Affiliate Faculty

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (616)-331-4312
Office: MAK D-2-142

Romena is a dedicated educator and researcher with a broad range of teaching interests in computing and decision sciences. With a strong foundation in both theoretical and applied domains, she is passionate about introducing students to the fundamentals of programming through courses such as Computer Science I and II, as well as Object-Oriented Programming. She also enjoys teaching advanced topics like Data Mining and Machine Learning, with a focus on their real-world applications in decision-making systems. Drawing on a background in operations research, Romena is equally interested in teaching optimization techniques and engineering statistics. A key part of their pedagogical mission is to design interdisciplinary curricula that emphasize human-centered artificial intelligence, fairness, and interpretability in algorithmic decision-making.

Beyond the classroom, Romena's research and service interests lie in the development of equitable and explainable AI systems for social good. Her work is driven by a commitment to ethical and sustainable technology development, as well as a deep investment in mentorship and educational outreach. 

Outside of academia, Romena enjoys exploring nature through camping trips and finds creative expression through painting in acrylic and oil mediums.