Meet the Staff
The Center for Writing Excellence is staffed by student writing consultants who are highly trained and come from majors across the campus, including education, English, history, and more. All writing consultants are required to attend a semester-length training course that teaches writing and research processes, writing across the disciplines, interpersonal communication skills, and office policies and protocols.
If you are interested in applying for a job at the Center, and if you have completed the General Education writing sequence (EN 111-112 or EN 111H - 112H) with at least a 3.0 average or above, log in to LionJobs and look for an opening.
Current Center for Writing Excellence Staff:
- Monday Sanderson
- Maria Kerstienss
- Allie Roberts
- Tessa Ivey
- Sarah Hartley
- Kara Holden
- Lacie Rowe
- Tabitha Singleton (Graduate Student)
- Kristina Voss (Graduate Student)
- Dr. Kathleen Richards
Maria Kerstiens
| Major(s): Secondary Education Minor: English Language Arts |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
| Writing Strengths: APA format, Grammar, Content Development |
| Biography: Maria is from Summertown, Tennessee. She is a sophomore and a member of the Honors College. She has an interest in theater and is Secretary for the Shoals Theater Guild. Her hobbies include reading, writing, painting, baking, and cracking jokes. She also likes to play the guitar and ukulele. She loves the outdoors and loves to hike and explore. |
Kara Holden
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Major: Nursing |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
| Writing Strengths: APA format, Paper Development, Grammar |
| Biography: Kara is a sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee. She loves to travel, run, and spend time with her family and friends. She is the Chaplain for Alpha Delta Pi, as well as a Student Government Association Senator, a College of Arts and Sciences Ambassador, and is involved in the Honors College. |
Sarah Hartley
| Major: English Literature |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
|
Writing Strengths: MLA format, APA format, Brainstorming, Outlining |
| Biography: Sarah was born in North Carolina but grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Sarah is a senior and will graduate in fall 2018. After graduation, she plans to continue her education at UNA to earn her master's degree. In her spare time, she loves to travel, read, write, and crochet. |
Tessa Ivey
| Major: Secondary Education | |
| Minor: English / Language Arts | |
|
Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
|
| Writing Strengths: MLA Format, Brainstorming, and Grammar | |
| Biography: Tessa is a junior at UNA. She enjoys hanging out with family and friends, attending church activities, reading, drawing, and everything to do with fast-pitch softball. After she graduates, she plans to teach high school English/Language Arts and coach varsity sports for girls. |
Allie Roberts
| Major: Professional Writing and History |
|
Minor: Spanish |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
| Writing Strengths: Grammar and Content Development |
| Biography: Allie has a passion for learning as well as helping others learn. She loves to spend time with her family and friends and enjoys reading, writing, running, and listening to music. She is a member of the Honors Program and is VP of Academic Excellence for Alpha Gamma Delta. Upon graduation, she plans to attend law school or graduate school for a doctorate in history. |
Monday Sanderson
| Major(s): English Language Arts/ Secondary Education |
| Minor: Journalism |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Advanced Certified Tutor) |
| Writing Strengths: MLA Format, Editing, Brainstorming, Organization, Grammar |
| Biography: Monday is a senior at UNA. She calls Madison, Alabama her home. She loves to read, specifically any book written by Agatha Christie, Jodi Picoult, or Stephen King. After she graduates, her goal is to become a high school teacher. |
Lacie Rowe
| Major: English - Professional Writing |
| Minor: History and Geography |
| Role: Writing Consultant (Certified Tutor) |
| Strengths: Chicago Manual Style (CMS), Editing, Brainstorming, Organization, Thesis Statements |
| Biography: Lacie is a senior in the Honors College and a Resident Advisor for Housing and Residence Life. She enjoys traveling, reading, and writing. She loves music, movies, and animals of all kinds. Her ultimate goal is to travel the world and write for National Geographic. |
Tabitha Singleton
| Major: Creative Writing |
| Role: Graduate Student Writing Consultant |
| Writing Strengths: Brainstorming, Content Development, and Grammar |
| Biography: Tabitha was raised just outside of the Chicagoland area in Illinois. She has received a B.S. in Professional Writing from UNA, where she is currently studying for her master’s degree in creative writing. Outside of class, she enjoys writing and watching comedies with her dog. |
Kristina Voss
| Major: Rhetoric and Composition |
| Role: Graduate Student Writing Consultant |
| Writing Strengths: Editing, Organization, Grammar, Thesis Development, Research, Argument Development |
| Biography: Kristina is a first-year graduate student working toward a master's in writing. She graduated from UNA in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in technical writing with a minor in human-computer interaction/user experience. After earning her master’s degree, she plans to teach at the college level and work toward a doctorate degree in linguistics. She enjoys reading, writing, music, movies, technology, and animals, not necessarily in that order. |
Kathleen Richards
| Role: Director |
| Biography: Dr. Richards has a master's degree in English literature from UNA and a doctorate degree in English composition and TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Richards has been teaching at UNA for approximately twelve years. For the first couple of years as an adjunct English composition instructor, she often volunteered to work in writing centers as a tutor. While tutoring and teaching students in English composition, she became fascinated with writing centers and the support they provide for students. Dr. Richards has been directing the UNA Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) for six years. In order for the writing consultants at UNA to be the very best, she initiated the International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC), sponsored by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). Students at UNA can be assured that the writing consultants in the CWE have gone through extensive tutor training and are fully capable of tutoring students in writing across the disciplines. |