Eight Colleges and Universities Appoint Women to Positions as Deans

Laura Belmonte has been named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. She currently serves as associate dean for instruction and personnel at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Belmonte is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she majored in history. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. both from the University of Virginia.

Anita Welch has been named dean of the College of Education at Wayne State University in Detroit. She currently serves as associate dean of the Teachers College and as a professor of educational studies at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Dr. Welch is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree in medieval studies from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in secondary science education from Pittsburg State University in Kansas, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

Allison Danell has been named interim dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She is an associate professor of chemistry and has been a faculty member at the university since 2004.

Dr. Danell is a graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where she majored in chemistry. She holds a Ph.D. from the the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Karinna M. Vernaza has been named dean of the College of Engineering and Business at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has served as interim dean since January 2017 and has been a faculty member at the university since 2003.

Dr. Vernaza is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, where she majored in marine engineering systems. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. both in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Carol M. Musil has been named dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She is the Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Professor of Nursing and has served as interim dean since August. She has been a faculty member at the university since 1994.

Dr. Musil is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where she majored in nursing. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. both in nursing from Case Western Reserve University.

Leslie Wolf has been named interim dean of the College of Law at Georgia State University. She is a professor of law, a Distinguished University Professor, and director of the Center for Law, Health, and Society.

Professor Wolf is a graduate of Stanford University. She holds a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Nicole Curvin has been promoted to dean of admissions at Middlebury College in Vermont. She joined the Middlebury Admissions Office in 2014, most recently serving as director of admissions and coordinator of multicultural recruitment.

Curvin is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Harvard University.

Amy Radford-Popp has been named dean of student engagement at Olivet College in Michigan. She most recently served as director of the residential business community in the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.

Dr. Radford-Popp is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Radford University in Virginia and a Ph.D. in higher, adult, and lifelong education from Michigan State University.