Nancy S. Kirkpartick has been named dean of libraries at Smith College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her background includes decades of experience in library administration. Most recently, she was dean of university libraries at Florida International University in Miami. Earlier, she was executive director and CEO of OhioNet, a consortium supporting public, academic, and special libraries.
Kirkpatrick holds a juris doctorate from the University of Richmond in Virginia and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois.
Michelle Froese has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of students at the University of Missouri. Prior to her interim appointment, she served as the university’s associate dean of students. Earlier in her tenure, she was assistant director of the dean of students office.
Dr. Froese is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Central Missouri, where she double-majored in theatre and history. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.
Niki Callison has been selected to serve as interim dean of the division of extended studies at Boise State University in Idaho. She has been with the division since 2015 and has served as associate dean for the past two years. Earlier, she worked in admissions at Boise State for over a decade.
Callison holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport sciences from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in adult and organizational learning from the University of Idaho.
Diane Reich has been appointed dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University in Utah. She currently serves as a professor of voice and director of the university’s School of Music. Earlier, she served as director of opera at Central Washington University.
Dr. Reich earned a master’s degree and doctorate in vocal performance from Indiana University.
Jennifer Chatman has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. A faculty member since 1993, she currently holds the title of Paul J. Cortese Distinguished Professor of Management. As a scholar, she has conducted extensive research on workplace culture.
Dr. Chatman holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alexia Hudson-Ward has been named university librarian and dean of the library at Georgetown University. For the past five years, she has served as the associate director for research and learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries. Earlier this year, she was appointed president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Dr. Hudson-Ward is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, where she double-majored in English and African American studies. She holds a master of library and information science degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from Simmons University in Boston.
Julie Thornton has been appointed dean of students at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. With over two decades of higher education experience, she most recently served as the Title IX coordinator for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Earlier, she worked in human resources for the University of Kansas.
Dr. Thornton received her bachelor’s degree in speech communication and public relations from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, master’s degree in educational administration and foundations from Illinois State University, and doctorate in education from the University of Kansas.
Mukta Panda has been named regional dean for the Chattanooga, Tennessee campus of the Morehouse School of Medicine. Previously, she was a professor of medicine and assistant dean for well-being and medical student education at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. She is the author of several books, including Resilient Threads: Weaving Joy and Meaning into Well-Being (Creative Courage Press, 2020).
Dr. Panda earned her medical degree from Goa Medical College in India. She later completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee and a general medicine fellowship with the University of North Carolina.
Sharmila Anandasabapathy has been appointed dean of the faculty of medicine and vice president of health at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She comes to her new role from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where she has been serving as a professor of medicine in gastroenterology and vice president and senior associate dean of global programs. She also holds an adjunct appointment in bioengineering at Rice University.
Dr. Anandasabapathy holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yale University and a medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.
Jodi Mills has been named dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio. Prior to her new role, she was chair of undergraduate and licensure programs in the School of Integrated Learning and Development at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Dr. Mills holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, a master’s degree in education from the University of Findlay in Ohio, and a Ph.D. in educational sciences from the University of Kentucky.
Jewel Bronaugh has been selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University. She previously served as the college’s dean from 2011 to 2015 before transitioning to leadership roles at the state and federal level. In 2021, she became the first Black woman appointed as the United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation.
Dr. Bronaugh received her Ph.D. in career and technical education from Virginia Tech.
Tamara Sumner has been named interim dean of university libraries at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a professor of computer and cognitive science and director of the university’s Institute of Cognitive Science. Her research examines how computational tools can improve teaching practice, learning outcomes, and learner engagement in STEM fields.
Dr. Sumner received bachelor’s degrees in earth science and computer and information science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She holds a master’s degree and doctorate in computer science from the University of Colorado Boulder.