Sarah Travis, Chair
Chair 5/1/2026 - 4/30/2028
Dr. Sarah Travis is an Associate Professor of Art Education in the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Co-Editor of the journal Visual Arts Research, published by University of Illinois Press. A former public school art teacher from New Orleans, Dr. Travis uses narrative, phenomenological, and creative research methods to critically examine issues around identity and experience. Through this inquiry, she explores how art education can be an active pathway for critical reflection and creative agency. Dr. Travis has published journal articles in Art Education, International Journal of Education and the Arts, International Journal of Education Through Art, Journal for Cultural Research in Art Education, Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Studies in Art Education, and The Urban Review. In addition, she is co-editor of the books Pedagogies in the Flesh: Case Studies on the Embodiment of Sociocultural Differences in Education (Palgrave, 2018) and Experiments in Art Research: How Do We Live Questions Through Art? (Routledge, 2024).
stravis2@illinois.edu
Matt Omasta, Immediate Past Chair
Immediate Past Chair 5/1/2026 - 4/30/2028
Matt Omasta is Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre at Miami University of Ohio. The author of many books and articles related to the arts and education, he has been recognized with the Founders Award from the Educational Research Association; the Johnny Saldana Outstanding Professor of Theatre Education Award, Lin Wright Special Recognition Award, and Research Award from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE); as well as Teacher of the Year, Mentor of the Year, and Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Awards from Utah State University. Dr. Omasta teaches courses in drama pedagogy, theatre for young audiences, applied theatre, and theory history, literature, theory, and criticism. Dr. Omasta is an active leader in national organizations and has served on AATE’s Board of Directors, the American Society for Theatre Research’s Executive Committee, and as Chair of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)'s Arts & Learning Special Interest Group.
matt@mattomasta.com
Somi Lee, Program Chair
Program Chair 5/1/2026 - 4/30/2028
somi@illinois.edu
Michelle Zoss, Awards Chair
Awards Chair 5/1/2025 - 4/30/2027
Michelle Zoss is an associate professor of English Education at Georgia State University. She focuses her research on the integration of visual arts in language arts teaching. She is co-editor of the book A Symphony of Possibilities: A Handbook for Arts Integration in Secondary English Language Arts (NCTE, 2019). Her publications include research on teachers’ curriculum decisions for teaching secondary students to communicate via writing and drawing, drawing gestures to understand communication among students, and advocating for doctoral students to thrive in graduate school. She also studied pre-service teacher uses of metaphors for teaching literacy in urban schools and their understandings of aesthetic experiences. Other publications advocate for students to learn to write and draw as they move through the K-12 school system. Her work has been recognized with multiple awards from Georgia State University, including the Ignite Award for Research Mentorship, Partnership Award with the Alliance Theatre Institute, GTA Pedagogy Mentoring Award, Outstanding Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching, and Outstanding Research Award.
zoss@gsu.edu
Julie Snyder, Secretary/Treasurer
Secretary/Treasurer 5/1/2025 - 4/30/2027
jkb177@psu.edu
Faizaan Ahab, Graduate Student Representative
Gradate Student Representative 5/1/2026 - 4/30/2028
sahab2@illinois.edu
Lindsay Edwards, Newsletter Editor
Newsletter Editor 5/1/2026 - 4/30/2028
le30@illinois.edu