Five Women Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

Sarah Cook was appointed dean of the Honors College at Georgia State University, effective June 1. She has been serving as interim dean. Dr. Cook, who joined the psychology faculty in 1997, served as associate dean for the college from 2012 to 2020.

Professor Cook is a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Virginia.

Heather Dillaway was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University, effective July 16. She currently serves as an associate dean and a professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Dr. Dillaway earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in sociology from Michigan State University.

Denise Gormley was named interim dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. Since joining the college in 2008, Dr. Gormley has held positions ranging from assistant professor to director of nursing administration programs, executive director for master of science in nursing programs, executive director for graduate programs, and, since 2018, senior associate dean of academic affairs.

Dr. Gormley holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in nursing from the University of Cincinnati.

Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina, recently announced the selection of Marla Harris as the new dean of the college’s Mooresville campus. She was the associate dean of multi-campus services at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.

Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree in community and occupational programs in education from the University of South Carolina. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership from Gardner Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

Leslie Durham is the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boise State University in Idaho. Dr. Durham has led the college as interim dean since 2018. She joined the Boise State faculty as an assistant professor in 2001, became an associate dean in 2012, and was appointed founding director of the School of the Arts in 2018.

Professor Durham is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in drama. She earned a  Ph.D. at the University of Kansas, where she studied theatre history and dramaturgy.