Meet Our Staff

Tim Johnson

Director of the UofL Writing Center and Associate Professor of English

I’ve been lucky to work with a lot of writers in introductory, scientific, professional, technical, and digital writing courses over the years here at UofL; at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I received my Ph.D.; and at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where I received my MA. I’ve written a book on how Ford Motor Company helped to narrate a particular kind of economy to the rest of the world (my research is generally interested in the rhetoric of economies), served on the board of a writing-oriented non-profit, and helped establish a Professional and Public Writing major here at U of L. 

I’ve always found writing to be a great way to slow down, process, plan, and connect. Writing helps me to make the overwhelming more manageable, to remain present, to intervene in issues that are important to me, to work with (and learn from) the ideas of others, and to lead a more meaningful life. Getting to spend my days in a place dedicated to helping others do all of that (and quite a bit more) is pretty cool. 

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, reading, horsing around too much, and telling my two sons to quit horsing around so much.  

Annmarie Steffes

Associate Director

Annmarie holds a PhD in English from the University of Iowa and B.A. in English from Ohio University. Before coming to the University of Louisville, she started the Writing Center at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana and served as its Director and as an Assistant Professor of English for four years. Annmarie’s academic research has focused on nineteenth-century dramas by British women writers and the relationship between print and performance, but her writing experiences are diverse and include publishing creative nonfiction, writing grants, and working as a copyeditor. Annmarie believes that writing holds the power to build bridges between people and loves helping writers meet their academic and personal goals, build confidence in their abilities, and experiment with their expression. When not singing the praises of the Writing Center, Annmarie enjoys hanging out with her dog, gardening, and cooking. 

Maddy Decker

Program Assistant, Senior

Maddy holds an MFA in creative writing from Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University, an MA in English from UofL, and a BA in English and anthropology from the University of Kentucky. Her creative work has been featured in Shale and The Kentucky Kernel’s literary magazine. Maddy loves helping writers build skills, confidence, and an enjoyment of writing. Outside of the Writing Center, she enjoys reading thrillers, playing Yoshi's Island, and watching The X Files.

Paige Enlow

Assistant Director for the University Writing Center

Paige is a PhD student in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition. She began her academic journey at Lindsey Wilson College, initially pursuing nursing before discovering her passion for English, which led her to change her major. After earning her bachelor’s degree, Paige continued her studies at Arizona State University, where she obtained a master’s in English. Certainly! Now that she attends UofL, Paige is eager to delve into her research interests, particularly Indigenous rhetorics, community literacy, and writing center theory. In her new role as Assistant Director for Community Literacy, Paige looks forward to empowering writers in the Louisville area and building lasting relationships with our community partners.

Jess Gottbrath

Assistant Director for Graduate Student Writing

Jess (she/her) is a fourth-year PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition program. She previously earned an MA in English and an MA in Education here at UofL. Her varied research interests include narrative theory, linguistic diversity, and sociomaterialism. As Assistant Director for Graduate Student Writing, Jess is dedicated to empowering graduate students as they navigate unique and intricate writing challenges to enhance their scholarly and professional communication skills. Off campus, Jess spends her time listening to podcasts, baking, and playing board games.

Carrie Callahan

Writing Consultant

Carrie Callahan is pursuing her MA in English. She has a BA in English from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Bluegrass Writers Studio at EKU. She's won multiple awards for her writing including the Emerging Fiction Writers Award from EKU and a Writers of the Future award. Her fiction has appeared in Writers of the Future Volume 35, Galaxy's Edge Magazine, and A Bit of Luck: an Anthology. Having received a lot of help along her own path, Carrie is excited to pay it forward. She's jazzed to help university students hone their academic work and accomplish their goals by utilizing the written word to the best of their ability!

Cora Bidwell

Writing Consultant

Cora (she/her) is a GTA pursuing her Master’s in English at the University of Louisville. She graduated from Xavier University in 2024 with her Bachelor’s in English, and minors in Italian studies, psychology, and writing. While there, she worked as a tutor at the writing center and a copyeditor at the student-run newspaper. A Louisville native, Cora is happy to be back in the city and is looking forward to getting to know the UofL community. In her free time, she enjoys reading, creative writing, finding new music to listen to, and learning to crochet.

Ryder Guido

Writing Consultant

Ryder Guido is a Masters student with a focus in creative writing. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in both English and philosophy from Belmont University. He has also worked as a publicist in the book publishing industry. His current research interests include novella writing, magical realism, and Roland Barthes’ essay “The Death of the Author”.

Lizzy Roth

Writing Consultant

Elizabeth Roth is pursuing her M.A. in English while at UofL as a GTA. She earned her B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Kentucky University. Elizabeth completed an honors thesis at WKU, which explores the intersection between education, censorship, and a psychological response to danger. She hopes to continue that work while at UofL. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, listening to audio dramas, and reading any horror fiction she can get her hands on.

Saroj Gc

Writing Consultant

Saroj GC is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition, at the Department of English at the University of Louisville. He received both an MA. in English Literature and an MPhil (Masters of Philosophy) from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. He has over a decade of experience in teaching writing, communication, and literature courses at Tribhuvan University and other national academic institutions. Saroj believes writing is a serious academic conversation to enhance our personal and professional growth. His research interests include environmental rhetorics, counter-perspectives in public discourse, and rhetorical analysis. Outside the academia, he enjoys reading, writing, watching movies, and trekking. Saroj has presented his research at several international conferences. He is also actively involved in various academic and community outreach programs.

Mary Dudley

Writing Consultant

Mary is a M.A. student from New Prague, Minnesota. She graduated from Creighton University with a B.A. in English and Philosophy. She is passionate about investigating the intersection of literature and philosophy in the Victorian and Romantic periods as well as the way in which literature both exposes and reinforces culture. She tutored during her undergraduate studies, and she is enthusiastic about aiding others in finding their voice and communicating their thoughts. During her free time, Mary enjoys road trips, hiking, spending time with friends and family, blasting One Direction, and exploring new coffee shops.

Sophia Lyons

Writing Consultant

Sophia (she/her/) is a graduate teaching assistant from Louisville pursuing her Master’s in English with a focus on emphasizing classical rhetorical theories to explore the interweaving of modern epistemology, evolving social dynamics, and identity development. She earned her B.A. in rhetoric and composition with a minor in strategic communications at Ball State University, where she also worked as an Academic Peer Mentor in the Humanities Living Learning Community and Outreach Manager for the College of Sciences and Humanities. Sophia enjoys attending music festivals and Lou City games, reading long books, and taking too many pictures of her cats, Izzi and Scorpius.

Terrance Williams

Writing Consultant

Terrance Williams is a Graduate student pursuing his M.A. In English. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from Georgetown College. Then, deciding that he wanted to pursue a career in editing, he enrolled in the UofL Master's program. He hopes to help students become better writers and strengthen the skills they already have. His interests include mid 20th century American poetry and examinations of race in media and literature. In his free time, he enjoys writing, reading, and listening to music.

Elizabeth Pope

Writing Consultant

Elizabeth Pope is a poet and painter from the Appalachian Mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. Currently, she is pursuing an M.A. in Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Humanities at the University of Louisville. Her honors include an Emerging Artist Award from the Kentucky Arts Council an Artist Enrichment Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her work is forthcoming in the International Journal of Persian Literature and appears in LIT Magazine with the New School, The Louisville Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Euphony Journal, Red Rock Review, Appalachian Heritage, The Fourth River, Still: The Journal, So to Speak: a feminist journal of language and art, New Madrid, and elsewhere.

Maggie Rose

Writing Consultant

Maggie Rose is pursuing an MA in English. She graduated with honors from Aquinas College with a BA in English with a Writing Emphasis, and she minored in Music and Irish Studies. While earning her BA, Maggie trained and worked as a writing center consultant for three years. After graduating, Maggie spent nearly three years working as a consultant at Mid Michigan College's Writing and Reading Center. Her research interests include identity and writing, composition pedagogy, and writing center studies. In her free time, Maggie enjoys rollerblading, writing poetry, singing and playing ukulele, and spending time with family and friends.

Language proficiencies: Spanish (novice)

Kate Fisher

Writing Consultant

Kate Fisher is a graduate teaching assistant, pursuing her M.A. in English at the University of Louisville. She earned a B.A. in English at Western Kentucky University with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in Film. She is most passionate about 19th century British and American poetry, screenwriting, and 20th century Hungarian literature. In her spare time, you can find Kate playing her guitar, studying historical fashion, and crafting poems. 

Comfort Anafo

Writing Consultant

Comfort Anafo is pursuing an M.A. in English at the University of Louisville. She earned a B.Ed. in Arts, majoring in English, from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Over the past seven years, she has been teaching. In her graduate studies, she plans to focus on digital rhetoric and writing studies. In her free time, she enjoys participating in community writing services and hiking.

Navah Chestnut

Writing Consultant

Navah Chestnut holds a BA in Rhetoric and Professional Writing and Humanities from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During her undergraduate studies, Navah pursued cult studies in conjunction with contemporary rhetorical theory, which continues to inform her current studies and research interests. As the Managing Editor of the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation, Navah is invested in ensuring a future free from coercive control through active, engaged, and methodological research about cults. 

For graduate school, Navah hopes to continue researching cult rhetorics while also developing scholarship on the rhetoric of AI companions.

When Navah is not working or researching, she enjoys playing and listening to music, creative writing, and spending time with her cat, Lewis.

Laila Garner

Office Assistant

Laila (She/Her) is a second-year student at the University of Louisville. She is currently majoring in business administration and minoring in marketing. She loves listening to music, graphic design, and reading books. Laila is from Chicago, IL. Laila is also the owner of the clothing brand TakeOver Apparel. In her free time if she’s not working on schoolwork she will be working on her business.  

Glenn Donohue

Office Assistant

Glenn is a Sophomore at UofL and am currently studying meteorology. He is from Crystal Lake Illinois.  When he is not at school or working, he enjoys watching sports and playing video games. He also enjoys chasing storms. 

Ailis Wiggett 

Office Assistant

Ailis Wiggett (she/her) is a second-year Honors Program student majoring in Communications from Lexington, Kentucky. When she graduates, Ailis wants to pursue broadcasting and be the first news reporter with pink hair! In her free time, she loves hanging out with friends, doing her nails, or listening to music and podcasts.