american men's studies Association

advancing the critical study of men and masculinities  

amsa board of directors


Jeff Cohen, Ph.D., President (2022)

Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Plymouth State University. Jeff's scholarship focuses on the intersections of gender, masculinities, and crime, multi-perspective mixed-methods research, and the criminalization of school bullying. He is co-author of Confronting School Bullying: Kids, Culture, and the Making of a Social Problem (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2014) and Criminology Explains School Bullying (University of California Press, 2020), which is part of a 10-book series that he is co-editing for University of California Press. Jeff lives in Manchester, NH, USA with his partner and their dog.

Jonathan A. Allan, Ph.D., Vice President (2024)

Canada Research Chair and Professor at Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba. Dr. Allan teaches in the Department of English, Drama, and Creative Writing and the Gender and Women’s Studies Program. He is an editor for Journal of Bodies, Sexualities, and Masculinities published by Berghahn. He is the author of Reading from Behind: A Cultural Analysis of the Anus and Men, Masculinities, and Popular Romance. His forthcoming books include: Men, Masculinities, and Infertilities and Uncut: A Cultural Analysis of the Foreskin. He is also a co-investigator on a SSHRC-funded project called “Changing rural masculinities and mental wellness: a Prairie case study.”

Frank G. Karioris, M.A., Ph.D., Recorder (2023)

Visiting Lecturer of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the editor (with Drs Andrea Cornwall and Nancy Lindisfarne) of the recent collection Masculinities Under Neoliberalism (Zed Books 2016) and has published on the topic of masculinities in various peer-reviewed journals including The Journal of Men’s Studies, The Journal of Gender Studies, and Culture Unbound. His current work has explored issues related to heterosexual bareback sex; men’s friendships, education, and Foucault; and the role of teaching in the neoliberal university, and he is currently working on a co-authored monograph with Dr. Jonathan A. Allan titled The Full Package: Aesthetics, Masculinity, and the Market. His monograph Educating for Marriage will be released in early 2019 from Lexington Books.

Mark Justad, Ph.D., Treasurer (Ex Officio Special Appointment)

Director of the Center for Principled Problem Solving and a member of the Religious Studies faculty at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is past President of AMSA, has held the positions of Treasurer and Communications Director, and has served as AMSA Conference Program Chair, Conference Publicity Chair, and as Conference Site Coordinator. Mark earned the Master’s of Divinity Degree from Harvard University and the PhD. in Religion from Vanderbilt University. His doctoral dissertation, “On the Problem of Masculinity: Toward Phallic Values of Connection,” was his initial extended foray into the critical study of men and masculinities. His teaching focuses on issues of gender, sexuality, and social location as they impact the religious and theological imaginations. He is committed to advancing scholarship in the critical study of men and masculinities through the work of AMSA. Mark lives in Greensboro, NC with Joanne, a professor at Wake Forest Medical Center, and their two boys, Cole and Cade.

Paola Ehrmantraut, M.A., Ph.D, Media and Public Relations Officer (2022)

Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.



Jamilah Dei Sharpe (2024)

Doctoral student of Sociology at Concordia University. Jamilah's project, Can Black Masculinity be Decolonized: A Documentary of Black Empowerment and Community Engagement in Canada, is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship. Jamilah is an emerging Sociologist who specializes in critical race studies, critical gender studies, decolonial pedagogy and Black masculinity studies. Jamilah is active in community work, educational and research consultancy related to QTBIPOC - Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous peoples and other racialized communities. In such, Jamilah co-founded the Decolonial Perspectives and Practises Hub at Concordia University and the National Black Graduate Network. Jamilah also represents the Black Canadian Studies Association as the Student Outreach Coordinator and is an active member of the Anti-Racist Taskforce and Black Studies Collective at Concordia. For more details visit: www.jamilahds.com.

Anna M. Klonkowska, Ph.D. (2023)

Dr. Anna M. Klonkowska is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Gdansk. She is a sociologist, psychologist and philosopher. She has authored and co-authored numerous English and Polish publications in the field of transgender studies and masculinity studies. Anna Klonkowska is a recipient of the Fulbright Foundation Senior Research Award, Chair in Transgender Studies Research Fellowship (the Transgender Archives), NAWA Bekker Programme Research Award, Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship, Bednarowski Trust Fellowship, and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Fellowship.


Ledric Sherman, Ph.D. (2023)

Received his PhD from Texas A&M University in August of 2013. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, he received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Sam Houston State University. Dr. Sherman begin his career at Texas A&M as an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Physical Education Activity Program (PEAP) and remained in this position until completing his doctoral program in Health Education. Upon completing his doctoral degree, he was hired as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, Division of Health. After being in this position for two years, he was then promoted to an Assistant Professor position within the department. Dr. Sherman's research interests are focused on Type 2 diabetes self-management, Men's health, Quality and quantity of life among persons living with type 2 diabetes, and health education and wellness promotion. Dr. Sherman enjoys teaching and mentoring students to help prepare them for the next chapter in their in lives, both professionally and personally. Dr. Sherman has taught undergraduate courses in Environmental Health, Grant Writing, Healthy Lifestyles, and Contemporary Issues for Community Health Interns. He also has experience in teaching Program Planning for graduate students.

** Dates after each Board member's name indicate final year of service of their current term on the Board.


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