Antoinette Westphal College Welcomes New Faculty Members for Academic Year 2022-23
September 16, 2022
Drexel's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design welcomes fourteen new faculty members for the 2022-23 academic year. The incoming faculty represent programs across the College's departments, and come from impressive careers in the industry and higher education.
Kaisha Blackstone, Assistant Teaching Professor, Music Industry
Rachel Mednick Higgins, Instructor of Design and Merchandising
Rachel Mednick holds a BS from Drexel University in Fashion Design & Merchandising and a Master's Degree of Professional Studies in Business of Fashion from LIM. Rachel is an advocate for circular fashion and after building and selling her children's clothing brand, she switched her focus to fashion education in order to make a bigger impact on creating change within the industry. Rachel currently teaches at Drexel University in the Design & Merchandising Program. She is active in the Philadelphia fashion community leading the Sustainability Committee for the Philadelphia Fashion and Garments Task Force and is the Clothing/Textile Coalition Leader for All Together Now PA where she is working on building out the textile supply chain for the state of Pennsylvania, working to unite rural and urban communities through textiles.
Monika Julien Assistant Teaching Professor, Music Industry
M. Marie Mastrobattista, Assistant Teaching Professor, Interior Design
Ricardo Zapata, Assistant Teaching Professor, Studio Art
Alexus Aiken, Visiting Instructor, Digital Media
Alexus Aiken is a Visiting Instructor in Digital Media with a focus in animation and an interest in real-time collaborative animation. She earned a B.S. in Animation and Visual Effects from Drexel University in 2021 and an M.S. in Digital Media from Drexel University in 2022.
Antonio Martinez-Molina, Associate Professor of Architecture
Ali Howel Abolo, Associate Professor and Program Director of Fashion Design
Dr. Howell Abolo's research focuses on critical theory, intersectional theory, and social justice through examination of dress practices and behaviors among groups of womxn. She uses this framework to build pedagogical research that engages students in learning research methods through course work.
Her teaching philosophy centers on a compassionate pedagogy and promoting student centered teaching and learning. Her mission is to create access and equity in fashion education through diverse modalities and teaching methods.
Prior to joining Drexel University, Dr. Howell Abolo was an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Fashion Merchandising and Design program, and the Director of General Education at Meredith College. She is active in the International Textiles and Apparel Association (ITAA) and National Retail Federation (NRF).
Joseph Marsini, Assistant Professor, Television & Media Management
Alesa Rubendall, Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Director of Student Placement
Daniel E. Coslett, Assistant Professor of Architecture
Daniel E. Coslett, Ph.D., is a scholar of architectural and urban history. His interests center on the place of the historical built environments within contemporary cities. He explores the ways in which surviving traces of the past are preserved, interpreted, experienced and exploited today, and how they contribute to urban life while inspiring urban identities. His research specialties include architecture and planning of the modern era, built environments of European colonialism, archaeology and heritage management, and tourism in North Africa and the Mediterranean region (particularly in Tunisia and Cyprus).
Coslett has published several edited volumes and book chapters on colonial architecture, global built environments, and heritage, as well as articles in publications including the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, Public Historian, and the Journal of North African Studies. He is an active member of the Society of Architectural Historians and an assistant editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture.
Ivan Barias, Instructor, Music Industry
Ivan believes it is important to bolster the music industry ecosystem by empowering the next generation of music creators and music executives. As a speaker, he has shared his music business experience at many industry related events and has been a guest speaker on several music industry panels (SXSW, Future of Music Coalition, Music Business Association,The Recording Academy, ASCAP) and has been a guest lecturer at various academic institutions (Drexel, New York University, Rowan and University of Pennsylvania).
Jeffrey Stanley, Visiting Assistant Professor, Screenwriting & Playwriting
Kimberly McGlonn, Instructor, Design & Merchandising
Dr. Kimberly McGlonn is an advocate for justice & environmentalism, advocacy that informs her approach to leadership in the fashion industry. As Founder & CEO of the manufacturing start-up & B Corp Grant Blvd, she oversees the creative direction and growth strategy of the brand. Ultimately, Grant Blvd’s mission is to construct stylish, sustainably sourced fashion by reducing waste to landfills and by creating living wage jobs for women, particularly those who are formerly incarcerated. Outside of these roles, Kimberly disrupts by guiding other social entrepreneurs in discovering their purpose, via her digital community, “Build It Boldly” and her podcast, "School for Disrupters".
Her work has been featured by Fast Company, Inc Magazine, WWD, and has been funded by Beyonce’s BeyGood Foundation. In 2022 she was a recipient of the Visa’s “She’s Next in Fashion Award” and she was also honored with the Black Enterprise “Business Disruptor of the Year” award.