The Johns Hopkins University’s Advanced Academic Programs division recently awarded 13 Excellence in Teaching awards to recognize faculty for their outstanding efforts and impact on students during the 2024-25 academic year. The MA in Government program faculty also presented an Alumni Service Award.
Excellence in Teaching award winners exemplify the highest possible standards of performance through their commitment to teaching and supporting students, employing innovative teaching methods, and engaging in other actions that enhance the student experience.
A list of honorees follows:
Center for Data Analytics, Policy, and Government
The Center for Data Analytics, Policy and Government recognized Kathryn Fisher.
Fisher’s innovative pedagogical methods in and out of the classroom brought her distinction. She recently redeveloped two core courses in the Global Security Studies program and created several experiential learning opportunities for JHU students. Fisher also serves as the program co-chair for an upcoming academic conference that will examine how faculty can discuss complex topics with students within a polarized political, social, and cultural environment.
Communication
The MA in Communication program recognized Shari Ross Altarac.
Ross Altarac joined AAP in 2022 and immediately became a leader within and beyond the classroom. Her peers have praised her remarkable ability to blend personal experience, pedagogic best practices, and real-world examples into her curriculum. She has led the development of the program’s storytelling curriculum and has become a supportive leader and colleague to her peers. Ross Altarac’s work as an educator extends beyond her personal teaching – she regularly meets with and supports the work of adjunct instructors, welcomes experts in the field to speak with her students, and prioritizes building connections and community among her colleagues. Her innovative work, coupled with her endless willingness to help others, makes her a pinnacle of what Johns Hopkins University has to offer.
Global Security Studies
The MA in Global Security Studies program recognized Miriam Matthews.
Matthews received this distinction because of her ongoing dedication to her students. She provides detailed and timely feedback on assignments and develops innovative assessments to evaluate student mastery of course and program learning objectives.
Government
The MA in Government program recognized Ryan Emenaker.
Emaneker receives praise for his dedication to students in and outside the classroom, his willingness to lead independent studies, and his supervision and feedback on students’ master’s theses. He also has designed and teaches a highly dynamic foundational online class on timely political debates and the U.S. Constitution.
The MA in Government Alumni Service Award presented the recognition to Blake Major.
Major’s generosity in assisting current students in the MA in Government program through participation in guest lectureships, alumni panels, and with his work speaking to and encouraging current students about career advancement in Washington, D.C. received praise.
Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Management
The MA in Museum Studies and the MA in Cultural Heritage Management programs recognized Katelyn Williams.
Williams’ students cite her strong impact on their learning over the past academic year, her commitment to teaching, and her dedication to the field of museums and heritage. Her students also laud her for being incredibly knowledgeable, considerate, and enthusiastic and for using a variety of tools to facilitate teaching and providing valuable feedback.
Public Management
The MA in Public Management program recognized Tanesha Morgan.
For the past five years as a lecturer in the Public Management program, Morgan has focused on the core subject area of financial management in the public sector. Students and fellow faculty members praise her for being an outstanding teacher and her ability to explain complex topics in budgeting and connect them to important policy decisions.
Science Writing
The MA in Science Writing program recognized Nancy Lord.
A member of the faculty for 15 years, Lord most recently revamped the Communicating Climate Change course, making it up to date for this rapidly evolving issue and emphasizing strategies writers can use to reach a broad audience. Students praised the course for providing tools to cover this complicated subject with comprehensiveness and detail. Some said the class even inspired them to shift their career direction to the climate change beat. The author of nine books – including fiction, nonfiction, and memoir – many rooted in her home region of Alaska, Lord often uses lessons learned, in weaving themes of climate change into her own writing, to teach students to understand the topic through the eyes of everyday people.
Writing
The MA in Writing program recognized Josh Rolnick.
Students praised Rolnick for being personal and professional and for mentoring with wisdom and insight. They welcomed his timely feedback, clear and tangible advice, and the care and compassion with which he critiqued their work and welcomed their comments. Of particular importance, students appreciated his ability to give them “a way forward and the belief that anyone can become a better writer.”
Data Analysis and Policy
The MS in Data Analysis and Policy program recognized Chris Kromphardt.
Kromphardt earned the accolade because of his outstanding work with the students and curriculum in his first year as a faculty member at Johns Hopkins, and for his delivery of consistent, specific, thoughtful feedback in his courses. He also has been instrumental in the on-going evaluation of the program’s curriculum, including significantly revising and redeveloping several of core and elective courses. Kromphardt has proven himself to be an innovative and dedicated teacher and course designer whose contributions in the program will be welcomed for years to come.
Energy Policy and Climate
The MS in Energy Policy and Climate program recognized Arjan Sidhu.
A graduate of the Hopkins program, Sidhu has been teaching solar energy in the program for several years. He works as the procurement director at Intersect Power, a leading clean energy infrastructure developer in North America, bringing actual policy and infrastructure issues to the classroom. Recently, he gave an excellent overview of the solar field at HOP25 as part of the energy technology session. Faculty appreciate Sidhu’s clear voice on this topic and his insights into the current state of solar energy and how it pertains to U.S. and international policy.
Environmental Sciences and Policy
The MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy program recognized Staci Lewis.
Lewis, a member of the program since 2020, focuses her professional efforts on interdisciplinary ocean advocacy and science-based policy. Outside of her teaching responsibilities at JHU, she leads initiatives related to Marine Protected Areas in California. Lewis instructs courses in Ocean Stewardship and Conservation, as well as Science Communication. Her students appreciate her creative approaches to teaching online and building a supportive classroom community.
Geographic Information Systems
The MS in Geographic Information Systems program recognized Chris “Fern” Ferner.
Ferner joined the GIS program in 2023, specializing in GIS for Emergency Management. She brings over a decade of experience from Esri’s disaster response program, along with a background in wildland fire and disaster response. This semester, she taught the course Ecology and Evolution in the Galapagos, engaging a remarkable group of students from our MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and the MS in Energy, Policy and Climate programs. The students appreciate Ferner’s ability to integrate GIS into data field collection.
Intelligence Analysis
The MS in Intelligence Analysis program recognized Miriam Perlberg.
Throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, Perlberg demonstrated an outstanding commitment to her students’ success in her core course Leading Intelligence Organizations. She consistently goes beyond expectations in providing students with detailed and helpful feedback on their assignments and tutoring when they requested it. She also completely overhauled this important course to improve the academic outcome for our students. Her dedication, knowledge, and teaching excellence helps improve and elevate the program.
Organizational Leadership
The MS in Organizational Leadership program recognized Kevin Cross.
With a distinguished career spanning government, NGOs, and academia, Cross brought extraordinary depth and breadth of experience to his role as the former program director. Throughout his tenure, students, faculty, and administrators consistently praised his integrity, collaborative leadership, intellectual rigor, and genuine kindness. Under his leadership, the MS in Organizational Leadership program was significantly strengthened -expanding elective offerings, increasing enrollment and student diversity, and laying a solid foundation for future success. Though officially retired, Cross’s legacy of leadership and friendship continues to inspire the organizational leadership community — a legacy the program proudly celebrates and honors.