Seven Universities Announce the Appointment of Women to Dean Positions

Teagan Decker has been named dean of the Esther G. Maynor Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Dr. Decker, an associate professor of English, has served as interim dean since July 2019. Prior to that, she was assistant dean of the Honors College, a position she held for four years. She joined the faculty at the university in 2007.

A native of Healdsburg, California, Dr. Decker earned a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in teaching writing from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. She holds a Ph.D. in language and rhetoric from the University of Washington.

Leslie Cornick was appointed dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics at the University of Washington-Bothell. Since 2017, Dr. Cornick has been the associate dean of the College of STEM at Eastern Washington University. Earlier, she served in various capacities at Alaska Pacific University from 2004 to 2017, including as dean of research and sponsored programs and as department chair of marine and environmental sciences.

Dr. Cornick is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, where she majored in biological anthropology. She holds a master’s degree in biology from San Francisco State Univerity and a doctorate from Texas A&M University.

Nicole Thorne Jenkins has been named the next dean of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, effective July 1. Dr. Jenkins is currently vice dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, where she is also the Von Allmen Chaired Professor of Accountancy. She was previously on the faculty at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Jenkins holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from Drexel University in Philadelphia and a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Iowa.

Polly D. Boruff-Jones has been appointed to serve as dean of University Libraries at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She has been serving as dean of the library at Indiana University Kokomo. Earlier, she was director of library and information services for the F.W. Olin Library at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.

Boruff-Jones holds a bachelor’s degree and a master of library science degree from Indiana University in Bloomington. She also earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Indiana Univerisity-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Lisa Landreman has been appointed dean of students and vice president for student affairs at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She has been serving as assistant vice president and dean for student life at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Earlier, Dr. Landerman was associate dean of students at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dr. Landerman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she majored in social work. She holds a master’s degree in higher education student affairs from Indiana Univerity and a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan.

Stephanie Dance-Barnes was appointed dean of the College of Science and Health at DePaul University in Chicago, effective July 1. Dr. Dance-Barnes currently serves as interim associate provost and dean of the University College of Lifelong Learning at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, where she also is an associate professor of cell and molecular biology.

Dr. Dance-Barnes is a graduate of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, where she majored in biology. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in biology at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. In 2007, she became the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in the area of cancer biology and toxicology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Jennifer Troyer was appointed dean of the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When she takes office this summer, she will be the first woman to serve as permanent dean of the business school. Dr. Troyer has served on the faculty at the university for 20 years.

Professor Troyer is a graduate of the University of Memphis, where she majored in business administration. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University.