Katherine Walker, Founding Director

Abrina Schnurman-Crook, Executive Director

Abrina Schnurman-Crook has been at Hollins since 2004. She teaches undergraduate classes for the Certificate in Leadership Studies, serves as faculty for the Certificate in Professional Leadership program for women in mid- to upper-level management positions in the Roanoke region, and does consulting with local government agencies and with corporations. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech. She is a licensed professional counselor with a broad range of clinical experience, spending a number of years working in crisis services. She has experience working in two university counseling centers and has taught undergraduate courses at Hollins University and graduate courses at Virginia Tech.

Ruth Alden Doan, Batten Professor for the History of Women and Leadership

Ruth Alden Doan has taught at Hollins since 1984. She received her A.B. from Princeton University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A scholar in the field of the history of religion in early America, she has published The Miller Heresy, Millennialism, and American Culture and a number of essays, including “Writing Black into White: Religious Narrative in the Old South” in Southern Studies. She has also written on teaching quantitative reasoning across the curriculum. A former member of the editorial board of The Journal of the Early Republic, Doan has also participated in a number of scholarly conferences, evaluated proposals for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and assisted in the production of videos on historical subjects. Her service to Hollins has included work with the Faculty Executive Committee, the Tenure and Promotion Committee, and a term as chair of the faculty. She serves the community through her work with the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation, the Roanoke Women’s Foundation, and other groups.