Pictured (L-R): Lori Brown, Emily McWorthy, Heather Strempke-Durgin, Carlos Ortega-Amparan, Finn Kolsrud, and Nathan Bellinger.
Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows are a dedicated group of Kirkwood full-time faculty representing a diverse range of academic departments in Academic Affairs, including both Arts & Sciences and CTE programs. Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows will provide support to individual faculty, departments, and programs in their efforts to ensure all students have a sense of belonging and inclusion in our Kirkwood community. The mission of the Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows is to promote inclusive excellence and remove barriers to equity in teaching and learning. Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows work closely with Kirkwood's Department of Academic Innovation, Strategy, and Design.
Kirkwood faculty needing support in promoting inclusion in their teaching and learning are encouraged to email inclusivefaculty@kirkwood.edu.
Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows
Carlos Ortega Amparán
Title:
Professor, English Language Acquisition, Global Learning
Carlos is an associate professor of English Language Acquisition in Global Learning. He holds a B.A. in Political Science (International Politics) and Economics, as well as an M.A. in Spanish and Portuguese Literature & Linguistics from the University of Iowa.
Emily earned her BA and MA in Communication Studies from Northern Illinois University before joining Kirkwood as an adjunct faculty member and Instructional Designer. She became a full-time faculty member in 2019, teaching communication courses while also supporting faculty and promoting instructional quality across the college. Emily has presented at several conferences and facilitates trainings on topics such as open educational resources (OERs), effective online and hybrid teaching, course design, building connections with students, and inclusive teaching strategies. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and cats, as well as running, reading, and working on puzzles.
Finn Kolsrud teaches Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, and Marriage and the Family. He exemplifies the transformative power of sociology in action. Through his workshop on Deliberative and Collaborative Dialogue techniques, Finn helps colleagues transform difficult topics into opportunities for productive discussion and deeper understanding. As the Chair of the Civic and Community Engagement Committee and Advisor for the Civic Academy, Finn bridges academic learning with civic engagement, ensuring these dialogue skills extend beyond the classroom into community spaces.
Heather is an associate professor of English in the CEM department. She holds a B.A. in American and British Literature from Boise State University, as well as an M.A. in Literature and Culture from Oregon State University. Her interest in feminism, anti-racism, and equity inspire her teaching and research. She runs the Kirkwood Anti-Racist Book Club and hopes to continue serving Kirkwood students and faculty through her work as an Instructional Quality Faculty Fellows.
