Jessica Barnes-Pietruszynski received her PhD in English Studies from Illinois State University with a specialization in 19th Century British Literature and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies. She is a peer reviewer for Nineteenth Century Gender Studies, an online journal, and a co-written chapter, “Two Strikes Against: The Development of a Writing Major at West Virginia State University – An Appalachian Historically Black College” is coming out in the book Undergraduate Writing Majors: Eighteen Program published by Utah State University Press in the Fall 2014. She is WVSU’s 2013 Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Dr. Barnes-Pietriuszynski is also a member of the West Virginia Developmental Task Force, a statewide collaboration working to create and revise Developmental Education classes. She is also the English Department Honors Advisor.