New Dean Appointments for Eight Women Scholars

Indira Chatterjee has been appointed acting dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada Reno. She is a professor of electrical and biomedical engineering who has been with the university for 36 years. She has been the College of Engineering’s associate dean since 2009.

Dr. Chatterjee is a graduate of Bangalore University in India where she received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in physics. She holds a second master’s degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Utah.

Kate Sheeran has been named dean of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York. Her appointment makes her the school’s first woman dean. She most recently served as executive director of the Kaufman Music Center in New York. Previously, she was provost and dean of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Sheeran received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and her master’s degree in music from Yale University.

Andrea Miller has been named dean of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Most recently, she served as professor and dean of the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas.

Dr. Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in media studies from Texas Christian University, and a Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri.

Estela Zarate has been appointed dean of the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She currently serves as a senior faculty fellow at the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success at the University of Texas at El Paso. Previously, she served as vice provost for academic affairs at California State University, Fullerton.

Dr. Zarate is a graduate of Rice University in Houston where she majored in mathematical economic analysis. She holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Johanna Rossi Wagner has been promoted to dean of New College West, a residential college at Princeton University. She most recently served as the college’s assistant dean for studies. She previously taught modern literature, cinema, and language in the Italian program at Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Wagner is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University where she majored in English. She holds a Ph.D. in Italian from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Deanna Fitzgerald has been appointed dean of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut. Currently, she serves as vice dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona. Earlier, she held positions with the University of Cincinnati and the University of Utah.

Fitzgerald completed her undergraduate degree at Flagler College in Florida. She received her master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music.

Karen Thomas-Brown has been named dean of the College of Education at Washington State University. She currently serves as associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. Earlier in her career, she taught in the department of education at the University of Michigan Dearborn.

Dr. Thomas-Brown holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of West Indies.

Melanie Morgan has been named dean of the Graduate College at Oklahoma State University. She has been a faculty member with Purdue University since 2001, most recently serving as a professor of communication and associate dean of the Graduate School.

Dr. Morgan is a graduate of Texas Christian University where she majored in economics. She holds a master’s degree in interpersonal and organizational communication from the University of Arkansas Little Rock and a Ph.D. in communication and social gerontology from the University of Kansas.