25 Charles River Campus Faculty Receive Promotions
CFA faculty promoted to associate professor include: Christine Hamel, voice and acting; Breehan James, painting; Toni Pepe, photography; Tawnya Smith, music education
25 Charles River Campus Faculty Receive Promotions
CFA faculty promoted to associate professor include: Christine Hamel (CFA’05), associate professor of voice and acting; Breehan James, associate professor of art, painting; Toni Pepe (MET’11), associate professor of art, photography; Tawnya Smith, associate professor of music, music education.
This article was originally published in BU Today on July 1, 2025. By BU Today staff. Photo by Cydney Scott
EXCERPT
Twenty-five faculty on Boston University’s Charles River Campus have just received promotions, 17 to the rank of associate professor with tenure, 5 to the rank of non-tenure associate professor, and 3 to the rank of professor with tenure. They come from eight colleges and schools and represent a breadth of academic interests and fields of research.
Each in their unique way demonstrates daily the caliber of education and accomplishment possible through innovation, creativity, leadership, and commitment to student success. We see great things ahead for them and are pleased they have chosen BU as the institution at which to advance their careers.
CFA faculty promoted to associate professor
Christine Hamel (CFA’05), Associate Professor of Voice and Acting
Christine Hamel (CFA’05), College of Fine Arts School of Theatre associate professor of voice and acting, is an actor, director, and voice coach whose scholarship focuses on the politics of voice, emotion, and embodiment. She is the coauthor of Sounding Bodies: Identity, Injustice, and the Voice (2021) and has directed productions of Leahy Ardon’s Conflict Zone, Ibrahim Miari’s In Between, Antonia Lassar’s God Box, and, most recently, Mr. Parent by Maurice Parent and Melinda Lopez at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Breehan James, Associate Professor of Art, Painting
Breehan James, CFA School of Visual Arts associate professor of painting, is a painter whose work explores themes of memory, place, and wilderness through depictions of northern landscapes and domestic interiors—in particular, her experiences in the forests and lake regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. She is a past fellow at the American Academy in Rome and the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, and has exhibited extensively, with over 50 group shows and 11 solo or two-person exhibitions nationally since joining BU.
Toni Pepe (MET’11), Associate Professor of Art, Photography
Toni Pepe (MET’11), CFA School of Visual Arts associate professor of art, is a photographer and sculptor whose feminist research practice and installations explore memory, motherhood, storytelling, and identity. Her ongoing project Mothercraft (2018–present) reflects on emotional intimacy and time’s cyclical nature, incorporating ephemera and found press photographs to challenge linear narratives and elevate domestic imagery into contemporary discourse. She is the chair of photography and, since joining the CFA faculty, has had over 10 solo exhibitions, 45 group exhibitions, and prestigious residencies, including MacDowell.
Tawnya Smith, associate professor of music, music education
Tawnya Smith, CFA School of Music associate professor of music education, is a teacher and scholar of music education who explores using the arts as a pathway to promote environmental sustainability. A frequent conference presenter on issues of trauma, mental health, and ecojustice-informed music, she is coauthor of the book Performance Anxiety Strategies (2016) and coeditor of Narratives and Reflections in Music Education: Listening to Voices Seldom Heard (2020). She is editor of the International Journal of Education & the Arts.