For general inquiries, or to speak with the first available staff member, please call our main office number (336.758.3320) or email undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu.

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A native of North Carolina, Dr. Hairston received his Bachelor of Arts in English and Politics as a Reynolds Scholar at Wake Forest University. He received his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctor from the UNC School of Law. He returned to Wake Forest in 2019, after serving as Associate Professor of English and of Law and Humanities and founding director of the Center for Law and Humanities at Elon University.

Dr. Hairston’s research areas include American Literature and Classical Literature, especially classical influences on African American and Southern writers, as well as the interdisciplinary study of law and humanities. He was a 2015 Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Residential Fellow. His book, The Ebony Column: Classics, Civilization, and the African American Reclamation of the West, was a Choice Outstanding Academic Title and the inaugural book of the Classicism in American Culture Series of the University of Tennessee Press.

In his free time, Dr. Hairston enjoys traveling with his wife Cherry and two children, as well as sporting clays, cooking, and fencing.

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Assistant Dean Bennett received her B.S. degree from Winston-Salem State University and the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest. She joined the staff of Wake Forest in 1985 and served in the Department of English and the Program of Academic Support Services until 1995 when she joined the Dean’s Office. Since then she has been responsible for administering academic policies and procedures, assisting with student/faculty concerns and assisting with the recruitment and training of academic advisors. She works closely with faculty and staff advisors and their advisees to enhance the advising experience.

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Shane Weimer was born in New York but grew up just south of Winston Salem in Salisbury, North Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Brevard College and his Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest University. Shane joined the Office of Academic Advising in the fall of 2011. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Kara, and three children.

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Margaret Clayton earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Community Services from the College of Human Ecology at East Carolina University and her Master of Arts degree in Child Development at East Carolina University. Margaret brings over twenty years of higher education experience to the Office of Academic Advising. She began her career in higher education as a graduate assistant in the athletic department at East Carolina University working with at-risk student-athletes as well as overseeing the tutoring program for the athletic department. After serving as a graduate assistant, she was hired full-time as the athletic academic advisor for the football team and continued to serve as the tutor coordinator for all sports in the athletic department. These experiences started a lifelong journey in her higher education career. Over the years, she has worked advising students in athletics, and in departments on different campuses (East Carolina University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Winston Salem State University, Davidson County Community College, and Forsyth Technical Community College), as well as worked in the registrar’s office at Georgia Institute of Technology, and the last eight years in the Office of the University Registrar’s Office at Wake Forest. In her free time, Margaret loves college football and spending time with her children, family, and friends.

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Maggie Sheridan was born and raised in Florida. She attended Stetson University (Go Hatters!) where she received both a B.A. (2010) and an M.A. (2013) in English. Having discovered her passion for advising as a graduate assistant in Stetson’s Office of Career Development and Academic Advising, Maggie continued this line of work in 2013 with a 2-year fellowship at Elon University in Burlington, NC. Afterward, she found herself in Pirate Country, working in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences at East Carolina University from June 2015 to November 2017. Maggie joined the Office of Academic Advising in November 2017 and is excited to work with both incoming and current students as they assess the realistic and timely achievement of their personal, academic, and professional goals.

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Elka Staley received both her BA and MA in English from the University of New Orleans. Since 2012, she has served multiple roles in the English, Modern Languages and Cultural Studies Department at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, including Associate Writing Program Administrator, Literary Studies Advisor, and also as the Assessment Coordinator for the university. As a new resident of North Carolina (‘21) she enjoys exploring the natural beauty of her new state with her husband and two dogs. She loves helping students plan and actualize their futures based on their passions and service to others, which is why she is delighted to be an Academic Counselor for Wake Forest University.

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Ali was born and raised in a small town 30 minutes outside of Greensboro, NC. She graduated from Wake Forest in 2020 with a BA in Sociology and minors in Schools, Education, and Society and German Studies. During her time as a student, she conducted research in the Education, Sociology, and English departments and studied abroad in the WFU Flow House in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, she was involved in the Spirit of the Old Gold and Black, Students for Education Reform, the Office of Personal and Career Development, and a national education nonprofit with a base in Houston, TX. She previously worked for Salem College in the Office of Admissions and for Wake Forest in the Office of University Advancement as a Territory Development Coordinator.  She is excited to work in both academic advising and new student programming in this role. In her free time, Ali enjoys (very passionately) cheering for Wake Forest sports, playing trivia, and spending time with her husband and rescue dog Charlie. 

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Hailing from a small town north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Bodin received bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy; International Politics; and Security and Risk Analysis from Penn State University (2015), where he spent a short time interning at the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Inspired by this experience to pursue a career in higher education, he went on to receive a M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania (2017). In August 2018, he joined Wake Forest University School of Law’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, where he worked as the Coordinator of Law Admissions Operations for over four and a half years. In March 2023, David joined the Office of Academic Advising, fulfilling a long-term career aspiration to work closely with students to help them chart and achieve their academic and personal goals.

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Sara Morgan was born in Nanchital, Mexico but spent time growing up in both Kenner, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas. Having received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX, her professional career began by teaching K-12 students. With a passion for education, Sara worked to empower her students to reach their fullest potential. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Mississippi State University, where she discovered an enthusiasm for academic advising in higher education. Outside of her work life, Sara enjoys traveling with her husband and two daughters.

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Ruiting was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Shanghai University and Master of Arts in School Counseling from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After finishing graduate school, she began as an academic counselor working with international high school students who studied abroad in the US. Ruiting joined the Office of Academic Advising as Academic Counselor in 2021.

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Kyaira White-Randolph was born and raised in Burlington, NC. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from UNC-Greensboro in May 2020. After finishing her undergraduate studies she served as an English Teacher at Hugh M. Cummings High School for 3 years. Within those years, she was a Liaison on the Leadership Team, as well as the Executive Assistant for both the Hugh M. Cummings High School Marching Band and Auxiliary Team. She realized that her drive to see students succeed and reach their fullest potential extended beyond the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys watching anime, collecting Funko Pops, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends. She looks forward to serving the OAA and Wake Forest community to the best of her abilities.

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Pre-Professions Advisors

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Rebecca is the Postdoctoral Fellow in Leadership and Character for Pre-Health Professions and works for the Office of Academic Advising and the Program of Leadership. She received her PhD in Medical Humanities from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX, a joint MA/MLitt degree in German and Comparative Literature from the University of Bonn, Germany, and the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Rebecca’s research interests include neuroethics, trauma studies, and social justice questions. She particularly enjoys bringing discussions about ethical challenges and character/identity formation into the education of future and current healthcare providers. She looks forward to being a part of the academic journey of WFU students into healthcare professions, ethics, and humanities spaces.