Five Women Professors Taking on New Roles at Universities

Chadrhyn Pedraza has been named interim director of the Asian Pacific Islander program in the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity at New Mexico State University. She is an assistant professor in the university’s School of Teacher Preparation, Administration, and Leadership. Her background includes nearly two decades of faculty and administrative experience in academia.

Dr. Pedraza holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration from New Mexico State University.

Jennifer Ross has been appointed associate dean for creativity, scholarship, and research in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. She first joined the university’s faculty in 2019 as a professor of physics. Prior to her new appointment, she spent four years as chair of the department of physics. She is a leading scholar of biophysics and an advocate for diversity in STEM.

Dr. Ross holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Christi Maldonado has been named associate dean of assessment and accreditation in the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Prior to joining the university in 2022 as an assistant professor in the department of educational studies, she spent over two decades as a teacher and administrator with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.

Dr. Maldonado received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary education and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Austin Peay State University. She holds a doctorate in leadership and professional practice from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.

Katie Crawford has been appointed interim director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She currently serves as a Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair, professor of history, and chair of the department of gender and sexuality studies. Her scholarship focuses on gender and sexuality, European history, and visual and popular culture.

Dr. Crawford holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago.

Izabela Ragan has joined the faculty of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Natural Resources as an assistant professor in the department of veterinary sciences. She will also serve as a virologist with the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory. Her academic expertise centers around animal diseases, zoonoses, disease mechanism investigation, and the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines.

Dr. Ragan received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College. She holds a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a Ph.D. in diagnostic medicine, virology, and pathobiology from Kansas State University.