Dr. Kelli M. Slunt
Professor of Chemistry and Honors Program Director
Kelli Slunt is the inaugural director of the UMW Honors Program and her responsibilities include teaching honors courses (Organic Chemistry, Honors Service Learning, and Capstone Prep), curriculum development, program oversight, and providing high quality honors education for our scholars. If you are interested in pursuing prestigious scholarships like Truman or Goldwater, please contact Dr. Slunt.
Professor Slunt earned a BS in Chemistry from Mary Washington College and a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from the University of Virginia. Returning to her alma mater, she began her teaching career at Mary Washington in 1995. Dr. Slunt is a member of the American Chemistry Society United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) Committee and writes examination questions for the USNCO National Exam.
Dr. Slunt is married to Jeff and has two adult children. In her free time, she likes to spend time traveling with her family, completing small arts and crafts projects, or solving puzzles.
Dr. Mara Scanlon
Professor of English and Associate Director of the Honors Program
As Associate Director of the Honors Program, Mara Scanlon helps ground the Humanities curriculum and provides programming, advising, and other services. She manages many forms of communication, such as the weekly email for scholars, the program newsletter called Honors Outlook, and the web presence. In addition to Honors programs like Capstone Prep and weekly guided meditation, Dr. Scanlon teaches Honors-designated classes in English on the upper and lower levels.
Dr. Scanlon earned a BA in English from the University of Virginia and an MA and PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She began teaching at UMW in 1999 and offers various classes in nineteenth- and twentieth-century poetry, women’s literature, Asian American literature, and literature of the First World War.
In her free time, Dr. Scanlon likes to read, overwatch British mystery shows, spend time with her children and pets, and bake cakes.
Ms. Amanda Ronay
Honors Program Coordinator
Amanda Ronay manages Honors student records, tracks graduation requirements, and helps plan Honors student and family events. If you’re not sure if you’ve fulfilled a certain Honors requirement, if you have an idea for an event, or if you need supplies for the Honors Commons, she can help you out! Amanda also works with the Center for Community Engagement.
In her spare time, Amanda loves to read, run, cook, and hike.