Administration and Staff
Lynn M. Maurer, Ph.D., Dean, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Maurer holds both the M.A. and the Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University. Her teaching areas focus on Western and Eastern Europe, women and international politics, democratization, and international conflict. Her political science research focuses on Spanish politics since the transition to democracy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Otterbein University in Spanish. She holds a Certificate of International Relations from the University of Dijon, France. Her grants include a National Science Foundation ADVANCE IT-Catalyst Award project studying and promoting best university practices for the advancement of women faculty members in STEM.
Before joining LU, she served as Dean and Chief Research Officer of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at Indiana State University and Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Chair of the Political Science Department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Email: lmaurer@lamar.edu
Contact Us
Parker Building, Room 203
P.O.Box 10058
Beaumont, TX 77710
Telephone: 409-880-8508
Fax: 409-880-8007
Associate Deans
Dr. Xiangyang Lei, Associate Dean, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Lei holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas Christian University. Before joining Lamar University in 2008, she worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute for Tuberculosis Research of University of Illinois at Chicago. She teaches Organic Chemistry at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research grants include an American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund award studying metal-organic frameworks and a Welch Foundation research grant studying metal-catalyzed coupling reactions. She has published over twenty peer-reviewed journal articles and had numerous presentations at national and regional conferences. Dr. Lei is a recipient of the 2014 Lamar University Merit Award, the 2016 Lamar Faculty Mentor Award, and the 2020 Lamar Honors Professor of the Year Award. Before joining the Dean’s office, Dr. Lei served as the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Lamar University.
Email: xlei@lamar.edu
Dr. Jeremy Alm, Associate Dean, Professor of Mathematics
Email: jalm@lamar.edu
Administrative Staff
Michelle Lansdale, Senior Administrative Coordinator
Email: smlansdale@lamar.edu
Mr. Garry Richards-Foster, Business Manager
Garry Richards-Foster has held various administrative and faculty support positions at Lamar University since 2013. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from Lamar University with concentrations in creative writing and critical theory. His primary areas of research are in pop culture analysis, technical writing and composition pedagogy.
Email: glrichards@lamar.edu
Ms. Joanne Brown, Major Gifts Officer
Joanne Brown is an inspired business, professional and civic leader with significant community connections. Working closely with nonprofits and businesses since 1993 she has served on advisory boards for Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth, Catholic Charities, Symphony of Southeast Texas, Kelly High School, and Leadership Southeast Texas. Joanne is a member of The Rotary Club of Beaumont and a board member for I Have a Dream; she is also the former president of the Junior League of Beaumont. Joanne is a Major Gifts Officer at Lamar University where she is responsible for developing, initiating, cultivating, securing and acknowledging major gifts in support of the university. Assisting with major fundraising and stewardship events comes naturally to her as she collaborates with students, donors, faculty and staff.
Email: jbrown120@lamar.edu
Ms. Tracey Hernandez, Marketing Coordinator for College of Arts and Sciences
Tracey Hernandez has several years of experience in education, working in administration at a school district in South Texas. She started at Lamar in July of 2022 in the Marketing Department. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Journalism from Texas A&M University Kingsville. She has been with the College of Arts and Sciences for 7 months and oversees all marketing for the college and works directly with the faculty and executive team.
Email: thernandez9@lamar.edu