Tonya Penkrot
Senator spotlight: 2026
Associate Teaching Professor
School of Applied Sciences and Arts
College of Integrative Sciences and Arts
Downtown Phoenix campus
Q&A with senator
ASU affiliated:
How many years have you been employed at ASU? I started working at the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus as a laboratory instructor in 2009. I was hired as a lecturer in 2011, and I am now starting my 17th year of teaching at ASU. I teach primarily human anatomy and physiology and general biology.
What other institutions have you taught at before coming to ASU? Before coming to ASU, I taught medical human anatomy as a graduate student teaching assistant at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore until 2006. From 2006 until 2009 I taught human anatomy and physiology as a lecturer (postdoctoral researcher) at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
What is your research and/or creative activities focus? I earned my Ph.D. in Functional Anatomy & Evolution at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and my specific area of focus was vertebrate paleontology, with an emphasis on the paleoecology of mammals that are nearly 55 million years old. I do not directly participate in research on fossil mammals much anymore, but my graduate education also heavily emphasized the study of anatomy, including humans and a variety of other animals. I have turned that anatomical knowledge into something I can pass on to ASU students in nursing, pre-professional programs, and a wide variety of other majors and interests. I hope that my enthusiasm for science and learning positively infects my students, and helps push them along through their own academic journeys, wherever it may take them.
Senate affiliated:
How many years have you served in the Senate? I am starting my fourth year of serving on the University Senate.
Why did you decide to get involved with the Senate? I decided to get involved with the Senate because I have greatly enjoyed my time working at Arizona State University, and I wanted to become more involved in the decision-making processes of the amazing community I have found here. A colleague encouraged me to run for the University Senate as a perfect way of becoming more involved in the community of ASU, and it has been such a wonderful opportunity for doing so.
Describe what you have learned (or hope to learn) during your time in the Senate? I have learned so much about the broader ASU community, and of the larger impact of ASU, both locally and globally. It is also fascinating to get a sneak peek inside the inner workings of an institution as large and as complex as Arizona State University. I learn something new at every Senate meeting.
What committees have you participated in, or would like to participate in and what were you able to (or hope to) accomplish? At the level of the University Senate, I participated in the University Services & Facilities Committee in which addressed a number of concerns voiced by faculty and staff from all over the University. Within my college of CISA, I have participated in the curriculum committee (years ago) and am currently a member of CISA’s College Assembly Council. I would find it interesting to work on either an academic standards committee or the Student-Faculty Policy Committee in the future.
What would you say to your peers who might be considering accepting a nomination or nominating himself or herself for a position in the University Senate? I absolutely would recommend becoming involved in the University Senate. The work is interesting, rewarding, and it has given me greater insight into our ASU community.