ADA, Okla. – East Central University proudly announces seven new faculty members for the 2025-26 academic year. Classes for the Fall 2025 semester begin Monday, Aug. 18.

New faculty for the 2025-26 academic year includes:

Dr. Alexandra Balasa; Instructor in partnership with Seminole State College
Department of English and Languages
Balasa is a writer, educator and scholar with a B.S. in Psychology and English from the University of Toronto, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Edinburgh-Napier University, and a Ph.D. in Literature, with a dissertation in Creative Writing, from the University of Texas at Dallas. She has served in a number of roles professionally including tutoring in English, Creative Writing Math, ELA, SAT preparation and IB Literature. She has also held positions as Instructor, Grader and Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at Dallas, a Features Writer for Screen Rant and more. Balasa has published widely in literary magazines and anthologies, and her fiction has been recognized and reprinted across multiple platforms. Her editorial background includes roles at Reunion: The Dallas Review and The Spectatorial, and she is an active presenter at literary and academic conferences.

Katie Goodson; Instructor
School of Nursing
Goodson is a Registered Nurse (RN) with over a decade of experience in emergency and urgent care settings. She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Murray State College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Galen College of Nursing in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout her career, she has provided critical patient care at a range of healthcare institutions across Oklahoma and Texas, including Mercy Memorial Hospital in Ardmore, St. Anthony Healthplex South and Mustang ED in Oklahoma City, St. Luke’s in Houston, HCA 24/7 at the Magnolia and Creekside locations, and, most recently, Mercy Hospital in Ada, Okla.

Dr. Hayden Hays; Assistant Professor
Biological and Environmental Sciences
Hays is an Aquatic Ecologist and Biological Science professional. He holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Colorado State University, an M.S. in Biological Sciences from Sam Houston State University and a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Over the course of his academic and professional career, Hays has served in multiple research and teaching roles, including Instructor of Record for large undergraduate courses, Research Assistant in ecology and animal behavior labs, and scientific consultant for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has authored peer-reviewed publications on crayfish ecology, environmental DNA, and species conservation, and has presented his research at numerous national conferences. In addition to his academic work, Hays has secured competitive research funding, mentored undergraduate and graduate students, and contributed to science education and outreach through roles in environmental organizations and university service.

Dr. Moshin Khan; Assistant Professor
Politics, Law and Society
Khan is a Scholar, Social entrepreneur, and Development practitioner. As a founder of TransHelp—a health tech startup, he leverages AI and creative art to democratize affordable and quality healthcare and legal aid for marginalized communities. He has served in leadership roles at KOICA of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Government of Pakistan, Youth Advocacy Council, READ Foundation, and Advisor CIVICUS-World Alliance for Citizen participation and led multimillion aid programs, centered on socio-economic development, civil services, and institutional reforms in South and Southeast Asia and Africa. He has been awarded various national and international awards for his work including the NUMUN Feminist-tech Grant, the Young Leaders Fellowship by Asia-Europe Foundation, Associate Fellow for Royal Commonwealth Society, University of Cambridge among many others. As a budding prose writer and poet, Mohsin is a winner of the National Award for Short Story Competition. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology, Ph.D. (ABD) in Public Policy, Master's degree in Development Policy (Development Economics), an MPhil in Rural Development, a B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture and won various prestigious funding and awards from NUMUN Netherland, British Council, Asia-Europe Foundation, KDI School, Beijing Government, and Northeastern University.

Jenn Peek; Assistant Professor
Art + Design : Media + Communication
Peek is a multidisciplinary artist who earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of North Florida and her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Oklahoma, both with concentrations in Sculpture. She works with a variety of processes and materials, including metal casting, steel fabrication, and ceramics. Themes of connection, community, and duality are foundational to her studio practice. Peek’s work has been shown in locations across the country such as the National Ornamental Metal Museum at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, Birmingham, Ala., performed at the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Arts in Berlin, Germany, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville Fla. Large-scale public works can be found in multiple sculpture parks including Klutho Park in Jacksonville, Fla, The Kemp Sculpture Garden in Wichita Falls, Texas, and Shape of Community Sculpture Park in O'Fallon Mo.

Dr. Gilson Sanchez; Assistant Professor
Biological and Environmental Sciences / Oka’ Institute
Sanchez is a genomics scientist specializing in bioinformatics. He earned a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology with an emphasis on transcription regulation from the University of California, Riverside, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Oklahoma, University of Colorado, and University of Michigan. Sanchez has expertise in next-generation sequencing techniques, including genome-wide studies and differential expression analysis (RNA-seq and ChIP-seq), applied across diverse fields such as epigenetics, cancer biology, wastewater tracking viruses and metagenomics of soil and water quality. He has experience designing and implementing bioinformatics pipelines, generating publication-quality data visualizations, and collaborating on interdisciplinary research projects. His work has been recognized through multiple peer-reviewed publications and competitive research awards.

Dr. He Wang; Assistant Professor
Biological and Environmental Sciences
Wang is a long-time educator and lecturer holds a Medical Degree for Public Health Physicians from the Baotou Medical College in Baotou China, a Master of Medicine with an Occupational Health Concentration from Shandong Institute of Sciences and a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of Sydney in Australia. His experience ranges from teaching positions at from Baotou Medical College, serving as Academic Director of Occupational and Environmental Health at Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Scientific Officer at Sydney Children’s Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital, Senior Lecturer for the University of Adelaide and more recently Senior Lecturer for the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle. Wang brings extensive professional experience and teaching focused on occupational and environmental health, toxicology, epidemiology and public health to ECU.

Cutline: From left to right; Dr. Gilson Sanchez, Dr. Hayden Hays, Katie Goodson, Jenn Peek, Dr. Moshin Khan and Dr. He Wang. Not pictured, Dr. Alexandra Balasa.

 

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