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Professor Pamela Kittelson enjoys collaborating with students and colleagues. Her teaching has focused on ecology, plant physiology, evolution and general biology. Over 35 undergraduates from her lab have examined how habitat fragmentation affects plant populations, specifically how genetic variation, herbivory and plant traits change with population size and isolation. Students in her lab have published or presented this work and built scientific skills in writing, experimental design and analysis. After graduation, her advisees and former research students excel in careers ranging from natural resource management to education, research, medicine, biotechnology, law, and scientific writing.

Dr. Kittelson is the director of the Gustavus Fellowships Office. She supports and encourages all undergraduates by helping them identify and apply for nationally competitive funding which furthers their goals while in college or as alumni. These organizations include the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Critical Language Scholarship, National Science Foundation, and the Goldwater, Truman, Udall and Boren Scholarships.

She also serves as the Director of the Midstates Consortium for Math and Science, which is an organization that promotes excellence in STEM research and teaching. She organizes professional development programs for faculty and undergraduate students from ten liberal arts colleges and two research universities. Each year, she runs two undergraduate research conferences where Gustavus and other Consortium students present their research at the University of Chicago or Washington University in St. Louis.

As a first generation college graduate, Dr. Kittelson understands the importance of having a good mentor who encourages one’s education. She enjoys the advising and mentoring relationships she has built with Gusties over the years.

Pamela relishes opportunities to be in natural areas with students; she has led students on several travel and wilderness courses. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, canoeing, going fast downhill on skis or a bike, and camping. She putters around in gardens, museums or while watching birds. Travel near and wide is treasured. She relaxes with good books or music and the company of friends.

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.

As a Professor in the Department of Environment, Geography, and Earth Sciences (EGE), Julie K. Bartley teaches courses in the Geology and Environmental Studies programs. With a background in chemistry and geology, Professor Bartley brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of the Earth’s past and present. As a teacher, she strives to know her students as individuals and to inspire interest in the Earth’s past and care for its future. She has also held significant leadership roles at Gustavus, including serving as chair of EGE, as the project director for the Inclusive Excellence Project, and as Associate Provost and Dean of Sciences and Education.

Professor Bartley’s expertise lies in interpreting ancient environments, with a particular focus on the Precambrian. Her research explores how microbial communities shaped and were shaped by the environments in which they lived. She and her students study the fossil record and the chemical signatures left by life hundreds of millions or even billions of years ago. At Gustavus, she actively involves students in this discovery process, supervising numerous undergraduate research projects that range from evaluating stromatolites in Minnesota to analyzing the Martian surface signs of habitability.

Students who collaborate with Professor Bartley might conduct fieldwork, perform laboratory analyses, analyze imagery, work with databases, or some combination of these. In the classroom, Professor Bartley teaches a wide array of courses taken by students across campus. Her teaching philosophy is characterized by a commitment to effective and inclusive instruction and a firm belief that every student is equipped to succeed. Whether a geology major, a general education student, or a first-semester Gustie, students can expect to take an active role in class, have many opportunities for hands-on experiences, and be challenged to grow as they learn. 

Beyond her teaching and research, Professor Bartley serves Gustavus and the broader scientific community in many ways. She recently served as the Faculty Shepherd for the Nobel Hall of Science renovation and addition project and has co-chaired the Nobel Conference. She is a trained facilitator for two national programs: the ADVANCEGeo Partnership, which aims to improve workplace climate in the geosciences, and the Traveling Workshop Program, whose workshops help strengthen geoscience departments.

As the curator of the Chester Johnson Geology Museum, Professor Bartley regularly shares her passion for geology with K-12 students and the public. Whether leading fossil collecting field trips or presenting to local community organizations, she enjoys helping others see the landscape as a "time machine." Her dedication to service was recently honored with the Gustavus Faculty Service Award.

Outside of her professional life, she has served as the chair of a local charter school board and remains an active member of several professional societies, including the Geological Society of America, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and the Association of Women Geoscientists.

Dr. Shu-Ling Wang is an associate professor of Economics. She joined Gustavus in 2016 after a two-year appointment at The College of Wooster. Her teaching interests include Intermediate Macroeconomics, Money and Banking, International Finance, Public Finance, and Principles of Economics. As an active instructor in an interactive and interdisciplinary liberal arts environment, she enjoys developing and experimenting with innovative pedagogies to enrich students’ learning experiences. She also values mentoring undergraduate research that fosters critical and independent thinking. At Wooster, she advised several year-long senior independent studies, and at Gustavus, she offers writing-in-the-discipline courses in economics and mentors class-based research projects. In October 2023, her Money and Banking students’ paper titled “The Asian Crisis of 1997” won third place in the Economic Communication category of the Minnesota Economic Association (MEA) Undergraduate Paper Contest. In 2025, Dr. Wang served as a faculty panelist at the MAYDAY! Peace Conference at Gustavus, participating in the teach-in model addressing issues of peace, human rights, and social justice. More recently, she served on the Nobel Conference '63 Planning Committee (theme: AI and Human Agency).

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, and International Finance. She studies fiscal and monetary policy issues—such as fiscal stimulus, public debt, tax policy, income distributional effects, and monetary policy, using dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models with representative or heterogeneous agents. Her papers have been published in the Journal of Macroeconomics, Review of International Economics, and Economic Modelling. She received the Mansergh Faculty Scientific Research Award at Gustavus in both 2022 and 2025. Her recent project examines the debt-financed stimulus effects in a high-debt economy without monetary independence, considering different schemes and speeds of debt adjustment in a two-sector New Keynesian model. Future projects will examine the redistribution effects between savers and hand-to-mouth agents of debt-financing policies. She regularly presents her work at the The Midwest Economics Association, Canadian Economics Association, Western Economics Association, and Liberal Arts Macroeconomics conferences.

In addition to her research, Dr. Wang actively contributes to professional service. She serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Macroeconomics, Economic Modelling, Contemporary Economic Policy, Cambridge University Press, and the Bulletin of Economic Research. She has also served on the steering and program committees for the Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Conference and was a member of the Board of the Minnesota Economic Association. In 2025 she served as a mentor and a panelist for junior women economists at the CeMENT workshop sponsored by the AEA at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Beyond academia, Dr. Wang is a mother of three children. She enjoys architecture, art, photography, and music. Her favorite architects include Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and Zaha Hadid. She is also inspired by the works of Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, and Claude Monet. A musician herself, she plays the piano, violin, and pipa (a Chinese lute). Her favorite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach of the Baroque period.

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:

1. Increase Gustavus’ national and international footprint through scholarship and high profile recognitions
2. Increase and broaden career readiness through alumni engagement
3. 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. 
 

John C. Volin, PhD serves as the 18th President of Gustavus. 

Following a postdoctoral fellowship in plant physiological ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Volin accepted a faculty position at Florida Atlantic University, where he rose to the rank of full professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and served as the director of the Environmental Sciences graduate program. Volin joined the University of Connecticut in 2007 to head the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, advancing to serve as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs. From 2020-2025, Volin served as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Maine, where his portfolio included oversight of more than 1,000 faculty and staff and a budget of over $250 million. Volin is recognized as a national leader in using evidence-based practices to support holistic student wellbeing. He serves on the Executive Committee of the LearningWell Coalition and is a co-founder and senior advisor of LearningWell magazine.

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Volin holds a BS in botany and biology and an MS in agronomy from the South Dakota State University, and a PhD in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Volin and his wife, Valeria, have five children and six grandchildren.

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Brittany Otto began her career at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2023. She holds an M.S. in Nursing Education (2023) from American Sentinel University, and is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Educational Leadership. Her clinical background spans pediatric and obstetrical/gynecological nursing in a variety of settings as well as experience in nursing leadership, and she is passionate about integrating technology into her teaching. Brittany focuses on supporting diverse learners and fostering inclusive classroom environments. Her academic interests include information technology in nursing education, supporting multilingual learners, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and best practices in NCLEX preparation.

Karrin Meffert-Nelson teaches clarinet, chamber music, and courses within the music education curriculum. She maintains an active performing career as Principal Clarinetist with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and performs as a freelance musician with the Minnesota Orchestra, Northrop Ballet Orchestra, and in productions at the State and Orpheum Theaters. She has also performed with the St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and has served as guest Principal Clarinet with both the Quad City Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra.

A founding board member and clarinetist for Minnesota Winds, Meffert-Nelson contributes to the leadership of the professional wind ensemble. An experienced clinician, she regularly adjudicates regional solo and ensemble contests and works with the woodwind sections of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. Dr. Meffert-Nelson holds a DMA from the University of Minnesota, an MM from Northwestern University, and a BM from St. Olaf College.

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. 

For more than twenty years, Christine Nessler worked as a marketing and public relations professional across government, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. As a former entrepreneur and franchise owner, she has experience building brands from the ground up and maintaining a strong community presence. Beyond the business world, creative writing is her primary passion. As a freelance writer, she contributed articles to various regional publications. Her short stories and essays are featured in Half and One online literary journal and The Motherly Collective.

In 2024, Nessler joined the faculty at Gustavus. Students in her courses gain hands-on experience and the practical skills necessary to thrive in the workplace by applying classroom concepts to real-world community and business projects. In Nessler’s marketing courses, her favorite part of the semester is watching the students gain confidence as they serve as consultants for local business clients. As they develop strategic marketing plans, students also develop communication, project management, and leadership skills. Similarly, in Introduction to Management, her students build their own business from the ground up. According to Nessler, watching their final business plan presentations makes her optimistic about their futures as business and community leaders.

Outside of the classroom, Nessler serves on the Board of Directors for the Harry Meyering Center, volunteers as a reader of creative nonfiction for The Good Life Review, and cheers on her three kids at their various activities.

Cathy Harms is a Senior Continuing Faculty member specializing in Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Marketing Research, and holds the George B. Torrey Endowed Chair of Management Marketing. She is currently the Business and Economics Department Chair. She joined the Gustavus faculty in 2016, bringing extensive professional experience from careers in banking, product management, venture capital, and marketing management.

Her teaching philosophy is centered on preparing students for the professional world. All of her courses incorporate experiential learning, pairing student teams with non-profits and businesses to develop marketing strategies, conduct market research, or implement digital marketing campaigns. This approach allows students to build critical skills in teamwork, project management, communication, and problem-solving. The world of marketing is constantly changing, so she brings in several guest speakers each semester to share their journey and the current marketing careers.

Beyond the classroom, Cathy manages the Content Managers for the Business and Economics Department. In this role, she oversees the creation of content for the department's social media platforms, which targets prospective students and undecided undergraduates. The content highlights departmental events, features students and alums, and educates the audience on the value of a Business, Accounting or Economics degree.

Cathy is deeply passionate about advising students and guiding them in their preparation for life after graduation. She has actively partnered with the Career Development Center to promote their services to students. As a proud alumna of Gustavus, she remains actively involved as a Class Agent and maintains close friendships established during her freshman year.

In her free time, she enjoys playing piano at a local nursing home, playing pickleball and volleyball, biking, hiking, walking in the Linnaeus Arboretum, and traveling. Her favorite role is being Nana to her four grandsons.