New Dean Appointments for Three Women in Higher Education

Usha R. Rodrigues has been named dean of the School of Law at the University of Georgia. She first joined the faculty at the university in 2005. She has been serving as the associate dean for faculty development, the M. E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law, and a University Professor. She also had a stint as interim vice provost for academic affairs from 2022 to 2023.

Professor Rodrigues is a summa cum laude graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She holds a master’s degree in comparative literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia.

Teri Koch has been named dean of Cowels Library at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. A faculty member with the university for over three decades, she currently serves as a professor of librarianship and chair of the scholarly communications and collaborations department. She also serves as the librarian liaison for the Zimpleman College of Business and the department of psychology.

Professor Koch holds an MBA from Drake University and a master of information and library science degree from the University of Iowa.

Ebonee Dendy has been named dean of students at the University of North Georgia’s Oconee Campus. Previously, she served as the CARE case manger at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. Her career has been dedicated to enhancing the student experience in higher education. Specifically, she has focused on supporting student conduct issues and fostering safe campus environments.

A first-generation college graduate, Dendy earned her associate’s degree from Spartanburg Methodist College in Saxon, South Carolina. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in child and family studies and her master’s degree in teaching and learning from Lander University.