New Assignments for a Dozen Women Faculty Members

Kelly Sharp has been named an assistant professor of Africana studies and history at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She was a graduate program dissertation fellow at the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Sharp holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in history from the University of California, Davis.

Kathryn Tobey has been appointed scholar-in-residence in the engineering management program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She recently retired as vice president and general manager of special programs at Lockhead Martin Space Systems Company.

Tobey holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Colorado.

Tiffany Gayle Chenault has been promoted to full professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts, making her the only African-American woman full professor at the institution. She has taught at Salem State since 2005.

Dr. Chenault holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Ohio University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in sociology from Virginia Tech.

Patricia Williams Lessane has been appointed associate dean for strategic planning and community engagement at the College of Charleston Libraries, making her the first African American woman to serve as an associate dean at the college. In addition to her new role, she will continue to serve in her tenured faculty position and as executive director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture.

Dr. Williams Lessane holds a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Fisk University in Nashville, a master’s degree in liberal studies, African-American/Black studies, and Black feminist studies from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Amel Ahmed has been named the inaugural director of academic equity and inclusion initiatives in the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is an associate professor of political science and previously served as the director of diversity advancement in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Ahmed holds a bachelor’s degree in government and Middle East studies from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ruth O’Regan has been named chief scientific officer of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. She is the division head of hematology, medical oncology, and palliative care in the department of medicine and associate director for clinical research at the Carbone Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. O’Regan holds a medical doctorate from University College in Dublin, Ireland.

Grace Gu has been named an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. This is her first teaching position since earning her doctorate.

Dr. Gu holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Barbara L. Rodriguez has been named interim senior vice provost at the University of New Mexico. She currently serves as department chair, program director, and professor in the department of speech and hearing sciences.

Dr. Rodriguez holds a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of New Mexico. She earned a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology from the University of Washington.

Lisa Gabel has been named the William C. ’67 and Pamela Rappolt Scholar in Neuroscience at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience and the chair of the neuroscience program.

Dr. Gabel holds a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut.

Billie Faircloth has been named the 2018 BarberMcMurry Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. She is a partner and research director at the architecture firm, KieranTimberlake.

Faircloth holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental design in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from North Carolina State University. She earned a master of architecture degree from Harvard University.

Vanessa Hus Bal has been appointed to the Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.

Dr. Bal holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan.

Caroline Cao has been elected fellow and secretary-treasurer-elect of the executive council of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. She is a professor of biomedical, industrial, and human factors engineering at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Dr. Cao holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with a minor in kinesiology and a master’s degree in kinesiology from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. She earned a Ph.D. in mechanical and industrial engineering from the University of Toronto.