Eight Women Academics Who Have Been Assigned New Duties in Higher Education

Nina Sadowsky has been selected as the inaugural director of New York University’s new study away program in Los Angeles. The program combines highly focused academic coursework in film and television, music, and emerging media with coveted internships at renowned companies within the West Coast entertainment industry. Sadowsky has taught both undergraduate and master of fine arts courses at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Sadowsky is a graduate of Connecticut College, where she majored in dance with a minor in creative writing. She earned a juris doctorate at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City.

Susan L. Foster joined the faculty at Stephen College in Columbia, Missouri, this fall as Health Information Management Director. Dr. Foster has worked for more than 25 years in health informatics and information management and higher education, serving as director of health information management at Missouri Western State University and Crowder College.

Dr. Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in health information administration and an MBA from Stephens College. She earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.

La Tanya Rogers was appointed associate professor of English and literature at Fisk University in Nashville.. Dr. Rogers previously served as an associate professor of English, and assistant dean for academic student affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of District of Columbia.

Dr. Rogers holds a Ph.D. in African-American literature from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Susan Zaeske was appointed interim director of the Division of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Zaeske will continue serving as associate dean for arts and humanities in the College of Letters & Science.

Dr. Zaeske holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and journalism with a certificate in gender and women’s studies, and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in communication arts, all from the University of Wisconsin.

Esther Obonyo, an associate professor in the College of Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, has been named director of the Global Building Network. The network is a joint initiative of Penn State and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which aims to advance building science, construction processes and building management in order to create an international framework that will make buildings more sustainable, more efficient and healthier for people.

Dr. Obonyo holds a bachelor’s degree in building economics from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, a master of arts in architecture from the University of Nottingham in England, and a doctor of engineering from Loughborough University in England.

Juliann Vitullo, an associate professor of Italian at Arizona State University was named co-director of the Humanities Lab on campus. The Humanities Lab offers problem-focused, humanities-based but interdisciplinary courses designed to produce a collaborative, exploratory learning experience. Labs are team-taught by faculty from different disciplines.

Dr. Vitullo received a Ph.D. in Italian studies from Indiana University. Her latest research focuses on the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle in Italy by way of its connection to history and culture.

Riché Barnes was appointed professor and chair of the gender studies department at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She has been serving as a professor of anthropology and dean of Pierson College at Yale University. Professor Barnes also has been serving as the co-director of the Mellon Mays and Edward A. Bouchet Undergraduate Fellowships Program, and as a fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration. She will begin her new duties in January.

Dr. Barnes is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, where she majored in political science. She holds master’s degrees from Georgia State University and Emory University and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Emory University.

Patricia Hammer, a professor of mathematics at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, was named assistant dean for administration and analytics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech. At Hollins University, she also served as vice president for academic affairs.

Dr. Hammer holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D., all in mathematics and all from Virginia Tech.