Marcella Gomez has been appointed the inaugural associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is an associate professor of applied mathematics at the university. Her research interests are in synthetic and systems biology.
Dr. Gomez is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
Rockell Brown Burton has been named associate dean of inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in New York. For the past three years, she has served as interim dean of the School of Communication at Texas Southern University in Houston. She is the co-author of Race and News: A Critical Perspective (Routledge, 2011).
Dr. Brown Burton is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans, where she majored in mass communication. She holds a master’s degree in human communication studies from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in communications from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Doris Fields is serving as interim chief diversity officer at Eastern Michigan University. She is the assistant vice president of academic programs and initiatives and is a tenured professor in the School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts at the university. She has been on the faculty since 1992.
Dr. Fields holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Eastern Michigan University. She earned a Ph.D. in communication from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Dr. Soufleris, a three-time alumna of the State University of New York System, has more than 35 years of higher education experience spanning student affairs, enrollment management, retention, and student success initiatives.
Most recently, Dr. Van Vlerah served as vice president for student success and institutional strategy at Manchester University in Indiana. She is slated to become the fifteenth president of Notre Dame of Maryland University on July 6.
Dr. Egan comes to her new role as president of Bennington College from Connecticut College, where she has been serving as the Fuller-Maathai Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies, dean of the faculty, and chief academic officer.
Dr. Pfluger has spent the past year as Bakersfield College's interim president. She previously served as vice chancellor of educational services and student success at the Kern Community College District.
Dr. Geneco comes to her new role from Tufts University in Massachusetts, where she has served as provost for the past four years. She is slated become the University at Buffalo's first woman president on August 10.