Fernando Alvear

Fernando is passionate about philosophy, technology, and their role in our intellectual lives. Originally from Santiago, Chile, he moved to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Missouri, where he taught philosophy courses and conducted research in epistemology and moral psychology. He began teaching philosophy at the MSA in 2023 and is happy to be back! Fernando is currently a Math and STEM teacher at St. Louis University High and resides in Saint Louis, MO, with his wife, Emily, and their son, Nico.

Joe Barnett

Joe Barnett is excited for his first year as MSA faculty! A self-professed science and environmental nerd, Joe lives in Columbia with his wife and two daughters. For his grownup job, he teaches high school biology and environmental science in Columbia Public Schools. When not teaching high schoolers, Joe most enjoys doing outdoor activities with his family (e.g. camping and hiking), coaching youth sports, building things, reading, and playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Ben Batzer

Ben (’08) teaches English at Truman State University during the school year. When he is not reading or traveling, he enjoys hiking, bird watching, gardening, and watching sunsets on his family’s farm in southern Missouri.  

Jenny Blank

Jenny Blank is a gifted teacher in the School District of Clayton, where she spends time solving logic puzzles and strategy board games. A scholar in 2006, Jenny returned to MSA as an RA in 2009-2010 and has been a member of the MSA staff team in various roles since 2019. Jenny is the St. Louis regional director for the Gifted Association of Missouri and has been a presenter at Gifted Association of Missouri Conferences, Maker Faire, and Teacher Master Classes for Science Wise. Jenny’s favorite pastimes include answering trivia questions, hiking woodsy trails, cosplaying as her favorite Disney characters, and making cheese-related puns.

Tina Casagrand

Tina Casagrand Foss (she/her) curates stories of the Lower Midwest as a magazine publisher, journalist, artist, and teacher. Since founding the full-color, biannual print magazine The New Territory in 2016, she has collaborated with more than 400 writers, artists and editors from the Great Plains and Ozarks to unearth new stories focused on the environment, humanities, history and future of the region. A graduate of University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and anthropology, she lives in Jefferson City, MO with her spouse, two stepdaughters, and giant dog. She is proud to have a long history with MSA as a 2016 scholar, a 2012 and 2013 RA, 2014 community service coordinator, and faculty member 2015-19 and 2022-present.

Frank Corley

Frank Corley has been a member of the Academy since 1992. He and his wife, Teresa, live with their three dogs in a drafty old house in south St. Louis where they love to read, listen to music, go for walks, collect art and love the city.

Kristofferson Culmer

Kristofferson Culmer is a teaching professor in the Information Technology Program and Director of the Autonomous Systems Lab in the Department of Engineering & Information Technology, in the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Kristofferson is returning to the MSA faculty for the fourt time this year. Kristofferson was born and raised in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and loves outdoor activities like running, hiking, cycling; and also teaches Latin dancing in his spare time.

Stephanie Hasty

Stephanie Hasty grew up in Mansfield, Missouri, where the Little House books were written. She attended MSA in 1992 (Go Fuchsia!) and has been part of the faculty since 2019. She has been teaching high school English for 25 years. She loves her cats, her books and her daughter, a rising 10th grader.

Jordan Henson

Jordan Henson got his first taste of MSA magic when he attended as a scholar in 2010, and hasn’t been able to get enough of it ever since. He has worked with MSA as an RA from 2013-2015, and as a faculty member from 2016 to the present. When he’s not at MSA, he is a high school English teacher and speech & debate coach at Kearney High School in Kearney, Missouri. He also enjoys playing games of the board/card/video variety and aspires to one day be a trivia game show champion.

Mark Kersulov

Mike Kersulov is a native of St. Louis, returning for his 17th year teaching at MSA. He obtained his BSE and MA in English at the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg and his Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University, Bloomington. Mike teaches high school English in Springfield, NE, and he spends most of his time reading comics and playing with his cats. He also is thoroughly convinced Spider-Man is the greatest literary achievement in American history.

RJ Koscielniak

Dr. RJ Koscielniak is a researcher and teacher interested in urban decline in American cities. He lives in Detroit, MI and he is currently an Assistant Professor (maybe an Associate when MSA 2025 starts) at Eastern Michigan University. He loves to read, write, and share ideas that can change how we think about cities, land, and our environment. RJ grew up in St. Louis but never turned into a Cardinals fan. This is his second year as MSA faculty but he also had a DISTINGUISHED career as an RA (06-08). He completed his undergraduate work at Mizzou (2008), his masters at Washington University (2011), and his PhD at the University of Michigan (2020). He likes to watch really long movies, hike really challenging trails, investigate illegal demolitions, and take care of his two large cats (Walter and Chum).

Megan Lilien

Megan Lilien is a high school science teacher in Columbia, Missouri. She earned a BS in Biology from the University of Illinois and a MA in Teaching and Learning from Point Loma University and her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at Mizzou. Outside of work and school, she enjoys spending time with her three daughters, coaching girls’ lacrosse, traveling, watching sports (mostly her kid’s teams), being outdoors, and taking a good nap.

Michael Limmer

Michael Limmer was born and raised in Florissant, Missouri, just north of St. Louis, where he nurtured a love for history, music, and film. These interests manifested in an extensive record and movie collection—and undergraduate degrees from St. Louis Community College and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.

Michael moved to Columbia in 2019 to pursue an MA and PhD in History at the University of Missouri. His research focuses broadly on transnational histories of migration and belonging in the twentieth century and has taken him to archives across Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, and even back home to St. Louis. He is also a devoted fan of St. Louis City SC and the St. Louis Cardinals. Aside from dissertating, teaching, and researching, Michael can often be found at local coffee shops or relaxing with his dog, Geddy.

Matthew Matheney

Matthew is a math and science educator dedicated to creating a school community where individuals can find the intersection of their talents and the needs of the world – a dream that began when he attended the academy (’10). During the school year, Matthew teaches at Hickman High School in Columbia, MO, and spends most of his time making that dream into reality. Outside of education, you might find him pursuing any number interests (although a good bet would be practicing Tae Kwon-Do, designing board games, writing poetry, or fishing). 

Brian Matz

Brian Matz is excited to return for a fourth year to nerd out once again as a teacher at MSA. Outside of this amazing academy, Brian is a professor with the Aquinas Institute at Saint Louis University. His research is in Roman and medieval history, including especially the history of religious communities during these eras. He has an undergrad degree in accounting from Washington University, a first PhD from Saint Louis University, and a second PhD from Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). He loves to bore his wife and four children by taking them to museums and old cemeteries and by arguing that they should really appreciate pickleball much more than they do. During MSA, he welcomes invitations to play cards, to go for walks, to drink coffee, or to hunt for literary and manuscript treasures in the MU library.

Austin McWilliams

Austin McWilliams, from Poplar Bluff, is celebrating his 10th MSA, having previously attended as a scholar (’11), RA (’17), and faculty member (’18–’25). He lives in Salt Lake City and is the Chorus Director & Opera Assistant Conductor for Utah Symphony | Utah Opera. He previously taught at Aquinas College and Western Michigan University. Austin holds degrees in computer engineering and choral conducting, and he enjoys exploring their intersection each June with like-minded nerds.

Jessie Menchak

Jessie Menchak is a teacher from St. Louis, Missouri. She has been teaching for 10 years as a Deaf Educator and an American Sign Language teacher. She has a passion for learning and teaching and thoroughly enjoys working with people. Coffee is her love language.

Sabrina Michael

Sabrina Michael is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Honors College at Mizzou and a passionate biologist who loves exploring the natural world. This is her second summer at MSA, where she shares her love for biology, teaching, and especially treehoppers. She earned a PhD from the University of Missouri, where she studied the collective behavior of treehoppers in a bioacoustics lab. When she’s not diving into science, she’s diving with sharks, training jiu-jitsu, or spending time with her pet tarantula, Fifi!

Caitlin Palmer

Caitlin Palmer is a Missouri local who’s got some wanderlust in her, traveling about the world and writing about things that fascinate her! She has published stories and essays scattered about the internet, and hopes for a book to join them soon IRL. During the year, she teaches at the University of Missouri, and this is the third hot June she’ll be back on campus for MSA.

Sam Rayburn

Sam Rayburn is a St. Louis educator, illustrator, and advocate with a passion for combining science, art, and puzzles in the classroom. Described by friends as “indecisive,” Sam teaches biology, chemistry, forensic science, computer science, art, and design to middle school, high school, and undergraduate students. This year, Sam returns to MSA for his 9th summer after having been a scholar, RA, programs/office staff, and faculty member. When not at MSA, Sam makes comics, designs puzzles, plays a lot of games, listens to the Hadestown album on repeat with his partner and a lively entourage of pets.

Brain Stuhlman – Programmer/Faculty

Brian Stuhlman is a 1993 scholar who returned as a teacher (2000-2002; 2007 to present) and programmer (2015-present). During the non-Academy months, Brian is the Coordinator of Middle School Programs at Mizzou Academy, including a core middle school program and the Mizzou Global Scholars curriculum. Currently an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice with Mizzou’s College of Education and Human Development, he instructs pre-service teachers in a class centered on community. He has been a middle and high school teacher for over 25 years in a variety of locations and situations, ranging from Fayette and Warrenton to Kyiv, Ukraine, to Columbia, MO. In his spare time, he likes to enter sweepstakes, watch cartoons with his kids, go for walks in his neighborhood, absorb media, and travel when he can.

Doug Valentine – Co-Director

Doug Valentine began teaching at MSA in 2012. He has a B.S. from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. He moved to Columbia in 2010 to pursue his MA in Religious Studies and later a PhD in Sociology. After completing his degree, Doug spent time as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Truman State University before returning to the Mizzou Honors College as an Assistant Teaching Professor and Coordinator of the Behavioral Science Honors Sequence. He is an avid Chicago Cubs fan. He loves running on the MKT trail and exploring Rock Bridge State Park with his wife and kids. In addition to co-directing MSA, Doug continues to teach a minor course and coordinate Cor.

Colin Wilburn – Coordinator of Resident Life

Colin Wilburn (MSA ’18, RA ’22,’23, CRL ’24) is originally from Laddonia, MO and graduated from Van-Far High School. He grew up on a fourth-generation farm where he gained his passion for agriculture alongside basketball, baseball, music, and service. Colin is in his first year teaching high school science at Van-Far High School after graduating from Mizzou with a degree in Biochemistry. This will be his second year as a Coordinator of Residential Life, so he is excited to share memories, laughs, and memes with scholars, RAs, and faculty.

Stacy Colley – Program/Project Support Coordinator II

Stacey Colley has worked at the University of Missouri since 1997. She has worked in CAFNR, College of Education, School of Medicine, Youth & Family Extension and now for MSA in the Honors College. She is excited to see what this new adventure brings! She has a wonderful husband, four grown children, one son-in-law and one daughter-in-law. She also now has three grandkids, whom she loves spending lots of time with. Her passion outside of work is camping and cruising to see the world!

Rachel Harper – Associate Dean, Honors College, Co-Director MSA

Rachel Harper spent her kiddo years in Champaign, Illinois, where she exhibited strong preferences for books, libraries, the smell of old books, the smell of new books, the written word, etymologies, and well, you get the picture. She has a BA in both English and Spanish from Illinois Wesleyan University and a PhD in American Literature from the University of Missouri. She is the current Associate Dean of the Honors College.

Steve Keller – Co-Director

Steve Keller grew up in the great Pacific Northwest and graduated from Pacific Lutheran University (BSc) and the University of California-Berkeley (PhD).  Steve has been on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at MU since 1995 where he currently serves as Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, and since 2015 director of the Missouri Scholars Academy. Steve’s time away from campus is focused on being husband to Amanda and dad/Uber driver to Lindsay (14) and Liam (7), brewing some beer, and watching a bit of soccer.

Isabel Murphy – Head Office Staff

Isabel Murphy is in her third year being on Office Staff, and is very excited to be in her first year as Head Office Staff this summer! She is from Lee’s Summit, MO, and was a scholar in 2020. She is a senior at Mizzou majoring in Public Administration and Policy and minoring in Political Science. In her free time, you can find her enjoying the magical worlds in books and TV shows, listening to music, spending time with friends, and drinking a good caffeinated beverage!

Grace Sullentrup – Coordinator of Resident Life

Grace is originally from Washington, Missouri, which you may know for being the corn cob pipe capital of the world. Outside of MSA, she works in secondary school social work. She has her BS in Sociology and Psychology from Missouri State University (Go Bears!) and her MSW from Washington University in St. Louis. Her number one priority on any vacation is to go to the art museum (certainly related to a brief attempt to study art history). When she’s not thinking about MSA, she is most likely thinking about thrifting, audiobooks, or color guard.

Parker White – Office Staff

Parker White attended MSA in 2022. She is currently a sophomore at Mizzou as a double major in biochemistry and music (saxophone). She enjoys participating in Marching Mizzou in the fall and taking care of pet ducks in the summer. She is excited to return to the academy as a member of the office staff!

Allison Bivens

Alli was a 2021 virtual scholar, and is returning to MSA for her second year on staff. She is an Atmospheric Sciences major at the University of Missouri, with specific interests in Severe Weather and Climate. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing pickleball, thrifting, and watching Harry Potter- specifically the Goblet of Fire. 

Abbey Booth

Abbey (MSA ’20, RA ’24) is originally from O’Fallon, MO and is an incoming senior at the Unversity of Mississippi studying exercise science, with plans to attend physical therapy school after she graduates. She has an interst in both neuroscience and sports medicine. In her free time, she loves to read, workout and bake. She is so excited for her second year as an RA and to be apart of MSA 2025! 

Cole Brodeur

Cole attended the academy in 2022, and this is his first year working as an RA. In his free time, Cole likes to play board games, workout, read, and travel. Cole just completed his freshman year at the University of Missouri as a biochemistry student and works in a lab on campus. 

Ever Cole

Ever (MSA ’19, RA ’23, ’25, Photographer ’24) eats, sleeps, and breathes MSA year round! Not only has she been there the past two summers, she is also the person behind the MSA social media pages. She graduates with her BJ in Journalism from the University of Missouri in May and will be pursuing a Masters degree afterwards. In her free time, she geeks out over music as a college radio DJ and wanders around flea markets looking for fun trinkets. Definitely ask her about David Bowie when you see her.

Connor Copanas

Connor is a prospective middle school teacher from St. Louis city. He graduated from Mizzou this spring with a degree in education, and is excited to serve as an RA for the second year in a row. Connor attended MSA in 2018, and majored in philosophy. Outside of the classroom, you can find him enjoying a state park, whipping up treats in the kitchen, or debating with his friends over tabletop games.  

Ben Dimmic

Ben is a rising sophomore from St. Louis in mechanical engineering at Purdue University (Boiler up!). Ben loves to be outside, especially when there’s any sport involved, but he’s partial to baseball and the STL Cardinals in particular. He also enjoys hanging out with his dog and playing some good board games. He is excited to help make a great experience for scholars at the 2024 academy after being a scholar himself at the 2022 academy. Boomba! 

Camden Fallon

Camden Fallon is a rising sophomore at the University of Kansas studying Mechanical Engineering. Originally from Columbia, MO, he attended Battle Highschool in Columbia and the Academy in ’22 (Black and Gold!). In his free time, Camden enjoys rock climbing, hiking, 3D modeling/printing, and indie rock. He hopes to work in civil service and help engineer infrastructure projects.

Danielle Ghirardi

Danielle Ghirardi (MSA ’21 virtually, MSA ’22) is from O’Fallon, Missouri, and currently attends Mizzou with a major in Political Science on the Pre Law track. She enjoys going to concerts, spending time with loved ones, and exploring record stores. She is very excited to be an RA this year!

Anneka Johnson

Anneka is a junior at Mizzou majoring in Middle School English Education and English with an emphasis in creative writing. Outside of class, you might find them reading, writing, playing Stardew Valley, volunteering in Columbia Public Schools, and working on the editorial team for EPIC, Mizzou’s undergraduate literary magazine. Though she is new to MSA, she can’t wait to meet the scholars and have an awesome summer!

Ashton Kuhn

Ashton is a Sophomore at the University of Missouri, majoring in computer science. He attended MSA virtually in 2021 and again in person in 2022 and is now returning as an RA for a second year. He is excited to once again give back to the great community of MSA!

Morgan McGurk

Morgan McGurk (MSA ’19, RA ’23, RA ’24) is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in Human Development and Family Science. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and career aligned with her passions for health/wellness, education, and working with families. Morgan enjoys playing tennis, thrifting, reading, and watching Survivor. She is super excited to be back for her third year as an RA!

Emma Parry

Emma is so excited to be back for MSA 2025! This is her second year as an RA, and her third time being a part of MSA since her year as a scholar in 2019 #raspberrylemonade. There’s no other place she’d rather spend the month June, and she can’t wait to see what this group of scholars will bring. 

Cassandra Plummer

Cassandra Plummer is from St. Robert, MO, and attends Truman State University. She double majors in Political Science and Music and is on the pre-law track. Cassandra was an MSA scholar in 2022 and is super excited to come back as a first-time Residential Assistant. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her cat, Cleo, and can’t wait to meet all the new scholars!

Joey Resnik

Joey is a returning RA and worked his previous academy in 2024. He is a 4th-year Undergraduate at Mizzou with a major in Digital Storytelling and a minor in Mathematics. Outside of classes, Joey enjoys Weightlifting, cooking, and playing video games! 

JJ Robeck

JJ is a sophomore at the University of Chicago majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Norwegian, with a possible second major in History or Philosophy (he might never decide). He is from Fenton, MO and attended MSA twice as a scholar—once in 2021 virtually and again in-person in 2022—before returning as an RA in 2024. In his free time you can find him daydreaming, scouring used bookstores for dictionaries, playing piano or marimba, and keeping up with a 3-year long Duolingo streak.

Mason Sutton

Mason Sutton was a Scholar in 2022! This will be his first year at the academy as an employee, so he is looking forward to a new experience! He is currently studying Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, and plan to go into the medical field after finishing getting his degrees. In his free time (when he has any) he enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, playing TTRPG’s with his friends, and thinking too much about all of the nerdy things he enjoys. 

Zara Tola

Zara just graduated from Mizzou with bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Economics. She loves working with students and plans to get a master’s degree in Education and eventually teach high school. Zara was an RA for MSA in 2024 and is excited to return to the academy for 2025!

Konnor Turner

Konnor was a 2019 Scholar as well as a 2024 Resident Assistant! He studies political science at Augsburg University, and studied abroad in Norway for a semester.

Maddie Wright

Maddie is a returning RA from the 2024 academy. She just graduated from Mizzou with a major in Psychology and minors in Sociology and Criminology. Over the next year she will be working in a law firm and working in a research lab. Some of her favorite actives include reading books in all genres, watching true crime, and karaoke in her car.