Full Name: Lisa A. Billingham, DMA
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Title: Professor of Music
Department: Reva and Sid Dewberry School of Music
Link to Departmental Bio: Lisa A. Billingham | Dewberry School of Music
Bio:
Dr. Billingham is a Professor of Music in the Reva and Sid Dewberry School of Music. As the Director of Choral Activities at Mason, she conducts the University Chamber Singers and the University Chorale as well as mentoring graduate students for dissertations and teaches courses in Laban Movement Theory, Choral Literature and courses related to preparing professional musicians for careers in music performance and education.
Dr. Billingham’s research interests as a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst include conducting pedagogy and practices related to Well-Being for educators and university students. Her focused scholarship and creative activities as a national and international choral clinician span experiences with choirs and educators from South America, Italy and Kenya. Collaborations with alumni and local choirs continue to be a focus of her research endeavors as a conductor. Most recently, Mason Choir students performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of a festival chorus in collaboration with The Choral Arts Society of Washington.
As a UL Faculty Fellow, Dr. Billingham will partner with Katie Clare and the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being to create and implement a short series of new well-being events on campus for students in combining Laban/Bartenieff Movement Theory and practices from The Center for Mind-Body Medicine.
Full Name: Susan Howard, PhD, MPH
Pronouns: she/her
Title: Associate Professor; School of Integrative Studies
Department: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Link to Departmental Bio: Susan Howard | School of Integrative Studies and www.susan-howard.com
Bio:
Dr. Susan Howard is an Associate Professor at the School of Integrative Studies at George Mason University. Drawing on her experience in higher education and more than two decades of work in broadcast journalism, cause-related media, international development, social impact entrepreneurship, and producing digital learning games, she designs student-centered curricula that connect public health, environmental sustainability, leadership, digital literacy, design thinking, and human-centered problem-solving.
Her pedagogy is grounded in academic training and field practice in public health and environmental science, with a strong foundation in the humanities, storytelling, behavioral science, and systems thinking. She uses human-centered design, game-based learning, applied digital media, and reflective practice to help students move from conceptual understanding to inquiry, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and real-world action.
Her work has been recognized with George Mason University’s 2026 Online Teaching Excellence Award, the 2025 Presidential Faculty Excellence Award for Social Impact, and national and international awards for game-based learning from Games for Change, the GALA Serious Games Competition, and the Global Health Digital Innovation Award.
As a 2026–2027 University Life Faculty Fellow, Howard will design choice-based faculty-development tools to support earlier and better-coordinated responses to students of concern, students in distress, and students who may need learning support.
Full Name: Jennifer Victor, Ph.D.
Pronouns: she/her
Title: Associate Professor of Political Science
Department: Schar School Policy and Government
Link to Departmental Bio: Jennifer Victor | Schar School Policy and Government
Bio:
Jennifer Nicoll Victor is Associate Professor of Political Science at George Mason University’s Schar School Policy and Government. She studies the U.S. Congress, legislative organization and behavior, social network methods, political parties, campaign finance, and interest groups and lobbying. She is currently writing a book, Root and Branch: The Network Origins of Political Capital in the US Congress. She is the co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Political Networks (2017) and co-author (with Nils Ringe) of Bridging the Information Gap: Legislative Member Organizations in the United States and the European Union (U. Michigan Press 2013). Her research has been published in a variety of political science journals, including the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, American Politics Review, and others. She teaches “How American Government Works” on The Great Courses®, is the 2019 recipient of George Mason University’s Teaching Excellence Award, and the 2024 recipient of the NCAPSA Pi Sigma Alpha award for undergraduate mentoring. Her public scholarship has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Medium, and a variety of academic blogs, including “Mischiefs of Faction,” where she is a founding contributor. Professor Victor is a member and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for OpenSecrets, a non-profit dedicated to following money in politics, and is the past president of the National Capital Area Political Science Association.