Three Women Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

Stacy Leeds was appointed dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, effective February 1. She will be the second woman to hold the position. She joined the faculty at the law school in 2021 as the Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership. Earlier, Professor Leeds led the University of Arkansas School of Law serving as dean and vice chancellor for economic development. A member of the Cherokee Nation, she was the first Indigenous woman in the U.S. to become a law school dean.

Professor Leads is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in history. She earned an MBA at the University of Tennessee, a juris doctorate from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in law from the University of Wisconsin.

Shelley Rigger will serve as the dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Davidson College in North Carolina. Dr. Rigger is the Brown Professor of Asian Studies at Davidson and has taught political science since 1993. Since May, she has been the interim vice president for academic affairs. Professor Rigger is the author of four books including The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China’s Economic Rise (2021).

Dr. Rigger is a graduate of Princeton University in New Jersey. She earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University.

Beth Novak was appointed interim dean of the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University, effective January 1. Novak currently serves as associate dean of the Honors Tutorial College and associate professor of media arts and studies in the Scripps College of Communication at the university.

Novak earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from Ohio University in 1998. She holds a master of fine arts degree in visual communication design from Ohio State University.