Nine Universities Announce the Appointments of Women Scholars to Dean Positions

Grace Kuo has been named dean of the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo. Dr. Kuo has been serving as a professor of pharmacy practice and public health at Oregon State University, affiliated with Oregon Health & Science University.

Dr. Kuo holds a  bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences. She received her pharmacy doctorate from Oregon State University College of Pharmacy. Dr. Kuo also holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

Angela Bos was named dean of the School of Public Service at Boise State University in Idaho. Dr. Bos has been serving as a professor of political science at the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she also has served as associate dean for experiential learning and as chair of the political science department.

Professor Bos earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Minnesota-Morris. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Renée McDonald Hutchins will be the next dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore, effective August 1. Since 2019 she has been dean at the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia. Dean Hutchins is widely recognized as a leading expert on the Fourth Amendment and criminal appellate practice.

Dean Hutchins graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She earned a juris doctorate at Yale Law School.

Janet Guthmiller has been named dean of the Adams School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, effective October 15. She has been serving as dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. From 2007 to 2014, Dr.  Guthmiller served as associate dean of academic affairs and professor of periodontology, overseeing all dental educational programs, faculty development, and student admissions and affairs at the Adams School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Guthmiller holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She earned her DDS degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. She also received a Ph.D. in cellular and structural biology from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Justine Reel has been appointed interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington for the 2022-23 academic year. She is an associate dean and professor of exercise science in the college. Prior to joining UNCW in 2014, Dr. Reel held faculty positions at the University of Utah, West Chester University in Pennsylvania, Temple University in Philadelphia, and Salem College in North Carolina. She is the author of several books including Filling Up: The Psychology of Eating (Greenwood, 2016).

Dr. Reel is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in exercise and sports science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Buffy Smith has been appointed as the next dean of Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. She joined the college in 2016 and has served as interim dean for the past two years. Dr. Smith joined the faculty at the university in 2004 and has chaired the sociology department.

Professor Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She holds both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology with a minor in African American studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Melissa J. Perry will be the next sean of the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, effective August 1. She has served as a professor and chair of the department of environmental and occupational health in the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University since 2011.

Dr. Perry is a graduate of the University of Vermont. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is currently studying for an MBA from George Washington University.

Terri Miller will become interim dean of libraries at Michigan State University, effective July 1. She is the associate dean for teaching, learning, and research engagement for MSU Libraries. She joined the university in 1999 as the libraries’ bibliographer for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Miller earned a master of library science degree from Kent State University in Ohio and a master’s in degree in Russian history from Ohio State University.

Linda Aldoory, will be the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Aldoory was associate dean for faculty affairs and research, professor of communication, and director of the Center for Humanities Research in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland College Park. She is the co-author of The Future of Feminism in Public Relations and Strategic Communication: A Socio-Ecological Model of Influences (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2021).

Dr. Aldoory earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from George Washington University. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in mass communication from Syracuse University in New York.