Eight Women Have Been Appointed Deans at Major Universities

Susan Rivera was appointed dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland College Park, effective August 1. She has been serving as chair and professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Rivera’s research is focused on investigating neurocognitive development in both typically and atypically developing individuals.

Professor Rivera is a graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in psychology. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Robin Suzanne Poston has been named dean of the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She will also serve as associate provost for graduate education. Dr. Poston has been serving as vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Memphis. She will assume her new position on August 15.

Dr. Poston earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Central Florida and a Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in management information systems from Michigan State University.

Rachel Carnell has been named interim dean of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors College at Cleveland State University in Ohio. Dr. Carnell, a professor of English, joined the university in 1994. Her scholarly expertise is in 18th-century British literature, with a focus on the political history of the British novel. Professor Carnell’s most recent book, Stewardship and the Future of the Planet: Promise and Paradox (Routledge, 2022), will be published in July.

Professor Carnell is a graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, where she majored in French. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English from Boston University.

Andrea Woody will become the next Divisional Dean of the Social Sciences at the University of Wahington, effective July 1. Dr. Woody has served as a faculty member at the university since 1998 and currently serves as the chair of the department of philosophy. Since 2017, Professor Woody has served as editor-in-chief of the journal Philosophy of Science.

Dr. Woody received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and certification in theater and dance from Princeton University in New Jersey. She earned a Ph.D. in history and philosophy of science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Shelley Dionne has been appointed to serve as dean of the School of Management at Binghamton University of the State University of New York System. Dr. Dionne has been associate dean of faculty development and the Ph.D. program for the School of Management since 2018.

Dr. Dionne earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She holds an MBA with a concentration in organizational behavior and human resources management and a Ph.D. in leadership and organizational behavior from Binghamton University.

Nicole M. Westrick was named assistant vice president and dean of the College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, effective in July. She has been serving as associate vice provost of University College at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Westrick is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a master of public management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in media and communication from the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University.

Tricia Seifert will serve as interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development at Montana State University, beginning on August 9. She is a professor of adult and higher education and head of the department of education at the university. Professor Seifert is a co-author of How College Affects Students: 21st Century Evidence that Higher Education Works (Jossey-Bass, 2016).

Dr. Seifert is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, where she majored in sociology and political science. She holds a master’s degree in college student services administration from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in counseling rehabilitation and student development from the University of Iowa.

Virginia Franke Kleist has been selected to serve as the next dean of the Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business, effective July 11. She has been serving as associate dean of graduate programs, research, and academic affairs and professor of management information systems at the John Chambers College of Business Economics at West Virginia University.

Dr. Kleist is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where she majored in history and economics. She earned an MBA at Marquette University in Milwaukee and holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in management information systems from the University of Pittsburgh.