Pia Gupta has been appointed associate dean of undergraduate studies for the College of Business Administration at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Currently, she is a professor and chair of the department of finance at California State University, Long Beach, where she has taught since 2006.
Dr. Gupta is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Wanda Blanchett has been named a University Professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. A distinguished professor in the department of learning and teaching, she previously served as dean of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, special advisor to the chancellor, and interim provost. Her scholarship focuses on race and equity in education, special education, and urban teacher preparation.
Dr. Blanchett received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas. She holds a Ph.D. in special education from Pennsylvania State University.
Christine Kelleher Palus has been named senior vice provost for academics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. A faculty member since 2006, she most recently served as dean of the university’s College of Professional Studies. As a full professor of public administration, she studies state politics and local government.
A graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut, Dr. Palus holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Allison Rank has been named a professor of political science and the founding director of the Center for Civic Education at the University of Northern Iowa. She comes to the university from the State University of New York at Oswego, where she was an associate professor and chair of the department of political science. Her scholarship focuses on the role of youth in politics, civic engagement, and pop culture and politics.
Dr. Rank is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio, where she majored in political science and women’s studies. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Washington.
Amelia Kraehe has been appointed associate vice president of organizational excellence and impact for the Arizona arts division at the University of Arizona. A faculty member with the university since 2018, she previously served as associate vice president for equity in the arts. As a scholar, she focuses on the development of professional identities and organizational capacity within educational and cultural institutions.
Dr. Kraehe is a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in studio art and economics. She holds a master’s degree in art education and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.
Emily Jones has been selected to serve a one-year term as interim director of the Center for Integrated Professional Development at Illinois State University. She is a professor in the university’s School of Kinesiology and Recreation. Before joining the Illinois State faculty in 2017, she taught at West Virginia University for seven years. Her research focuses on school and community-based wellness initiatives.
Dr. Jones received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in physical education teaching from the University of Northern Iowa. She holds a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Georgia.
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto has been promoted to vice provost for graduate education at the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves as associate dean for graduate education and director of biomedical graduate studies for Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. She is also a full professor and associate dean for organizational effectiveness in the School of Dental Medicine. Her research centers on the cellular and molecular responses to inflammation in the brain.
Dr. Jordan-Sciutto received her bachelor’s degree in cumulative science from Villanova University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede has joined the faculty at Rice University in Houston as a full professor in the department of chemistry. She previously taught at the university from 2004 to 2008 as an associate professor of biosciences. Since 2015, she has been a professor in the chemical biology division at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Her research investigates the molecular mechanisms of disease, particularly the role of copper-binding proteins in cancer metastasis.
Dr. Wittung-Stafshede earned her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Chalmers University of Technology.
Renee Boyer has been appointed assistant dean for graduate research programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She first joined Virginia Tech in 2006 as a professor and extension specialist. For the past five years, she has served as head of the department of food science and technology. In addition to her extension work, she researches pre- and post-harvest interventions to enhance the safety of fresh and fresh cut fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Boyer is a graduate of Radford University in Virginia, where she majored in biology. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in food science and technology from Virginia Tech.
Sally Davis has been named a distinguished professor at the University of New Mexico. The designation is the university’s highest faculty honor. A full professor in the department of pediatrics, Dr. Davis currently serves as chief of the university’s division of prevention and population sciences. She also holds a second appointment in the department of family and community medicine and directs the Prevention Research Center.
Dr. Davis holds a Ph.D. in the psychological foundations of education from the University of New Mexico.