As the fall semester progresses, the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences is excited to take a moment and welcome all of the new faculty who joined us this school year! Each of these professors bring a diverse array of expertise in their perspective skills and are ready to help their current and future students reach new heights as they strive to uphold the college’s mission and goals.
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Suzanne Adams, Associate Teaching, Director of Center for Family History & Genealogy — History — MA, BYU
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Adams has extensive experience working for the genealogy industry, including twelve years working for Ancestry.com and over thirteen years working for FamilySearch. She also held leadership positions in the genealogy field as a board member for the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA). Adams is currently a genealogist for the Martin Harris (Lucy Harris and Carolien Young) Family organization, as well as an officer in the Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham Family Organization.
In her free time, she enjoys singing alto one as part of the Grand Chorus of Millennial Choirs and Orchestras — a local singing organization.
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Jenae Nelson, Assistant Professor — Psychology — PhD, BYU
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Nelson is a developmental psychologist who studies character and spiritual formation. She received her post doctorate at Baylor University and Harvard Medical School. During her postdoctoral studies, she completed research about character development at Baylor University and research on the neuroscience of spirituality at Harvard Medical School. Nelson’s research includes developmental psychology, relational developmental systems, and positive youth development. She is a first-generation college graduate.
Throughout her life, Nelson has also cultivated an eclectic array of jobs. One of her favorite positions she’s ever had was working as a ranch hand in Yellowstone.
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Rebekka Weidmann, Assistant Professor — Psychology — PhD, University of Basel (Switzerland)
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Weidmann completed her postdoctoral training at Michigan State University and the University of Basel, Switzerland in 2016. While she was born and raised in Switzerland, Weidmann currently resides in the United States for her post doctorate degree. Weidmann’s work focuses on personality, as well as how social relationships play a role in shaping personality, health and well-being throughout life.
Weidmann is also a fluent English and German speaker.
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Amber Williams, Associate Teaching — SFL — PhD Utah State University
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Williams has over twenty years of experience teaching Family and Consumer Sciences, with previous positions at Sky View High School and Davis High School. She even worked as an assistant professor at Utah State University for a while. Outside of education, Williams has worked for over five years as a fitting consultant for design teams at small boutiques in Northern Utah, advising establishments on how to fit clothing samples and create sizing guidelines for product lines.
In her free time, Williams enjoys getting outdoors and hiking in Utah’s surrounding mountains.
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Mallory Millett, Assistant Professor — SFL — PhD Radboud University (The Netherlands
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Millet will start working for BYU in January. She studied Developmental Psychology at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Her work studies social withdrawal throughout the lifespan, peer relations in emerging adulthood and negative social cognitions. In her research, she specializes in the impact of social withdrawal — such as shyness and introversion — and the negative social cognitions in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Millet also enjoys spending her time reading fiction, running in the mountains and singing in choirs.
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Emily Brunson, Professor — Anthropology — PhD, University of Washington
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Brunson is an applied anthropologist that specializes in medical anthropology and is actively engaged in multiple projects. Previously, Brunson worked as an Associate Dean at the College of Liberal Arts and a Professor of Anthropology at Texas State University. Her research focuses on how political, economic and social structures, including class and racial/ethnic inequalities; social networks; and personal beliefs and experiences intersect to create health outcomes for individuals and communities.
Brunson is excited to experience the different seasons in Utah after living as a professor in Texas.
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Elizabeth Thomas, Assistant Professor — Anthropology — PhD, Southern Methodist University
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Thomas studied Medical Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. Her research covers the intersection of health, migration, and religion; theories of medical anthropology, particularly those addressing social determinants of health.
An animal enthusiast, Thomas loves spending time on her hobby farm which includes goats, dogs, and a horse.
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Visiting:
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Tanner Eastmond, Visiting Assistant Professor — Economics — PhD, University of California, San Diego
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Eastmond was a student of economics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Since his graduation, Eastmond has focused his research on the Labor and Public Economics, specifically on determinants and consequences of disparities in the labor market and how these disparities can be reduced. Eastmond is also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
Some of Eastmond’s hobbies include running, chess and cooking.
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Joshua Price, Visiting Associate Professor — Economics — PhD, Cornell University
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Price has previously worked at Southern Utah University, the University of Texas at Arlington and Litigation Analytics Inc. While working as an economic consultant for Litigation Analytics Inc., he served as an expert witness on personal injury cases. Price conducts research on topics concerning sports economics, the economics of education and the use of behavioral economic tools on student’s academic performance. Currently, he teaches Statistics for Economists and Intermediate Microeconomics.
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Lindsay Howard, Visiting Assistant Professor — Social Work — PhD, Kansas State University
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Howard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her PhD as a student of Human Ecology at Kansas State University. She has previous experience and training in various disciplines of her field, including Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, and Relationship Enhancement. Howard is currently working towards becoming an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor.
During her free time, Howard enjoys going to national and state parks.
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Greg Wurm, Visiting Assistant Professor — Sociology — PhD, University of Notre Dame
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Wurm was previously a PhD student of sociology at University of Notre Dame. His research focuses the complex intersecting relationship between family, religion, and politics. His dissertation research explored political depolarization as a social phenomenon, as well as how the public experiences, observes, and thinks about both polarization and depolarization in their everyday lives.
Wurm has taught classes to on his areas of expertise to the American Sociological Association (ASA), National Council of Family Relations (NCFR), and the Society for Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), and other organizations.