Six Women Named to Dean Positions in Higher Education

Michelle Sabick was appointed dean of the College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology at Saint Louis University in Missouri. Her appointment is effective on July 1. Since 2014, Dr. Sabick has been chair of the department of biomedical engineering at the university. Earlier, she was chair of the department of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Boise State University in Idaho.

Dr. Sabick is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa.

Michelle Nuss is the new dean of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership. Since 2010 she has been an associate professor and campus associate dean for graduate medical education.

Dr. Nuss is a graduate of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where she majored in pharmacy. After one year as a practicing pharmacist, she proceeded to get her medical degree at West Virginia University.

Dana Heller was named interim dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, effective July 25. Dr. Heller is the outgoing chair of department of English at the university. She is the author of several books including The Selling of 9/11: How a National Tragedy Became a Commodity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) and Makeover Television: Realities Remodelled (I.B. Tauris, 2007).

Professor Heller holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in English from the City University of New York.

Elizabeth D. Liddy, was reappointed dean of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University in New York. Since January 2015, she has served as interim vice chancellor and provost at the university. Dr. Liddy joined the Syracuse University faculty in 1988 and was dean of the School of Information Studies from 2008 to her appointment as interim provost.

Dr. Liddy is a graduate of Daemen College in Amherst, New York. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in information transfer from Syracuse University.

Abigail Tilton was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Woman’s University in Denton. She was the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and is an associate professor of social work at the university. She has been serving as interim dean since January.

Dr. Tilton holds a master of social work degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas.

Mindy J. Deardurff was named dean of the career development center at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been serving as director of the Undergraduate Business Career Center at the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management of the University of Minnesota.

Deardurff is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and holds a master’s degree from the Carlson School of Management.