People
The Hoffberger Center is a community that gathers people together in a shared commitment to pursue the best in ethics and values, creating a forum to examine and highlight the fundamental importance of ethics in a civil society, across the professions, and throughout human life. The Center is on the move with new people joining and participating in diverse programming.
Steven Scalet, director
email: sscalet@ubalt.edu
Steven Scalet
—professor of philosophy in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences—serves as the director of the Hoffberger Center. During spring 2022, Professor Scalet’s research includes an article on the ethics of immigration as part of a forthcoming book collection on immigration and human rights, a third edition of
Markets, Ethics, and Business Ethics
, and writings on distributive and economic justice. Prior to this appointment, he was associate professor and the director of the Philosophy, Politics, and Law program at Binghamton University (SUNY), where he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Prof. Scalet received his Ph.D. in Philosophy and M.A. in Economics from the University of Arizona and is the editor of Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy 10th Edition (Routledge, 2019).
Joshua Kassner, director of Research Fellows Program
email:jkassner@ubalt.edu
Joshua Kassner is a professor of philosophy and director of the B.A. in Philosophy, Law, and Ethics program in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Baltimore. Professor Kassner has published and presented on issues of global justice, international political and legal philosophy, and human rights. He is committed to building a thriving philosophical community with the Hoffberger Center for Ethical Engagement as its home.
Rebeccah Leiby, Hoffberger Ethics Fellow
email: rleiby@ubalt.edu
Rebeccah Leiby is the spring 2022 Hoffberger Ethics Fellow. In addition to teaching three classes at The University of Baltimore—PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy, PHIL 321 Philosophers That Changed the World, and IDIS 302 Ethical Issues in Business and Society—she is collaborating with the Hoffberger Center this semester in order to facilitate programming, outreach and curriculum development. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Philosophy Department at Boston University where she is completing her doctoral dissertation, "Towards a Contractualist Theory of Transitional Justice".
Daniel Gellasch, coordinator of programming and outreach
email: daniel.gellasch@ubalt.edu
Hailing from Austin and a veteran of the Coast Guard, Daniel Gellasch, B.A. '21, began his academic career in Michigan, first studying linguistic anthropology before turning to philosophy and ethics. Daniel came to Baltimore in 2016 and joined the Hoffberger Center as a student fellow, assisting in programing and education, as well as conducting independent research. He received a Philosophy, Law, and Ethics (PLE) degree from The University of Baltimore in 2021. Following his fellowship, Daniel was appointed director of ethics outreach and programming for the Hoffberger Center. He coaches the UBalt Ethics Bowl team, directs the Maryland High School Ethics Bowl, oversees the student fellows program, edits and publishes the PLE Student Journal, and administers the Hoffberger Center’s social media and online spaces. His areas of interest include philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and critical theory. His current study and research centers around the idea of “cognitive duties.”
Claudette Booth, administrative assistant II
email: cbooth@ubalt.edu
Claudette Booth is the administrative assistant for the Division of Legal Ethical and Historical Studies, the Hoffberger Center for Ethical Engagement and the Helen P. Denit Honors Program. Claudette is also a current student pursuing a Doctorate in Public Administration at The University of Baltimore.
Janice Jackson, community liaison
email: jjackson@ubalt.edu
Janice Jackson is an advocator, educator, innovator, and motivator. For over 37 years she has been an “agent of change” and recognized as one of the most prominent voices advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities in Maryland. Ms. Jackson is an alumna of The University of Baltimore, receiving both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in human services. Ms. Jackson is the founder and executive director of
Woman Embracing Abilities Now
(W.E.A.N.). W.E.A.N. is a nonprofit mentoring organization servicing women and young ladies with varying degrees of disabilities throughout Maryland and surrounding areas.
Hoffberger Center Research Fellows, 2022-23
Firmin Debrabander
professor, MICA
email: fdebrabander@mica.edu
Firmin Debrabander's bio
Phillip Honenberger
assistant professor of instruction, Temple University
email: philliphonenberger@gmail.com
Philip Honenberger's bio
Matthew Scarfone
post-doctoral fellow, University of Toronto
email: matthew.scarfone@utoronto.ca
Matthew Scarfone's bio
Sally Scholz
professor of philosophy, Villanova University
email: sally.scholz@villanova.edu
Sally Scholz's bio
Ravi Thakral
lecturer in philosophy, University of Sussex
email:
ravithakral@icloud.com
Ravi Thakral's bio
Alec Walen
professor, Rutgers Law School
email: awalen@camden.rutgers.edu
Alec Walen's bio
Hoffberger Center Faculty Fellows, 2022-23
Frank van Vliet
executive in residence/senior lecturer, UBalt Merrick School of Business
email: fvanvliet@ubalt.edu
Frank van Vliet's bio
Hoffberger Center Student Fellows, 2022-23
- Jeremy Collins
- Jana Dubinovsky
- JC Manigault
- Oluwanifemi Oduntan
- Anna Williams
IDIS 302: Ethical Issues in Business and Society Faculty
Mark Bell
assistant director of diversity initiatives and recruitment, UBalt School of Law
email: mkbell@ubalt.edu
Mark Bell currently serves as the director of diversity initiatives and recruitment with The University of Baltimore School of Law. As director of diversity, he advises the School of Law senior leadership team and leads strategic diversity efforts that advance the school's mission and vision. He has served as an adjunct professor for over 15 years.
Daniel Jenkins
adjunct faculty I, Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
email: djenkins@ubalt.edu
Daniel G. Jenkins is a professor of philosophy at Montgomery College, and teaches occasionally at The University of Baltimore, his parents' alma mater. He has been an NEH scholar at the University of Arizona Summer Institute on Experimental Philosophy (2012), and at the East-West Center Summer Institute on Buddhist East Asia (2018). In fall of 2017, Professor Jenkins served as visiting professor at Xi’an University of Arts and Sciences 西安文理学院, Xi’an, China. He has been an affiliate of the Hoffberger Center since 2005.
Antoinette Martsoukos
assistant dean, Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
email: amartsoukos@ubalt.edu
Antoinette (Toni) Martsoukos holds two degrees from The University of Baltimore: a B.A. in Jurisprudence and an M.A. in Legal and Ethical Studies. She serves on UBalt’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and is assistant dean for the Yale Gordon of College of Arts and Sciences. Toni has been teaching IDIS 302 since 2009 and enjoys exploring various ethical issues with students.
Frank van Vliet
senior lecturer, Merrick School of Business
email: fvanvliet@ubalt.edu
Frank van Vliet is an executive in residence/senior lecturer in The University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business, where he teaches marketing, entrepreneurship and ethics classes. Prof. v, as his students refer to him, has been with UBalt since 2008, starting first as an adjunct and becoming a full-time faculty member in 2013. In addition to his over 14 years of teaching experience, van Vliet brings 32-plus years of industrial business to business marketing, sales and leadership development expertise to the classroom. van Vliet is a UBalt alumnus, receiving his MBA in 2008.
Hoffberger Center Events
- Nov. 14-18: Arts and Ethics Week