Our People
Carlos Mejia Suarez
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.
Our People
Carol Lagergren
Carol Lagergren is a Visiting Instructor in the Education Department. After working 32 years in K-12 education as a classroom teacher and administrator, she moved to Gustavus and taught for several years focusing on Middle and Secondary School Education courses. She currently supervises and supports student teachers in the Education Program.
Event
Carol Mason: From the Clinics to the Capitol: How Opposing Abortion Became Insurrectionary
Sponsored by the James McPherson Endowed Chair in American History Location: TBD
Our People
Catherine Harms
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.