Three Women Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

Rina Williams was named dean of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Williams is an instructor in the School of Public and International Affairs, with appointments in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Asian Studies. Williams’ areas of specialization include South Asian politics, women and gender studies, and ethnicity with nationalism. She is the author of Postcolonial Politics and Personal Laws: Colonial Legacies and the Indian State (Oxford University Press, 2006).

Williams holds dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and political science from the University of California, Irvine. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.

René Sawyer is the new dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina. Since joining the college in 1997, Sawyer has served in various roles, including administrative coordinator for the Title III grant, academic advisor, counselor, academic program director, Title III grant project coordinator, department head, interim dean and associate dean for the School of Arts and Sciences.

Sawyer holds degrees from Winthrop University and Clemson University in South Carolina.

Susan Pepin has been named inaugural dean of the Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences at the University of Tulsa. She was managing director of health and clinical partnerships, senior adviser to the executive vice president, and clinical professor at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions and Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Dr. Pepin is a graduate of Yale University, where she majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr Pepin earned a medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and a master of public health degree from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.