Three new faculty members have been hired at Penn State Shenango. Roxanne Atterholt, instructor in human development and family studies; Kevin McDade, instructor in biology; and Georgia Macris, instructor in business, began teaching at the Shenango campus this fall.
Before joining the Shenango campus full-time, Atterholt taught as an adjunct professor at the Shenango campus in its Human Development and Family Studies department and at Thiel College in its Sociology department. In addition, she has held faculty status as a field instructor for the University of Pittsburgh’s Master of Social Work program. She also has had extensive experience teaching certificate courses and directing and facilitating professional development sessions and workshops in the workplace, as well as offering various group support programs.
In addition to instruction, Atterholt has worked as a psychological services associate at the New Castle Youth Development Center, Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services, where she oversaw professional psychological and counseling services.
Atterholt completed her graduate studies from the International Institute for Restorative Practices in Bethlehem, Pa., earning a master of science in counseling and restorative practices. She finished her undergraduate studies at the University of Akron receiving a bachelor of arts in psychology.
Atterholt has presented at several national and international conferences on topics ranging from Motivational Interviewing to improving Pennsylvania’s juvenile system. She also has been a member of statewide initiatives that included the Restorative Justice Higher Education Workgroup, Employee Enrichment, Trauma Informed Violence Reduction, and Family Engagement Strategies.
Prior to being hired at Penn State Shenango, McDade taught as an adjunct faculty member at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh; Chatham University Continuing College of Professional Studies/UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing; and Chatham University, Natural Science Division. He was also a teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, DBMI, for three years.
McDade is currently working on his Doctoral Fellow from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Informatics. His dissertation working title is “Best Practices in Identification of MicroRNA Target Finding Applied to Understanding Posttranscriptional Deregulation in Ovarian Cancer. He received two master’s degrees, one in biology from Chatham University and the other from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Informatics. His undergraduate degree was in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Well-published, McDade has presented at Open Mic NLM Training Conferences in Washington, D.C. and Madison, Wis. He also has presented his research and posters at several national conferences.
Macris had widespread experience in the business sector before joining the Shenango campus faculty. Most recently, she was the assistant store manager of the Dillard’s Department Store in Boardman, Ohio, where she directed all activities to reach the store objectives, including sales goals, client services, and human resource management. Macris was noted for her excellence with Dillard’s for substantially generating additional store volume, and in turn, the Boardman department store was recognized for ranking first, for highest revenue increase, out of a 23 store division. She also oversaw operating expenses, which were substantially reduced under her tenure.
It was at Philadelphia Candies in Hermitage, however, where Macris made her name in business as the vice president in charge of sales and operations. Under her 26-year leadership, the company became recognized in the industry as a manufacturer of high quality chocolates and confections. Macris created and developed the upscale retail image concept that paralleled the excellence in chocolates that the company had been noted for since 1919. She also was instrumental in the opening of the Boardman, Ohio retail location. Under her leadership, sales grew exponentially as she developed both the retail and wholesale part of the business by working with upscale independently owned specialty stores and increasing the corporate and fundraising business. Many of the fine products that the area continues to enjoy were due to her innovations and creativity.
In addition to her expansive knowledge and first-hand experience in marketing, management, and operations, Macris had experience teaching business courses at both Youngstown State University and for Penn State Shenango.
Macris has both a master of business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Youngstown State University, where she majored in marketing and in management. She also completed a Fundamentals of Online Teaching certification program at the University of Wisconsin in 2013.
Macris is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the American Marketing Association. She is also serving on the Shenango campus Community Outreach and Faculty Affairs committees.
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