Program Staff
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 City as Text), 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. With a robust background in chemical education and a passion for advancing pedagogical practices, Dr. Slunt actively engages in research that explores effective teaching methodologies and their impact on student learning outcomes.
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. Brooke Di Lauro
Professor of French and Associate Director of the Honors Program
Dr. Di Lauro earned a B.A. in French, German, and Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in French Literature from Yale University. She began teaching at Mary Washington in 2006 and, although officially a French Renaissance poetry expert, she offers various courses in French language, literature and culture.
Dr. Di Lauro is a member of numerous academic organizations including the Modern Language Association, the Renaissance Society of America, and the Sixteenth Century Society and also serves on the Board of the Fredericksburg-Fréjus Sister City Association.
In her free time, Dr. Di Lauro enjoys reading, travelling with family, and cooking/baking (but not making dinner every night!).
Dr. Robert Wells
Associate Professor of Music and Associate Director of the Honors Program
Robert Wells teaches music theory, aural skills, and private piano, and he directs the UMW Indian Music Ensemble. In Fall 2024, he began serving as an Associate Director of the UMW Honors Program. As a music theorist who is also an active pianist and oboist, Dr. Wells enjoys encouraging students to connect the seemingly abstract world of music theory with tangible principles of performance, composition, teaching, and listening. Dr. Wells also enjoys exploring the colorful interconnections between music theory and mathematics.
Dr. Wells earned his B.M. from Furman University (Greenville, SC) with a double major in Piano Performance and Mathematics. He went on to earn degrees in Piano Performance and Literature (M.M.) and Music Theory (M.A.; Ph.D.) from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY).
Beyond music and math, Dr. Wells enjoys origami/paper crafts, miniatures, roller coasters (real and virtual), Gregg shorthand, and giving attention to his happy-go-lucky lemon beagle, Snickerdoodle.
Ms. Kasey Morello
Honors Program Coordinator
Kasey Morello manages Honors student records, tracks graduation requirements, helps plan events, and navigates the state bureaucracy of purchasing to keep us supplied with coffee, paper, and Honors swag. Kasey also supports the Center for Community Engagement. Kasey is a graduate of Winthrop University.
In her spare time, Kasey likes to watch moves, read, and spend time outside.