Jennifer Dawes was named chair of the department of rhetoric and writing at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. She most recently served as professor of English and chair of the department of English, humanities, and philosophy at Midwestern State University in Texas. She has previously held teaching positions with Henderson State University in in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Eastern Oregon University, and Idaho State University.
Dr. Dawes holds a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Baylor University in Texas, a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a second master’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in literature and environment from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Christine Folch has been named Peter Lange Director of DukeEngage, a summer program at Duke University for undergraduate students to address critical issues with communities around the world. She first joined Duke University in 2015, currently holding the title of Bacca Foundation Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology. Her various academic publications include her most recent book, Hydropolitics: The Itaipú Dam, Sovereignty, and the Engineering of Modern South America(Princeton University Press, 2019).
Dr. Folch earned her Ph.D. from the City University of New York.
Allison Schachter has been appointed senior associate dean of academic affairs at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She has taught at Vanderbilt for almost 20 years as a professor of Jewish studies and professor of English. Throughout her tenure, she has served two terms as chair of the Jewish studies program.
Dr. Schachter holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Kathy Dhanda has been promoted to associate dean of faculty affairs and research in the College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. As an associate professor of management, she studies the role of business and policy instruments in creating a sustainable economy. She teaches courses on operations management, supply chain management, and sustainable management.
Dr. Dhanda is a graduate of Angelo State University in Texas, where she majored in computer science. She holds a Ph.D. in management science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Peggy Morton has been named director of the undergraduate program in the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. She first joined the Silver School in 2000. During her tenure, she has served as the assistant dean for practicum education and community partnerships and the undergraduate practicum coordinator.
Dr. Morton holds a master’s degree and doctorate in social work from the Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York.
Heather Frick has officially joined the faculty of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as an assistant professor of psychology. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has served as an adjunct professor for the past year.
Dr. Frick received a bachelor’s degree in English from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mihigan, and a master’s degree in theological studies from Westminster Seminary in Escondido, California. She holds a second master’s degree and Ph.D. in martial and family therapy from Alliant International University.
Shannon Self-Brown has been named a Distinguished University Professor in the department of health policy and behavioral studies in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. She currently serves the university as chair of her department and co-director of the National SafeCare Training and Research Center.
Dr. Self-Brown received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of West Florida. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University.
Although it was initially founded as school for women, the University of Montevallo has never had a woman president. Now the university has reached a historic milestone and selected selected Michelle R. Johnston to serve as its next president.
The women who are taking on new leadership roles with professional academic organizations are Yasmeen Shorish of James Madison University in Virginia, Elena Carbone of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Shelley Lusetti of New Mexico State University, Oona Hathaway of Yale Law School, and Keisha Blain of Brown University.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a national program run by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Dr. Yelick, a computer scientist and longtime UC Berkeley faculty member, will become the laboratory's next director on July 1.
Renée Wachter, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has been selected to serve as interim president of the Universities of Wisconsin. Maria Cuzzo, provost of UW-Superior, will serve as the university's interim chancellor while Dr. Wachter assumes her new responsibilities.
The selected candidate should have expertise and experience in theoretical models in labor and public economics as well as in microeconometrics and programming.
Congratulations to Dr. Morton who will certainly do a fabulous job in her new position.