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​​Faculty In Residence​

Students sit on a bench beneath a large abstract wall display in a modern lobby while others walk across the open floor near glass doors.

Faculty in residence program

The SHSU Faculty In Residence Program fosters meaningful student-faculty engagement beyond the classroom. It builds community within residence halls, supports holistic student development, and integrates

Woman smiling outdoors, standing with hands on hips, wearing a yellow patterned blouse and black pants, with greenery in the background.
Dr. Elisa Herrmann

​​Elisa Herrmann is a Brazilian-American filmmaker and educator whose work bridges art, storytelling, and higher education. She holds a degree in Art Education from the Federal University of Paraná, a graduate certificate in Audiovisual Communication from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, an MFA in Mass Communication and Media Arts from Southern Illinois University, and an EdD in Higher Education Leadership from Sam Houston State University.

Over the past several years, Elisa has produced and directed numerous short films that have screened at festivals around the world. Her award-winning documentary Rodrigo Herrmann – Life and Works premiered during the 34th Music Festival of Curitiba and went on to screen internationally, including at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival – Short Film Corner. She is also an acclaimed screenwriter, recognized for her short screenplay Death Expectancy and feature scripts The Great Adventure of the Bentley Girls and My Not-So-Righteous Life. Her first feature documentary, exploring the Brazilian religion Umbanda, premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as part of the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibition. Another of her notable works, Undocumented: A Dream of Education, has been featured at festivals and conferences worldwide, winning multiple awards, including Best Film at the 2022 Tampa Bay Latin International Film Festival. Her most recent short documentary, Wish to the Light, is currently on the festival circuit.

Elisa serves in San Jacinto Hall and is a Professor of Mass Communication and Coordinator of the BA in Film at Sam Houston State University, where she teaches film production, mentors students, promotes the program, and continues to create original films. 

A smiling man with glasses and a beard stands outdoors with arms crossed, wearing a blue plaid shirt and a rainbow wristband, surrounded by trees and blue sky.
Dr. Naomi Krawzik

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Dr. Naomi Krawzik (Naomi, Dr. Krawzik, or Dr. K) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at SHSU and is excited to serve as a Faculty-in-Residence for Piney Woods Hall. She grew up in the Houston area before moving to Michigan to earn her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Alma College, a small liberal arts college in central Michigan. After graduating, she spent a couple of years in Chicago before returning to the Houston area to teach high school mathematics.

After five years of teaching, Dr. Krawzik earned a master's degree in mathematics from SHSU and then moved to Denton, TX to complete her Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of North Texas.  She joined the SHSU faculty in the fall of 2020 where she enjoys teaching, pursuing research, and mentoring students.

Dr. Krawzik's research is in noncommutative algebra, with a focus on deformations of skew group algebras. She is always happy to talk about her research with anyone who is curious! She also works in graph theory, which is a great field for involving undergraduate students in research projects.

Outside of work, Naomi enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, reading, taking long walks, and trying new things. As a Faculty-in-Residence, she looks forward to getting to know students outside the classroom and in the Piney Woods Hall community.

 

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