New Dean Positions for Three Women in Higher Education

Esther Nir has been selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Professional Studies at New Jersey City University. She has been a professor of criminal justice with the university for the past eight years. She currently serves as director of the university’s honors program. Prior to her career in academia, she was a prosecutor for felony cases in Queens County, New York.

Dr. Nir holds a juris doctorate from Fordham University in New York and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Laura Stephenson has been appointed vice president for land-grant development and dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky. A faculty member with the university since 2018, she most recently served as associate vice president for land-grant development, associate dean, and director of extension. Previously, she held various extension and administrative roles with the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Stephenson holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University. She received her Ph.D. in gerontology from the University of Kentucky.

Maureen “Moe” McGuinness has been named associate vice president and Fritz Family Dean of Students at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. She comes to her new role after 25 years of service for the University of North Texas System. Most recently, she served as the Title IX coordinator. Earlier in her tenure, she spent more than a decade as assistant vice president and dean of students. She also taught as an adjunct professor.

Dr. McGuinness is a graduate of John Carroll University in Ohio, where she majored in communications. She holds a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in higher education from the University of North Texas.