Five Women Appointed to Positions as Dean at Colleges and Universities

Renee Johnson-Thornton is the new dean of equity and inclusion at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She joined the staff at the university in 1998 as the associate director of the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

Dr. Johnson-Thornton is a native of Jamaica. She is a graduate of Binghamton University of the State University of New York System and holds a master’s degree from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island.

Mary Margaret Holt was appointed acting dean of fine arts at the University of Oklahoma. She is the director of the University of Oklahoma School of Dance. She will be appointed interim dean and is eligible to be a candidate for the permanent position.

Professor Holt joined the faculty at the university in 1982 and was named chair of the department of dance in 1990. She holds a bachelor degree and a master of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Oklahoma.

Karin Ruhlandt was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University in New York. She has served as interim dean since last July. She has served on the Syracuse University faculty since 1993.

Dr. Ruhlandt is a native of Germany and holds a Ph.D. from Philipps-Universität Marburg. She conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis.

Valerie Martin Conley was appointed dean of the College of Education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She has been serving as a professor and chair of the department of counseling and higher education at Ohio University in Athens.

Dr. Conley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia and a doctorate from Virginia Tech.

Tania Sheldahl was named dean of student development at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona. She has served as interim dean since last summer and has been on the staff at the college since 1986.

Sheldahl holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in human relations counseling from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.