University of Illinois Promotes 13 Women to the Rank of Full Professor

(L to R) Top row: Anne M. Barger, Tami C. Bond, Clare H. Crowston, Stacy K. Dymond, Stephanie Foote, and Janet A. Jokela. Bottom row: Brett Ashley Kaplan, Leanne Knobloch, Deana C. McDonagh, Lori S. Mestre, Susan Ellis Searing, Brenda Anne Wilson, and Amelia Mays Woods.

The University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign has announced the promotion of 13 women to the rank of full professor. Here are brief profiles of the new full professors.

Anne M. Barger was appointed clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. She joined the faculty at the university in 2002. Professor Barger holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees, all from the University of Illinois. She completed her residency in clinical pathology at North Carolina State University.

Tami C. Bond was named professor of civil and environmental engineering. Her research focuses on climate change. Dr. Bond has been on the faculty at the University of Illinois since 2003. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in atmospheric science and civil and mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. Professor Bond also holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Clare H. Crowston was promoted to professor of history. Professor Crowston has been on the faculty at the university since 1996. She is the author of Fabricating Women: The Seamstresses of Old Regime France, 1675-1791 (Duke University Press, 2001). Dr. Crowston is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. She earned a Ph.D. at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Stacy K. Dymond was named professor of education. Her research interests focus on curriculum and instruction for students with severe intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community settings.

Stephanie Foote was appointed professor of English and professor of women’s and gender studies. She is the author of Regional Fictions: Culture and Identity in Nineteenth-Century American Literature (University of Wisconsin Press, 2001). She serves as co-editor of Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities.

Janet A. Jokela was promoted to clinical professor in internal medicine. She is chair of the department of clinical medicine at the College of Medicine. Professor Jokela earned a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree at the University of Minnesota. She also holds a master of public health degree from Boston University.

Brett Ashley Kaplan was named a full professor in the program in comparative and world literature. She is the author of Landscapes of Holocaust Postmemory (Routledge, 2010) and Unwanted Beauty: Aesthetic Pleasure in Holocaust Representation (University of Illinois Press, 2007). Dr. Kaplan earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.

Leanne Knobloch is a new full professor of communication. Professor Knobloch joined the faculty at the university in 2002. She is a graduate St. Norbert’s College in De Pere, Wisconsin. Dr. Knobloch earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Deana C. McDonagh was appointed professor of industrial design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. She joined the faculty at the university in 2005. Professor McDonagh is a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University in England. She earned a master’s degree at Salford University in Manchester and a Ph.D. in industrial design at Loughborough University in England.

Lori S. Mestre was promoted to professor of library administration. She is the director of the undergraduate library at the university. Dr. Mestre is the author of Designing Effective Library Tutorials: A Guide for Accommodating Multiple Learning Styles (Chandos Publishing, 2012). She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Professor Mestre earned a master of library and information science degree at the University of South Florida and an educational doctorate at the University of Massachusetts.

Susan Ellis Searing was named professor at the University Library. She is the associate dean of libraries at the university. Professor Searing has been on the faculty at the university since 1997. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Binghamton University of the State University of New York and holds a master of library and information science degree from the University of Michigan.

Brenda Anne Wilson was named full professor of microbiology. She also serves as vice chancellor for research at the university. Professor Wilson is a graduate of Barnard College in New York City. She earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at Johns Hopkins University and conducted postdoctoral research in molecular genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Amelia Mays Woods was appointed full professor of kinesiology and community health. She joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 2005. Previously, Dr. Woods taught at Indiana State University and St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Professor Woods is a graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, North Carolina. She earned a master’s degree at the University of Tennessee and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of South Carolina.