Five Women Faculty Members Who Have Been Appointed to New Positions

Neva Specht, professor of history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, has been given the added responsibilities of vice provost for faculty policies and development. Her scholarship focuses on race, gender, and religion in community and identity formation.

Professor Specht received a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College in Iowa, with a double major in history and American studies. She holds a master’s degree in U.S. history and a Ph.D. in U.S. history and material culture studies from the University of Delaware.

Kimberly Mayfield, an associate professor of education and dean of the School of Education at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, has been given the added duties of vice president for external relations and strategic partnerships. She became a full-time faculty member in 2001 and dean of the School of Education in 2017.

Dr. Mayfield holds a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in learning and instruction from the University of San Francisco.

Katja Guenther was promoted to full professor of history at Princeton University in New Jersey. She specializes in the history of modern medicine and the mind sciences.

Professor Guenther earned a medical degree at the University of Cologne in Germany. She holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University.

Castel V. Sweet, an assistant professor of practice in community engagement at the University of Mississippi, was given the added duties of director of the new Center for Community Engagement at the university. She was the inaugural director of community engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Dr. Sweet is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Louisiana State University.

Stephanie Rachel Speer is a new assistant professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Her research is focused on how experiences of oppression and trauma affect the mental health, physical health, and well-being of marginalized communities.

Dr. Speer is a graduate of the University of Colorado, where she majored in Spanish language and literature. She holds a master of social work degree and a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Denver.