Five Women Scholars Who Have Been Named to Dean Positions in Higher Education

Jing Wang will be the next dean of the College of Nursing at Florida State University. She will start her new job on August 16. She has been serving as the vice dean for research and held the Hugh Roy Cullen Professorship in Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing.

Dr. Wang received her undergraduate degree at the Jiangxi Medical College in Nanchang, China. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.

Carla Panzella has been named dean of students at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been serving as the associate vice president for student life and dean of students at Salem State University in Massachusetts.

Dr. Panzella is a graduate of St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in higher education leadership research, and policy from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

Tywana Hemby will serve as dean of the School of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina. During her 12-year tenure at the institution, Hemby has served as an adjunct professor, assistant professor, department coordinator, tenured associate professor, and assistant to the vice president for institutional effectiveness.

Dr. Hembly earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Voorhees College. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Troy University in Alabama, and a doctoral degree in psychology research and statistics from Capella University.

Ashley C. Benson was appointed to the newly created dean of student engagement position at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She comes to Luther from the College of Wooster in Ohio where she has worked as the associate dean of students since 2017. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Benson was the director of TRIO Student Support Services at North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio.

Dr. Benson earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She also holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D., both in leadership and change, from Antioch University.

Sabine Heinhorst, the T.W. Bennett Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been named interim dean of the Honors College at the university. Dr. Heinhorst joined the university’s biochemistry faculty in 1987. She has served in various academic leadership roles during her tenure, including most recently as associate dean for undergraduate research and outreach for the Honors College and director of the Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research.

Dr. Heinhorst is a graduate of the University of Hamburg in Germany. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Clemson University in South Carolina.