Twelve Women Named to Dean Posts at Colleges and Universities

Wendi B. Heinzelman was named dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester in New York. When she takes office on July 1, she will be the first woman to serve as dean of the school. Dr. Heinzelman has been serving as dean of graduate studies for Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. She is a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Professor Heinzelman joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2001 and was promoted to full professor in 2012. She is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Susan Carvalho was appointed dean of the Graduate School at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. She will also hold the title of associate provost. Dr. Carvalho has been serving as professor of Hispanic studies and associate provost for internationalization at the University of Kentucky. She has also been interim dean of the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky. Professor Carvalho is the former director of the Spanish School at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Dr. Carvalho is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Hispanic studies from the University of Virginia.

Kristi Haik was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. She has been serving as professor and chair of the department of biological sciences at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.

Dr. Haik holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in experimental psychology, and a Ph.D. in applied experimental psychology, all from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

On August 1, Patricia D. Hurn will become dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan. She will also hold a tenured professor position. Dr. Hurn has been serving as the vice chancellor for research and innovation and executive officer of the University of Texas System. Earlier, she was a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland.

Dr. Hurn is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she majored in nursing. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in physiology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Amber Miller was appointed dean of the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She will be the first woman to hold the position. Since 2011, Dr. Miller has been dean of science for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University in New York City. She joined the physics faculty there in 2002.

Dr. Miller is a native of Southern California. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a Ph.D. at Princeton University in New Jersey.

Joyce E.A. Russell was named the Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the School of Business at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, effective August 1. She has been serving as senior associate dean of the School of Business at the University of Maryland at College Park. Earlier in her career, she served on the faculty at the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Russell is a weekly columnist for The Washington Post. She is a graduate of Loyola University of Maryland and holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Akron in Ohio.

Francine Conway was appointed dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Since 2008, Dr. Conway has been chair of the psychology program at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Her research is focused on the psychology of aging and on child psychopathology.

Dr. Conway is a graduate of Cornell University. She earned a master’s degree at Columbia University and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Adelphi University.

Kate Walsh was named interim dean of the School of Hotel Management at Cornell University. She will serve a two-year term in this position. Dr. Walsh is an associate professor of organizational management at the university and joined the Cornell faculty in 2000.

Dr. Walsh is a graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she majored in accounting. She holds a master’s degree in financial and human resource management from Cornell and a Ph.D. in organizational studies from Boston College.

Lori Reesor was appointed dean of students and vice provost for student affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington. She has been serving as vice president for student affairs at the University of North Dakota.

Dr. Reesor is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She holds a master’s degree from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

Margaret Wooding Baker will be the next dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco. She has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs and an associate professor of biobehavioral nursing and health systems at the University of Washington.

Dr. Baker is a graduate of Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. She holds a master’s degree from Otterbein College in Ohio and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Washington.

Karlene Burrell-McRae was appointed dean of the college at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She has been serving as associate dean of students and executive director of the Center for Identity and Inclusion at the University of Chicago. She has been a member of the board of trustees of Colby College since 2014.

Dr. Burrell-McRae is a 1994 graduate of Colby College. She holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nancy J. Uscher was named dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. She will also serve as a presidential professor of music at the university. Professor Uscher has been serving as president of the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. Previously, she was provost at the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita.

Dr. Uscher is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York. She holds a master’s degree from Stony Brook University in New York and a Ph.D. from New York University.