Frank Hutchins, Ph.D.
Dr. Hutchins is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Bellarmine. He earned his BA from the University of Kentucky, his MA from the Patterson School of Diplomacy at UK, and his PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on cultural change amongst indigenous peoples in the Amazonian and Andean regions of Ecuador. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, and continues to do research and work there as director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Summer Field School in Ecuador for the Study of Language, Culture, & Community Health. At Bellarmine, he teaches Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Introduction to Human Geography; Anthropology of Mind and Body; Anthropology of the Supernatural and Sacred; Anthropology and the Environment; and Theory and Methods in Anthropology. Dr. Hutchins also serves as coordinator of the IDC 301 courses. He is the co-editor, along with Dr. Patrick Wilson, of Editing Eden: A Reconsideration of Identity, Politics, and Place in Amazonia (University of Nebraska Press, 2010). He is a native of Bardstown, KY, and he and his wife, Christine, have one daughter, Anna.

Heather Pruss, Ph.D.
Heather Pruss earned her BA and PhD in Criminal Justice from Indiana University-Bloomington. She has taught courses on a wide variety of topics, including (Introduction to) Criminal Justice, Criminological Theory, Research Methods, Courts, Capital Punishment, and Law & Society. At Bellarmine University, she hopes to develop new courses focused on pertinent social/criminal justice issues, such as wrongful conviction or defending the accused. Broadly speaking, Heather’s research focuses on how oft-marginalized individuals experience the United States court system. She has done work on how capital jurors make life or death decisions, how indigent clients perceive their public defenders, and how family members and friends of homicide victims navigate case adjudication. Heather looks forward to engaging students and community members alike through her research agenda and has a strong interest in service learning and other experiential approaches to pedagogy.

Heather spends most of her spare time kayaking or hiking with her partner Jed and their two special-needs dogs. She grew up in Santa Claus, Indiana and is also an experienced florist.

Pam Cartor, Ph.D.
Dr. Pam Cartor, Associate Professor in Psychology, completed her B.A. in Psychology at Stetson University, her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), and her pre-doctoral internship at the Bingham Child Guidance Center in Louisville, Kentucky. She currently serves as Chair of the Psychology/Sociology/Criminal Justice Studies Department and she maintains a small clinical private practice.

She teaches the more clinically focused courses including Abnormal Psychology and Counseling & Psychotherapy. One of her favorite things about her job is working with students on career and graduate school preparation and she loves teaching the Professions in Psychology course and supervising internships.

Her research interests have included parenting behavior and conduct disorder in children, clergy child sexual abuse, personality factors and student performance, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is Past President of the Kentucky Psychological Association.

She is married to an I/O psychologist, Rick Cartor, and they have two kids who have grown up to be wonderful people.

Ainsley Lambert-Swain, Ph.D.
Originally from Louisville, Ainsley Lambert-Swain earned her B.A. in sociology from Morehead State University, followed by a M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Cincinnati. She joined the faculty at Bellarmine University as an Assistant Professor of Sociology in 2018. Ainsley teaches several sociology courses at Bellarmine, including: Introduction to Sociology, Social Inequality, Contemporary Social Problems, Race and Ethnicity, and the introductory course for the African and African American Diaspora Studies Minor. Her research interests include racial and ethnic inequality in the U.S., critical race theory, and racial identity processes, including how racial identities are negotiated in interaction. Her current research examines how partners in interracial relationships understand and navigate racial meanings across racially segregated spaces. At her previous institution and during her time here at Bellarmine, Ainsley has dedicated herself to creating an inclusive campus, serving on university committees and leading workshops on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a member of the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. When she is not teaching or doing research, Ainsley enjoys traveling to new places, trying new foods, and spending time with her family.