Administration
Dr. Grace Pregent,
Director
I’m Grace Pregent (she/her/hers), Director of the Writing Center at Michigan State University, affiliate faculty in Global Studies, and graduate faculty in Rhetoric, Writing, and Cultures. Since joining MSU, I’ve taught WRA 395: Writing Center Theory and Practice, WRA 495: Community Literacies and Engagement Across Borders, WRA 495: Organizational Storytelling, and WRA 899: Writing Center Administration. I’m also the Co-Director of the Community Writing Center and the education abroad Program Director for Community Literacies in Canada.
I received my PhD in English (2020) from Loyola University Chicago, and I have an MS in Higher Education Administration from the University of Dayton (2014) and an MA in English from the University of Dallas (2010). I’m interested broadly in rhetorical narrative theory and higher education and particularly in intersections between storytelling, partnerships, and organizational management. Currently I am the Vice President for the East Central Writing Centers Association and a mentoring editor with the ECWCA Journal. Some of my recent articles have been published in The Writing Lab Newsletter, Victorians, and College Composition and Communication (2024) and book chapters in the edited collections Public Feminisms and Queer Praxis in the Writing Center: Expanding Intersectional Paradigms (2025). My first book, In Praise of the Minor Character: The Importance of Peripheral Figures in Victorian Literature, was published by McFarland Press in 2023.
Before joining the Spartan community, I worked in writing center administration at Loyola University and in international programming. When not teaching, traveling, or being in the Writing Center, I’m usually spending time with my family, enjoying the beautiful state of Michigan, and running with friends.
You’re welcome to connect with me at pregentg@msu.edu.
Beth Sabo,
Associate Director of Curriculum
Amanda Hawks,
Associate Director of Outreach
I’m Amanda Hawks (she/her/hers), Associate Director of Outreach at the Writing Center at Michigan State. I’ve taught, and will be teaching, WRA395: Writing Center Theory and Practice as well as First Year Writing.
I received my MA in Rhetoric and Composition with a specialization in Black Feminism, transformative justice, and anti-racist pedagogy from the Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures program at Michigan State University. I am interested broadly in emotional labor as it relates to Black women in higher education as well as Linguistic Justice. A recent article I’ve published is titled, “We Don’t Need More “Safe” Spaces; We Need Transformative Justice” published in Peitho, and have a forthcoming chapter in the book, Reconceptualizing Response titled, “Fostering Linguistic Justice through Feedback Practices: Contributions from the Black Radical Tradition.”
I have over a decade of experience in writing centers, starting as a sophomore in high school. In my free time, I enjoy crocheting, watching horror films, reading, hanging out with my friends and family, and a bunch of other indoor activities.
You can connect with me at hawksama@msu.edu.
Nicole Koyuki Golden,
Graduate Assistant Director
Hi, there! I’m Nicole (she/her), Graduate Assistant Director and PhD student in writing and rhetoric. Since joining MSU in 2022, I’ve worked in the Writing Center, supporting projects, leading professional development, and coordinating the Mentor Program, our graduate student path. I’ve also taught MSU’s WRA 395: Writing Center Theory and Practice as well as a handful of first-year writing and workplace writing courses at my previous institutions.
I received my MA in Writing and Rhetoric Studies (2022) from San Diego State and my BA in English (2019) from Occidental College. I’m interested in writing center studies, rhetoric, and technical communication broadly, but my research typically centers Asian American communities, Asian American rhetoric, and digital community engagement. I’ve presented my work at several Conferences on College Composition and Communication, the 2023 Feminism and Rhetorics Conference, and the East Central Writing Center Association Conferences, to name a few.
When not in the Writing Center, writing, or researching, I’m enjoying the weather outdoors or taking up yet another craft. You can email me at goldenn2@msu.edu.
Kimberly Groves,
Graduate Assistant Director
I’m Kimberly (she/her), one of the Graduate Assistant Directors and a third-year PhD student in Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures. I’m pursuing a concentration in Black Linguistic Justice and a graduate specialization in Women and Gender Studies. I’ve been with the Writing Center @ MSU since 2022 in various capacities including Graduate Writing Coordinator and Operations Scheduling Coordinator.
I was born in Lansing and lived here for 8 years before moving to the suburbs of Chicago where I grew up. My family returned to the Greater Lansing area just before I started at Michigan State, and it’s been a very happy return to our Michigan roots! Prior to MSU, I attended a local community college in IL before transferring to the University of Kentucky for my BA in English. I returned to the community college to study American Sign Language before heading to Clemson University for my MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Media. It was there I had my first experience as a tutor in a Writing Center!
I’ve taught a variety of writing courses in community college and university contexts, where I work to enact tenets of equity, collaboration, and access by way of de-centering myself, co-constructing the course values with students, and challenging normative assumptions of writing. You can find me listening to Taylor Swift, binge watching TV, or spending time with my partner, our pets, and friends when I’m not teaching or working in the Writing Center. I invite you to connect with me via email at groveski@msu.edu.