Six Women Appointed to Positions as Dean at Major Universities

Sarah Beth Estes was named interim dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has been serving as associate provost of community, careers, and extended education and will continue to hold those duties.

Dr. Estes joined the faculty at the university in 2006 after teaching at the University of Cincinnati. She is a graduate of Hendrix College in Arkansas, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

Christine Kelleher Palus is the new dean of the College of Professional Studies at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She has been serving as dean of graduate studies for the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Dr. Palus joined the faculty at the university in 2004. She is an associate professor in the department of public administration at the university.

Dean Palus is a graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she double-majored in visual and performing arts and politics. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Elaine M. O’Neal was appointed interim dean of the School of Law at North Carolina Central University in Durham. She has been serving as an elected judge on the North Carolina Superior Court.

Judge O’Neal holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a juris doctorate from North Carolina Central University.

Denise M. Seabert was named dean of the College of Health at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She was associate dean for external affairs and community engagement in the College of Health at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Dr. Seabert is a graduate of Western Washington University. She holds a master’s degree in school and college health from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in health behavior from the University of Florida.

Kathryn Drager is the new interim dean of the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Drager is a professor of communication sciences and disorders and had been serving as associate dean for research and graduate education. She has been on the faculty at Penn State since 1998.

Dr. Drager is a graduate of Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she majored in psychology. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology at the University of Minnesota.

Sharon M. Gordon has been chosen as the dean of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Connecticut. She will be the first woman to hold the position. She has been serving as associate dean for innovation and discovery at the School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Dr. Gordon earned her dental medicine degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She holds a master of public health degree and a Ph.D. in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.