Two New Deans at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Two women, who have been serving as interim deans at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale since 2012, have been named to the posts on a permanent basis. Both appointments are effective on July 1.

Laurie A. Achenbach was named dean of the College of Science. She first came to Southern Illinois University in 1990 as a visiting assistant professor in the department of animal science, food, and nutrition. She was named to a tenure-track position in the department of microbiology in 1991. Dr. Achenbach was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and to full professor in 2002. She is a graduate of Northern Michigan University in Marquette and earned a Ph.D. in genetics and development from the University of Illinois.

Dafna Lemish was named dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts. Before coming to Carbondale in 2012, Dr. Lemish was a professor of communication at Tel Aviv University in Israel. Earlier, she was a visiting scholar at Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Lemish is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, where she majored in geography. She holds a master’s degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in communication from Ohio State University.