Four Women Appointed Department Chairs at the University of Tennessee

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville has announced the appointment of six scholars as chairs of their academic departments. Four of these appointments went to women.

Danielle Julie Carrier is the new chair of the department of biosystems engineering and soil science. She had taught at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Carrier holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in chemical engineering, all from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

Aleydis Van de Moortel was named chair of the department of classics. A professor of classical archaeology, she joined the faculty at the university in 2002. Dr. Van de Moortel holds three master’s degrees, one each from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, Texas A&M University, and Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. She earned a Ph.D. in classical and Near Eastern archaeology from Bryn Mawr College.

Heidi Goodrich-Blair was appointed chair of the department of microbiology. A professor of bacteriology, she was a member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has served as editor of the journal Applied Environmental Microbiology. Dr. Goodrich-Blair holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University at Albany of the State University of New York System.

Tracie Woidtke is the new chair of the department of finance in the university’s Haslam College of Business. She is the David E. Sharp/Home Federal Bank of Tennessee Professor in Banking and Finance. Dr. Woidtke joined the faculty at the university in 2003. Dr. Woidtke holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science and an MBA from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. She earned a Ph.D. in finance from Tulane University in New Orleans