Universities Announce the Appointment of Three Women to Dean Positions

Lisa Hammersley was appointed dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Sacramento State University in California. She had been serving as interim dean. Dr. Hammersley joined the faculty at Sacramento State University in 2003 as an assistant professor of geology.

Dr. Hammersley holds an undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Birmingham in England and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ashley M. Stokes was appointed dean of University of Tennessee Extension in the university’s Institute of Agriculture. When she begins her new job on February 22, Dr. Stokes will be the first woman to lead University of Tennessee Extension since its founding more than a century ago. Dr. Stokes has been serving as associate vice president for engagement and extension and deputy director of extension at Colorado State University.

Dr. Stokes has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and both a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a Ph.D. from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Karen K. Petersen has been named dean of the Kendall College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, effective February 1. Dr. Petersen has been serving as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Dr. Petersen is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.