Texas Tech University

Leadership Team

Undergraduate Writing Center

Tracy Givens, M.A.
Director

Tracy Givens is the director of the Undergraduate Writing Center. She previously served for three years as asociate director of Texas Tech University’s First-Year Writing program. Additionally, she was an instructor in the First-Year Writing program for several years. Tracy earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science and a master’s degree in English from Texas Tech University.

Tracy Givens
Sava Kolev, M.A.
Associate Director

Sava Kolev has been serving as the Assistant Director of the Undergraduate Writing Center since 2019. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Media and Communication at TTU. He previously held the positions of WC Assistant Director and English lecturer at Mississippi State University where he also earned his MA in English with a TESOL certificate. Since 2013, he has enjoyed working with students and faculty in various roles he has held at writing centers.

Sava Kolev
Dustin Florence, M.A.
Assistant Director

Dustin Florence is an assistant director with the UWC. He is responsible for directing the asynchronous writing consultant team and outreach to Tech's regional sites. Previously, he worked for the Writing Centers of Texas Tech as a program manager for special projects and a professional writing consultant. He is interested in exploring ways to communicate with students asynchronously through a variety of modalities. In his free time, Dustin enjoys playing with his family and reading.

Dustin Florence
Charity Pihlaja, M.A.
Lead Administrator

Charity Pihlaja is the lead administrator for the Undergraduate Writing Center. She started as a part-time professional consultant in 2018. Since then, she has moved into a full-time position, taking on tasks such as leading writing groups and mentoring and training peer consultants, while still working one on one with undergraduate students on their writing. She holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English from New Mexico State University and a master's degree in technical communication from the University of North Alabama.

Charity Pihlaja

Graduate Writing Center

Jennifer Marciniak, Ph.D
Director

Dr. Jennifer Marciniak is the Director of the Graduate Writing Center at Texas Tech. Her PhD is in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Louisville. She is a native South Texan from the Corpus Christi area. She enjoys camping, beachcombing, fishing, and hiking with her dog Frannie.

Jennifer Marciniak
Elizabeth Bowen, M.A.
Associate Director

Elizabeth Bowen is the Associate Director for the Graduate Writing Center. She is responsible for day-to-day operations in the GWC as well as workshops and special writing projects. Before joining the GWC, she spent 10 years as the Assistant Director of the University Writing Center. Prior to that, Ms. Bowen spent 22 years teaching all levels of high school English and served as chair of the English Department at Snyder High School. She earned a master's degree in literature from Texas Tech and a teaching certification for secondary education. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Baylor University. Her hobbies include watching her son's ballgames and orchestra concerts, traveling—especially to Argentina, and reading. Most of all she enjoys meeting and getting to know new people!

Elizabeth Bowen
Becky Bruning, M.A.
Lead Writing Consultant, Social Media Coordinator

Becky serves as lead writing consultant for the Graduate Writing Center and social media coordinator the Writing Centers of Texas Tech, where she has worked since Fall 2020. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in linguistics and from Texas Tech University with a master’s degree in communications studies. She enjoys working with writers in all disciplines—the more niche the topic, the better!—and is especially interested in supporting foundational writing skills, leading to the development of the graduate-level Foundational Writing Skills Intensive program in Spring 2023.

Becky Bruning

Additional Writing Center Staff

Anita Bryant, M.S.
Business Manager

Anita Bryant is the Business Manager of the Writing Centers of TTU. Before joining the WC of TTU in August 2018, she worked at the Graduate School for 4 years. In her role, Anita provides administrative/business support to the directors and assistant directors. She manages all essential business areas for the day-to-day operations of the centers. In 2021, she received her Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas Tech. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies with a minor in fine arts–photography, also from Texas Tech. In her free time, Anita enjoys traveling, backpacking, biking, photography, and gardening.

Anita Morris

Writing Centers of Texas Tech