New Dean Appointments for Six Women in Higher Education

Bárbara Brizuela has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University in Massachusetts. She has served as interim dean since July. Currently, she serves as a professor of education and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She has been a faculty member with the university for over two decades, holding positions such as chair of the department of education, director of the STEM education program, academic dean, and associate dean for diversity and inclusion in arts and sciences.

Dr. Brizuela holds two undergraduate degrees from Universidad de Belgrano in Argentia, a master’s degree in general studies in education from Tufts University, and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.

Debra L. Haggins has been named the inaugural dean of the School of Religion at Hampton University in Virginia. She is the first woman to serve as chaplain and pastor of Memorial Church at the university. She previously served as assistant to the university chaplain and faculty advisor to the Student Christian Association.

Dr. Haggins holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, a master’s degree in secondary school administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, a master of divinity degree in theology from Virginia Union University, a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Hampton University, and a doctor of ministry degree in biblical interpretation and proclamation from Emory University in Atlanta.

Diane Foster has been named vice president for academic programs and dean of the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. She comes to her new role from the University of New Hampshire, where she has served as dean of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering for the past five years. Earlier in her tenure, she served as director of the university’s Center for Ocean Engineering. She previously held executive roles with the United States Coastal Research Program and the Network for Engineering with Nature.

Dr. Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Oregon State University.

Hannah Brenner Johnson has been appointed dean of the Simmons Law School at Southern Illinois University. Since 2016, she has served as a professor of law and vice dean for academic affairs at the California Western School of Law in San Diego. She has taught and conducted research at several law schools across the country, including service as the first executive director of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas. She is the co-author of Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court (NYU Press, 2020).

Professor Brenner Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in American studies and her juris doctorate from the University of Iowa.

Sara Schwerdtfeger has been named dean of the Emporia State University Teachers College in Kansas. She has over two decades of experience in education. Most recently, she served as the college’s associate dean. Earlier in her career, she taught at several elementary schools in Emporia.

Dr. Schwerdtfeger is an alumna of Emporia State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. She holds a Ph.D. from Kansas State University.

Amy Fleischer has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering at Boise State University in Idaho. For the past six years, she has served as dean of engineering at California Polytechnic State University. She previously spent nearly two decades on the faculty at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where she was chair of the mechanical engineering department and director of the National Science Foundation Research Center for Energy-Smart Electronic Systems.

Dr. Fleischer received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University. She earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.