Northwestern Oklahoma State University Announces Four New Academic Department Chairs

July 1, 2026

ALVA, Okla. — As of July 1, Northwestern Oklahoma State University has four new academic department chairs.

Thomas Cornell will lead the Reichenberger Department of Fine Arts; Dr. Bailey Lancaster will lead the Department of Psychology; Dr. Jesse Schroeder will lead the Department of Communication; and Dr. David Vaughn will lead the Department of English, Foreign Language and Humanities. The appointments were announced by Dr. Roxie James, Northwestern’s new dean of faculty, who took over this position July 1 following Dr. Steve Maier’s appointment as the new vice president for academic affairs.

Thomas Cornell — Reichenberger Department of Fine Arts

Cornell, an assistant professor in the Wisdom Family Foundation Visual Arts Program and a co-director of the Museum of Natural History, succeeds Kimberly Weast as chair of the Reichenberger Department of Fine Arts, following the latter’s retirement. Cornell earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Cornell teaches sculpture, painting, drawing and design courses at Northwestern as well as fulfills duties at the Museum of Natural History as co-director with Dr. Nicholus Ledbetter, assistant professor of biology. Cornell’s research interests include phenomenology and perception, invasive species, lapidary techniques, and Fluxus and Correspondence Art of the Americas.

Dr. Bailey Lancaster — Department of Psychology

Lancaster, an assistant professor of psychology, succeeds Dr. Taylor Randolph as chair of the Department of Psychology. Randolph will continue to teach classes at Northwestern.

She earned a Ph.D. in General Psychology with an emphasis in Performance Psychology from National University in San Diego, California, in 2025, a Master of Counseling Psychology from Northwestern in 2017, and a Bachelor of Science in Health and Sports Science Education from Northwestern in 2015.

“Northwestern has played such an important role in both my personal and professional development,” she said. “It is especially meaningful to now help lead a department that has been such a significant part of my own journey.”

Lancaster brings more than a decade of experience in higher education, community mental health, residential substance use treatment, Title IX administration, crisis response, trauma therapy and clinical supervision. She is a licensed professional counselor supervisor and a certified K-12 school counselor in Oklahoma. Her 2025 dissertation, “Managing Midnight Miles: A Qualitative Descriptive Single-Case Study on Sleep Strategies Among United States Ultra-Marathon Runners,” was completed at National University.

Lancaster has received numerous honors including the NextGen Under 30 award in 2022 and two nominations for the John Barton Distinguished Teaching and Service Award. She is a member of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology and serves as secretary-elect of the International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling beginning July 2026.

Lancaster said she is grateful for the opportunity to serve as chair of the Psychology Department.

“I am excited to continue working alongside our faculty as we support students, strengthen our programs, and continue building toward future growth in psychology, counseling, and related fields,” she said.

Dr. Jesse Schroeder — Department of Communication

Schroeder, an associate professor of communication, succeeds Tamara Brown as chair of the Department of Communication. Brown served as department chair for 20 years before stepping down to focus on her role as chair of the Faculty Development Advisory Board, while continuing to teach in the Communication Department.

“I am honored to have been asked to take on this role,” Schroeder said. “Tamara did a great job as chair for 20 years.”

Schroeder earned a Ph.D. in Education Technology Management from Northcentral University in 2011, a Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix in 2007, and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Northwestern in 2003.

This is Schroeder’s second time teaching at Northwestern. After working three years in the radio and television industry, he taught in his current role from 2006 to 2014. During that time, he was named Outstanding Young College Teacher of the Year by the Oklahoma Speech and Theatre Communication Association in 2010 and served as Northwestern’s accreditation liaison officer from 2009 to 2014, helping the university earn full 10-year accreditation status from the Higher Learning Commission.

In 2014, Schroeder accepted a morning anchor position at KXII-TV in Sherman, Texas, where he earned Texas Associated Press Broadcasters awards for top morning newscast in 2014 and 2015, as well as an Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters award for top morning newscast in 2014. He later moved to Tyler, Texas, where he worked at KLTV/KTRE as a primary evening news anchor for the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Schroeder returned to Northwestern in 2023 to resume his teaching role and now advises NWTV, the campus television station. “It is nice to be back home and teaching at my alma mater,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder was named Educator of the Year for 2026 in the Alva Chamber of Commerce Citizens’ Choice Awards. He and his wife, Amanda, have been married 21 years and have three children: Brayden, Parker and Mia.

Dr. David Vaughan — Department of English, Foreign Language and Humanities

Vaughan, an assistant professor of English, succeeds Dr. Roxie James as chair of the Department of English, Foreign Language and Humanities as James takes on her new role as dean of faculty. He earned a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in 2021, a Master of Arts from Boston University in 2009, and a Bachelor of Arts from Oklahoma State University in 2008.

Vaughan teaches composition and literature courses at Northwestern, including British Literature to 1865 and World Literature. His research interests include 17th-century British literature, the English Civil War, Milton, and Shakespeare. He has presented at multiple international and national conferences on 17th-century poet John Milton, at the Shakespeare Association of America, and at The Renaissance Society of America. His current research projects focus on the Latin poetry of John Milton and on the work of Marchamont Nedham during the English Civil War.

-NW-

Media Contact:
Sean J. Doherty, University Relations Specialist
Email: sjdoherty@nwosu.edu
Phone: 580-327-8480