Contact Us At:

Phone: 304-243-6241

Email: ai@wju.edu

 

Mary Ellen Cassidy

Director
Phone: 304-243-6243
E-mail: mcassidy@wju.edu

 

In January, 2011, Mary Ellen Cassidy was named Director of the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., Appalachian Institute.  Mary Ellen is originally from Wheeling, West Virginia and holds both her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and her Master's Degree in Science and Mathematics Education from Wheeling Jesuit University.

Cassidy's professional background includes research programs at the Cancer Center of the National Institutes of Health, the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Program at Princeton University, the Coal Impoundment Project at the National Technology Transfer, and the Appalachian Watershed Project here at Wheeling Jesuit University.  Her background also includes teaching courses in Chemistry, AP Environmental Science and Mathematics. 

Cassidy has served on several Advisory Boards including the Schrader Environmental Education Center, Habitat for Humanity and Laughlin Memorial Chapel.  Her interest in Appalachian problems and solutions is focused primarily on issues related to Water Quality, Energy Choices and Public Health concerns.  Her inspiration to work for change stems from meeting the people of Appalachia and learning from them first hand the complex interactions between economy, natural systems and cultural identity.  

 

 

Brian O'Donnell, S.J., Ph.D.

Jesuit Associate
Phone: 304-243-6242
E-mail: odonnell@wju.edu

Fr. O'Donnell's career with the Jesuits has twice placed him at Wheeling Jesuit University confronting Appalachian issues. From his observations of the economic distress in the Upper Ohio Valley in the early 1980s, he determined a course of study at M.I.T.'s "Science, Technology, and Society" program which enabled him to explore how de-industrialized regions dealt with drastic changes in economic underpinnings. His subsequent eight years of work at the University of Detroit Mercy were largely devoted to linking the institution with neighborhood and regional efforts at rejuvenating the southeast Michigan metropolitan region. In February of 2003, Fr. O'Donnell returned to Wheeling to join the staff of Wheeling Jesuit University's Clifford M. Lewis, S.J. Appalachian Institute as Research Director.

Fr. O'Donnell earned a B.A. and M.A. in Modern European History from The Catholic University of America, and a Ph.D. in the History of Technology from M.I.T.

Beth Dale
Americorps *VISTA Leader
Phone: 304-243-6242
E-mail: bdale@wju.edu

Beth Dale is a native of Belleville, WV and graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a degree in Sociology and a concentration in Environmental Studies. Beth decided to join the Americorps VISTA program due to her family's long tradition of involvement in service and faith-based advocacy. The Appalachian Institute was a perfect fit based on its connection with community development, cultural identity, and environmental awareness. Since joining up with the Institute, Beth has developed service, health, and environmental immersion experiences for several schools around the country spending their alternative breaks in Appalachia. After completion of her second year of service with VISTA, Beth hopes to study environmental law.