Please join us in welcoming our new faculty for the 2021-2022 academic year:
Center for Academic Success and Advising
JJ King, Math Specialist and Academic Advisor
King earned her BA in Secondary Education with a math emphasis from NNU in 2017, and a Master in Mathematics from Boise State University in 2021. From 2017 to 2021, she worked at Vallivue High School, teaching freshman and sophomore math, honors and statistics. King loves teaching and is excited to make a difference in the lives of NNU students. She is looking forward to being a part of the NNU community and working where Christ is the center of everything. King plays indoor volleyball (on three different teams!), ultimate frisbee and spike ball. She also enjoys paddle boarding, hiking, reading and puzzles.
College of Arts & Humanities
David Adkins, Assistant Professor of English
Adkins earned his BA in English from University of Central Arkansas and his MA in English from Pennsylvania State University before earning his Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto. Prior to arriving at NNU, he taught at Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. Having fallen in love with poetry at a young age, Adkins can’t imagine having any career other than this one. He’s especially looking forward to teaching Shakespeare and Greek & Roman Classics to NNU’s students. When he’s not teaching, Adkins enjoys foreign languages, film and climbing.
Jake Amundson, Associate Professor of Art & Digital Media
Amundson earned his BA in Art: Painting and Graphic Design from Greenville College and his MFA in Studio Art from Azusa Pacific University. Before coming to NNU, he has spent the past 15 years teaching at Greenville University. He looks forward to passing on his love for art and how it informs the world to his future students. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, scuba diving, exploring, eating and quantum mechanics.
John Dally, Professor of Music, Director of Instrumental Activities and Music Education
Dally earned his BA in Music Education from Point Loma Nazarene University, MA in Music from Sam Houston State University and his DMA in Music Education from Boston University. He comes to NNU from Point Loma Nazarene University where he has taught for the past 10 years. Prior to that, he taught music at the high school level. Dally believes that through higher education he can empower students to continue their musical passions and develop future music educators who inspire others. He is excited to work and live in a community that shares his values. In his free time, Dally enjoys water sports, fishing, hockey and spending time with his family.
Jayoung Hong, Director of Piano Studies
Hong earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from University of Kansas. She made her performance debut at age 13 and has performed worldwide ever since. Hong previously served on the piano faculty of the Korea National University of Arts in S. Korea, Brandon University in Canada, University of Nebraska and Blinn College in Texas. Her students are consistently top prizewinners at major regional, provincial and national Canadian, Korean and U.S. competitions. Hong has dreamed of being a piano professor and pianist since the age of 5. In her free time, Hong enjoys traveling, reading, planting and cooking.
Krista Jo Miller, Director of Musical Theatre
Miller earned her BS in Music, Vocal Performance from Southern Nazarene University and her MFA in Drama with an emphasis in Directing from the University of Oklahoma. She previously held the position of Director of Theatre at both The University of Sioux Falls and California Baptist University. Prior to entering full-time teaching, she worked as a professional actress and director. Miller enjoys bringing the value of theatre to the Christian life and integrating faith into the production of theatre, which she’s excited to share with NNU’s students.
College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Maja Ledgerwood, Assistant Professor of Social Work
Ledgerwood earned her BSW and MSW from NNU in 1994 and 2012, respectively, and her Doctorate of Social Work from Capella University in 2019. She has primarily worked in the medical social work field in skilled nursing facilities, hospice, primary care and in a rural hospital. She is an LCSW with experience in counseling and mental health. Ledgerwood is passionate about social work and advocating for individuals and policies to help make communities stronger. She is excited to return to NNU as a part of the social work team. She enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters and friends. In her free time, she reads, drinks coffee, colors, visits museums, looks at art and goes to plays and musicals. She also loves outdoor activities such as snowshoeing, walking her dog, fishing and drift boating.
College of Business
Kimber Russell, STEP Program Director, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics
Russell earned her MBA from NNU and will complete her Doctorate of Business with an emphasis in Human Resource Management this year from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is experienced in human resources and operations and is excited to return to her alma mater as a professor and director of NNU’s Accelerated Online Business program. In her free time, Russell enjoys fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking and cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs and her own kids as they play soccer and football.
College of Education
Marcella Enos, Director of Field Placements
Enos earned her BS and MS in Business Education from Montana State University and her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Idaho State University. Before coming to NNU, she taught at Idaho State University for 15 years as an assistant professor and for three years at the College of Western Idaho. She also served as the Career-Technical Education Coordinator for an Idaho virtual school. Enos loves teaching in higher education. In addition to her role as Director of Field Placements, she also teaches Innovative Instruction (at NNU) and works closely with district schools. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going on walks in her neighborhood, reading devotional and non-fiction books, meeting friends for coffee and going on short trips with her husband. She loves birds, horses and garden flowers.
College of Natural & Applied Sciences
Autumn Pratt, Assistant Professor of Engineering
Pratt earned her MS in Engineering in 2020 and will complete her Ph.D. from Cornell University in December of 2021. She interned at Leibniz University in Germany, at Oregon State University and most recently was a research assistant at Cornell University’s Organic Robotics Lab. Pratt is excited to share her sense of wonder at the way the physical world works with her students. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, painting and writing.
College of Nursing
Georgianna Ainslie, Associate Professor of Nursing
Ainslie earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University in 2015. She completed her nurse-midwifery residency and was in full-scope clinical midwifery practice until 2018. In January of 2020, she began teaching as adjunct faculty for NNU in the online RN-to-BSN and MSN Leadership/Education programs. Ainslie has a passion for teaching future generations of nurses and nurse-midwives and is excited about the opportunity to integrate God, as Creator and Healer, into her teaching. In her free time, she enjoys puzzles, reading, cruising and spending time with her mother and her cat Marley.
Joshua Daniels, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Daniels earned his BSN from Boise State University and MSN from Western Governors University. He has been an adjunct professor in the NNU College of Nursing since 2017, has worked with St. Luke’s Medical Center since 2012 and has worked as an ICU nurse since 2003. Daniels is excited to be a formal part of NNU’s Nursing Program, helping create some of the best nurses in the Boise Valley as he reflects Jesus to his students. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids.
NNU is excited to welcome each of these individuals as they join a committed group of faculty and staff members dedicated to investing in the academic, spiritual and social growth of students.