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, smiling in front of grey background

Beth Sabo,
Associate Director of Curriculum

I’m Beth Sabo (she/her/hers), Associate Director of Curriculum at the Writing Center at Michigan State University. I have been an educator for over 20 years and have worked in university-based writing centers for 15+ of those years. Prior to joining the community at MSU, I taught English and language arts courses at the high school level as well as first-year writing and writing-intensive courses in nursing at the university level. I have also been a board member of the East Central Writing Centers Association for several years and enjoy facilitating great conversation with other writing center practitioners through their book club and other outreach events.
 
I earned both an MA in Professional Writing as well as a graduate certificate in Teaching of Writing from Eastern Michigan University. I earned my BA in English and Secondary Education, with a minor in French, from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I am interested broadly in making writing centers, writing curricula, and higher education institutions more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, particularly for individuals with disabilities and intersectional identities who are so often underserved by our education systems. I have published in the Writing Center Journal, and I regularly present at writing center- and writing across the curriculum (WAC)-related conferences.
When not in the Writing Center, I love reading library books, traveling, hanging out in art museums, and spending time with my family, friends, and cat Darcy and tortoise Tortellini. You can email me at bethsabo@msu.edu.
 

photo of Amanda smiling in front of a brick wall

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.

 

Annabelle Miller,
Graduate Assistant Director

Hi, I’m Annabelle (she/her)! I’m the Graduate Assistant Director and a PhD candidate in English, with a concentration in gender and sexuality studies and college teaching. My research is on kinship, servitude, and empire in 19th-century British literature. I also do research in care, community-engaged teaching and learning, and queer liberalism.

I’ve been with the MSU Writing Center since I started my PhD back in 2020. For the first four years, I was an hourly graduate consultant, but I joined various projects and committees along the way, such as the asynchronous pilot committee, the media committee, and the grant writing committee. In the 24-25 academic year, I became an hourly graduate coordinator through my role as graduate teaching intern for WRA 395: Writing Center Theory and Practice.

I’m from Aurora, Illinois, but I’ve lived in Michigan since 2012, when I began my undergraduate education at Grand Valley State University (which is when I first became a writing consultant!). I received my B.A. from GVSU in English and Writing (2016) and my M.A. from GVSU in English Literature (2018). During my master’s program, I was the TESOL graduate assistant for the Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors (FMCFWAMA), where I did some research on safety, trauma, and service dynamics in writing centers.When I’m not in the writing center or doing research, I’m often reading, collaging, going on walks with my dogs, or soaking up the sun on my deck. If you’d like to connect, please email me at mill3359@msu.edu.