Faculty and Staff
Interim Dean of the College
Dr. Brooke Kandel serves as Dean and Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Butler University, where she collaborates with colleagues and community partners to expand the Indiana educator pipeline, to prepare excellent educators and advocates to serve youth and communities, and to ensure every student can thrive. Previously, Brooke has worked as an immigrant advocate in the court system, an ESL and bilingual K-12 and adult educator, and a Senior Research Associate at the State of Texas Education Research Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University, and her scholarly interests include culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, school-family-community engagement, ESL teacher professional development, and teacher leadership. Brooke’s scholarship has been published in books and journals including Multicultural Education, Theory into Practice, Educational Forum, and The Oxford Encyclopedia of Global Perspectives on Teacher Education. She is a Fellow of the Desmond Tutu Center for Peace, Reconciliation, and Global Justice. Brooke is most energized when she is collaborating with and learning from children, youth, and educators.
Associate Deans
Dr. Stephanie Fernhaber is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in Founder’s College at Butler University. She is also a Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
She has taught a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including The Entrepreneurial Mindset, Impact Practicum, First-Year Business Experience, and Social Entrepreneurship.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Fernhaber conducts research in the areas of international entrepreneurship, grassroots innovation, and societal grand challenges. Her research has been published in various academic journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Venturing, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and Entrepreneurship, Theory & Practice. Dr. Fernhaber has also co-created four books. She is the Field Editor for International Entrepreneurship at the Journal of Business Venturing.
At the community level, Dr. Fernhaber has a passion for spurring innovation with an emphasis on social entrepreneurship.
Rob serves as the Associate Dean of Students Affairs within the Founder’s College. In this role, Rob focuses on ensuring each student finds belonging at Butler and in the Indianapolis community. Through his work, he hopes to be a part of the students authoring their own endings. An important part of his story is where he was born and raised: Flint, Michigan. It was there that he learned how important being a part of a community is to each person’s success. He completed his B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from Oakland University, his M.A. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Akron, and a Certificate in College and University Teaching from Ball State University. He is currently a PhD student in the Global Leadership program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
In addition to his work at Butler, Rob also serves on the Board of Directors for The Facing Project and is a learning consultant working with across sectors to shift organizaitonal cultures. His research interests are broad: men and masculinities, intercultural competence, social mobility, poverty studies, and conflict resolution, to name a few. He is led by curiosity as a foundational value and practice. He can usually be found with a book (ask him what he’s currently reading), tinkering with different odds and ends, or writing, both academically and creatively.
CliftonStrengths: Learner, Input, Connectedness, Intellection, Individualization
Certifications: Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, Mental Health First Aid, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Faculty and Staff
Dr. Ernstberger is a Lecturer in Humanities, Arts, and Social & Behavioral Sciences at Founder’s College at Butler University, where she brings an interdisciplinary, student‑centered approach to teaching and learning. She earned her Ph.D. in History from Purdue University, specializing in transnational feminist histories and global social movements, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage with a double major in History and Political Science. She teaches courses that challenge students to engage deeply with complex global issues, including Plagues, Pox & Pandemics, Genocide in Global Perspectives, and Global Women’s Movements. Known by her students as “Dr. E.,” her teaching is grounded in a commitment to social equity, intentional engagement with culturally significant material, and innovative strategies that support student success both in and beyond the classroom.
She views travel as a transformational form of education and has visited 85 countries, leading 16 study abroad programs focused on history, culture, and contemporary politics in regions such as Sub‑Saharan Africa, Europe, and Central America. She now enjoys a bustling household with three adults, two teenagers, and three dogs. Her scholarship includes chapters such as “Bewitching History: Witch Studies as a Lens for Teaching Global Gender History” (Duke University Press, 2025) and “The Enduring Struggle: Findings from the History of Women’s and Gender Studies in the Global South” (University of Washington Pressbooks).
Huy Huynh is a first-generation, Vietnamese-American, student affairs professional. He holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education, both in which he received from Ball State University in 2018 and 2021 respectively. He has also served as the Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center at Ball State from 2021-2026. Huy primarily works to serves student holistically with a philosophy of authenticity, community, and sense of belonging. As the Retention and Learning Coordinator, Huy focuses on aiding the learning experiences outside the classroom.
Lindsay Joy-Wenning is the Lecturer of Healthcare Studies at Founder’s College at Butler University.
She graduated from IU Fairbanks School of Public Health with an MPH in Epidemiology in 2015. She completed her undergraduate degree at IUPUI in 2011 with a degree in Biology and a minor in Spanish. During her studies she interned in hospital infection control at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis and was a Public Health Practice Scholar for the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
From 2015-2026 she served as a Field Epidemiologist for the Indiana Department of Health. She was voted into a Governing Councilor seat for the Epidemiology section of the American Public Health Association in 2025. She currently resides in Bloomington with her husband, three children, two dogs, and two cats.
Abby Martin provides holistic support to help students thrive academically and personally, connecting them to essential resources and creating programming that fosters belonging and well-being. She earned her Master of Social Work from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and is a licensed social worker. Abby is passionate about empowering students to author their own ending and succeed in an ever-changing world.
Morgan McCombs holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a minor in Family & Human Development from Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Indiana. With over 12 years of experience in higher education, she has built expertise across student services, financial aid, and support programs that foster belonging and student success.
Morgan has guided cross-functional efforts to improve systems and practices that strengthen student support, and expand opportunities for students. Recognized for her results-driven leadership, she leverages best practices to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.
Alex McGrath is a Lecturer of Business Data Analytics in the Founder’s College at Butler University. He is an alumnus of Butler’s Computer Science and Music Departments, and has previously served as an Associate Instructor of Music at Indiana University and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Butler University.
Alex has previously held roles as a Software Developer and Data Analyst at various companies in Indianapolis, and bases his instruction on his industry experience. With a wide variety of interests and specializations and a penchant for building community, Alex helps foster a fresh enthusiasm and energy among students at Founder’s College.
I am committed to helping students build proficiency and confidence in mathematics. Before coming to Butler, I spent 28 years teaching mathematics, chemistry, physics, and computer science in secondary education, including college-level and high school courses. I love highlighting connections between mathematics and other disciplines. Outside the classroom, I enjoy traveling, photography, spending time outdoors, and sharing those times with my husband and three children.
Drew is a born and bred Hoosier, growing up on the east side of Indianapolis. He is a two time graduate of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He graduated in 2012 with a BS in Supply Chain Management and in 2022 with a MS is Strategic Management. To begin his career, Drew worked for Amazon and Carvana for 10+ years in Operations and Leadership roles. Drew transitioned to higher education in 2023 taking a job on the Employer Relations team at the Kelley School of Business while also acting as an Adjunct Faculty. Drew joined the Founder’s College team in July 2026 as a Lecturer of Business Management Studies. When not working, Drew enjoys spending time with his wife, 3 young daughters, and their dog. Drew is an avid golfer and fan of all sports, specifically the Hoosiers, Bulldogs, and all Indy pro sports teams.
Sara Venecek is Assistant to the Dean of Founder’s College at Butler University. She has over 14 years of experience in higher education, ranging from library services to administrative support to teaching as an adjunct instructor. Sara held roles at Boston University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern University before arriving at Butler.
Sara also has a background in the arts (BFA) and worked professionally as a designer, art director, and stager.
Bria L. Young brings a passion for fostering social hope and building intentional communities. Her teaching and research invite students and collaborators to imagine and enact more just, connected futures. Young’s work explores how hope operates not only as a feeling or aspiration but as a method—an organizing and relational force that shapes how people learn, live, and move together toward transformation. She is drawn to the question of how communities make meaning from uncertainty and how imagination might be a site of resistance and repair.
Originally from Saratoga Springs, NY, Young is a scholar, environmental collaborator, and animal lover. Her research and pedagogy are guided by a deep commitment to interdisciplinarity and public scholarship. Drawing from sociology, Africana studies, feminist theory, and environmental humanities, her work asks how patterns of social connection can be reimagined in ways that center justice, care, and reciprocity. She approaches knowledge as a living practice, something built through collaboration and carried in conversation, storytelling, and shared labor. In her teaching, she encourages students to trace how hope moves through the social world: as feeling, as infrastructure, and as method. Each classroom, in her view, becomes a microcosm of community, a micro-utopia, an experiment in mutual recognition and collective becoming.