kyle oversees the development of data dashboards, research reports, and surveys that inform key areas such as student success, resource allocation, and program development. By collaborating with academic and administrative departments, he helps the college use data insights to enhance institutional effectiveness and foster a culture of informed decision-making that benefits the entire Gustavus community.
Kyle also serves chair of the Gustavus IRB (2020-present), and prior to joining the Provost's Office, he was the chair of the Department of Psychological Science (2017-2020). His research interests have been in cognitive development, typically focusing on issues related to language learning.
Our People
Kate Knutson
Dr. Kate Knutson began her Gustavus career in the Political Science department in 2005. Kate's areas of focus are U.S. politics and public policy, and she teaches courses on public policy, interest groups, Congress, women and politics, and child welfare policy. She is the recipient of the Edgar M. Carlson Award for Distinguished Teaching (2020) and the Swenson-Bunn Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence (2024). Kate’s research focuses on the role of advocacy groups in the creation of public policy. She is author of "Interfaith Advocacy: The Role of Religious Coalitions in Political Process" and a textbook, "An Introduction to U.S. Public Policy: Theory and Practice." Kate serves as the faculty advisor to Pi Sigma Alpha (the political science honor society), Building Bridges, and Proclaim. Outside of Gustavus, Kate volunteers with Seeds of Hope, a faith-based summer camp for kids from southern Minnesota who are served by the social services system.
Our People
Laura Burrack
Laura Burrack is a Professor of Biology. Her area of expertise is in microbiology and molecular genetics. Professor Burrack has an active research program at Gustavus with undergraduates that focuses on better understanding how fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans, an organism that causes infections in humans like thrush and candidemia, evolve resistance and tolerance to antifungal drugs.
Professor Burrack has contributed to eighteen peer-reviewed scientific papers and has co-authored multiple research papers with Gustavus students. She recently won the Janet Anderson Award from the Midstates Consortium for Math and Sciences for her work mentoring students in undergraduate research.
She teaches classes in the Biology department such as Cellular and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Cancer Biology. She was the Program Director for the Challenge Seminar Program from 2022—2025 and is currently the Chair of the Biology Department.
When not in the classroom or the lab, Professor Burrack enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with cooking and baking.
Our People
Lisa Ortmann
Lisa Ortmann, PhD is the Grace and Bertil Pehrson Endowed Professor and Associate Professor of Education at Gustavus. Dr. Ortmann’s education courses prepare future teachers across the grade levels and content areas to build a deep understanding of how children and adolescents learn to read and write, and the research-based methods of teaching literacy for all students. She was awarded the Innovation in Teaching Award from the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning for her “Literacy Histories” project, where education majors critically examine their own experiences of learning to read, write, and use language, identifying the ways their history shapes their teaching. She teaches a First Term Seminar course called “For the Love of Books!” where first-year students follow their curiosity as readers, reflecting on the value of literacy in their lives as citizens of a free and democratic society. Together, students build a reading community that sustains their values, shapes their identities, and expands their worldviews.
Dr. Ortmann’s scholarly work informs, and is informed by, her teaching and professional activities at the College and in the state. Her research areas include teachers’ uses of culturally responsive teaching practices and diverse literature, the instructional methods that support literacies of multilingual adolescent learners, and the impact of instructional coaching models to enhance teaching. Recent peer-reviewed publications include a co-authored study with a former Gustie student, “Developing Responsive Disciplinary Literacies for Student Teaching in Social Studies” in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and a state-wide study, "Surveying the Landscape: Minnesota's English Language Arts Teachers' Perspectives on Intellectual Freedom" in The Minnesota English Journal.
Dr. Ortmann’s professional service is in partnership with teachers and schools both locally and nationally. She is an engaged collaborator with Saint Peter and Mankato educators to design and facilitate real-world teaching opportunities for Gustie education majors at all stages of the four-year program. She serves the state of Minnesota as the Intellectual Freedom Chair for the board of the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English where she provides professional development to English Language Arts teachers across the state. She was selected to serve as a This Story Matters Teacher Corp Member on the National Council of Teachers of English to develop book rationales for teaching diverse literature. She consults and provides guidance on statewide reading initiatives for the Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and for the English Language Arts 2020 Standards development project with the Minnesota Department of Education.
In her moments of free time, you can find Dr. Ortmann outdoors at the lake or in her garden, reading a novel, running with her yellow lab Harley, or cheering loudly at her daughter’s performances and games. She is a passionate educator, who has found a home at Gustavus due to the life-long relationships that are built on campus. Mentoring new teachers into the profession is one of the greatest gifts of her career, especially when they return to campus with their own students.
Our People
Laura Hildreth
Dr. Laura Hildreth is an associate professor of statistics in the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics. Her teaching at Gustavus spans the entire statistics curriculum from introductory statistics to advanced statistical modeling. Along with her statistics colleagues, Dr. Hildreth has redesigned and modernized the statistics major and minor by incorporating recommendations from the American Statistical Association. This has included developing and teaching several new courses including MCS-243: Design and Analysis of Experiments, MCS-348: Advanced Statistical Modeling, and MCS-349: Statistical Consulting.
Dr. Hildreth's scholarship encompasses various areas. Her research interests include statistics education with a focus on writing in the statistics curriculum, multivariate statistics, and statistical consulting. This work has led to multiple interdisciplinary collaborations and resulted in publications in journals such as the Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education, Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, and Statistics and Public Policy.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Hildreth has held several service roles. This has included serving as the actuarial science adviser at Gustavus, being an AP Statistics reader since 2021, serving as the Program Chair for the Section on Statistics and Data Science Education at the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings, and serving as the 2014-2015 President of the Montana Chapter of the American Statistical Association.
Our People
Kathy Lund Dean
Kathy Lund Dean holds the Board of Trustees Distinguished Chair in Leadership and Ethics, a position uniquely designed to engage external stakeholders with students, faculty, and program opportunities. This role supports three main strategic focus areas:
- Increase Gustavus’ national and international footprint through scholarship and high profile recognitions
- Increase and broaden career readiness through alumni engagement
- Increase and deepen opportunities for experiential learning for students across campus
Kathy explores experiential education’s impacts on students, learning outcomes, and teaching practice, especially links between student mental health and experiential learning. In managerial practice, she examines remote work and why managers and executives resist remote work so strongly. Last, her partnership with the City of St. Peter and City Council allows her research insights into how municipal leaders prioritize very different constituent issues and resolve serious conflict.
Her scholarship encompasses more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books. Books include “The Ethical Professor: A Practical Guide to Research, Teaching and Professional Life” (published both in English and Chinese); "Course Design and Assessment" (2022, Edward Elgar) and "How to Become an Effective Journal Editor in Business and Management A Guide to Developing Authors" (2024, Edward Elgar).
Getting Gustavus' brand recognized outside the United States is a key focus. She won a Fulbright Specialist role to assist institutions under-represented in academic scholarship, an editorial role she will be continuing with the Journal of Management Inquiry. She has worked with business school colleagues at Rikkyo University supported by a Fulbright award, creating an exchange agreement between Rikkyo College of Business and Gustavus. Kathy holds joint appointments at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Kathy is passionate about engaging students in learning about investing and markets. She advises student members on the Board of Trustees Investment Committee as well as the E. Terry Skone Investment Club on campus, where students work with large endowments and portfolios and make important decisions. The Skone Club won a Magnuson Leadership & Service Award for its long-term positive impact on learning, outreach, and philanthropy, donating more than $135,000 in scholarship money back to the College.
Her conflict resolution practice takes many forms. As a certified mediator, a Minnesota Rule 114 qualified neutral, and faculty Ombuds, she helps others talk through and resolve complex issues from an impartial and non-judgmental perspective. At the Academy of Management, Kathy supports ethical practice and manages difficult situations as a member of the Ethics Adjudication Committee and the Ethics Education Committee.
She is a Chicago native and has lived in seven U.S. states and two countries. Prior to joining the Gustavus faculty, Kathy was Professor of Management at Idaho State University for ten years.
Our People
Dwight Stoll
Dwight Stoll is Professor of Chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College. In this role, he regularly teaches courses in Quantitative Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Methods as well as Introductory Chemistry. He has received both the Faculty Service Award, and the Faculty Scholarly Achievement Award from Gustavus.
Dwight has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and six book chapters in separation science and speaks internationally on the topic. He is co-editor of the book on “Multi-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography: Principles, Practice, and Applications”. He has also written the monthly “LC Troubleshooting” column for LCGC Magazine and co-hosts the “Analytically Speaking” podcast.
Dwight's primary research focus is on the development of two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) for both targeted and untargeted analyses. Within this area he has made contributions on many aspects of the technique including stationary phase characterization, biopharmaceutical analysis, new 2D-LC methodologies and instrumentation, and fundamental aspects including re-equilibration in gradient elution liquid chromatography and analyte focusing. He regularly teaches short courses on chromatography and 2D-LC, including in venues such as Pittcon, EAS, and the international HPLC20XX series.
He is the 2011 recipient of LCGC’s Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award, the 2015 recipient of the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science, and received the Georges Guiochon Faculty Fellowship in 2017.
View more of his work on the Stoll Lab website.
Our People
David Stamps
Dr. David Stamps anchors his career in the deliberate synthesis of creative practice, academic inquiry, and institutional leadership. As a multi-faceted educator and administrator, he serves as the Assistant Provost of Faculty Development and Support, the Director of the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning, and an Associate Professor of Music and Arts Entrepreneurship. Across all his roles, Dave is dedicated to cultivating environments where both faculty and students can thrive creatively, pedagogically, and professionally.
With a deep-rooted passion for music and the creative economy, Dave’s academic expertise encompasses jazz composition and arranging, music business and industry, recording technology, and jazz ensemble direction. His work as a composer and performer is recognized globally; his music has been performed on stages across five continents, spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Extending the reach of the classroom onto the world stage, Dave’s international footprint includes significant time spent in Romania as a visiting artist and scholar.
In his administrative capacities, Dave is a collaborative leader championing the future of higher education. His primary focus areas include faculty development, inclusive mentoring, arts administration, and the strategic, ethical engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) in learning environments. Whether navigating the impact of emerging technologies in the classroom or building equitable mentoring frameworks, Dave focuses on empowering educators to excel in an ever-changing academic landscape.
Beyond his campus responsibilities, Dave is the co-founder and Past President of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC), an organization dedicated to fostering advocacy, community, and the appreciation of new works among jazz creators worldwide.