Beatriz Lorenzo has been granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of electrical and civil engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In her research, she focuses on networking and mobile computing, B5G/6G networks, resilient and intelligent networks, and quantum networking. She was previously a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Florida.
Dr. Lorenzo holds a master’s degree in telecommunication engineering from the University of Vigo in Spain and a Ph.D. from the University of Oulu in Finland.
Elizabeth Wyles has been named associate dean of the College of Optometric Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Most recently, she served as an associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry. She previously taught at Pacific University in Oregon, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Wyles earned her bachelor’s degree in visual science and her doctor of optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry.
Megan Case has joined the faculty at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas as an assistant professor of religion. Prior to her new appointment, she taught at Elon University in North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Drury University in Missouri, and Luther College in Iowa. Her main area of research is the Hebrew Bible, particularly questions involving gender and sexuality in Deuteronomistic history.
Dr. Case holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and religion from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and a master of divinity degree from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. She earned a second master’s degree in religious studies and a doctorate in ancient Mediterranean religions from the University of Texas at Austin.
Lacie Peterson has been promoted to clinical professor in the department of nutrition, dietetics, and food sciences at Utah State University Salt Lake. A faculty member since 2013, she currently serves as director of the master’s degree program in dietetics administration. Earlier, she spent seven years as a registered dietitian and diabetes educator at the University of Utah Hospital.
Dr. Peterson holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and health, a master’s degree in nutrition, and a Ph.D. in nutrition and integrative physiology all from the University of Utah.
Stephanie Payne has been selected to serve as acting chair of the department of human services at South Carolina State University. An assistant professor of social work, she has over 20 years of experience in mental health, child welfare, and higher education. In addition to teaching, she also serves as coordinator of the social work program and leads the tuition assistance program for the bachelor of social work degree in child welfare.
Dr. Payne is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of South Carolina and a doctor of social work degree from Tulane University in Louisiana.
Sarah Stoneback, associate professor of trumpet at Montana State University, has been elected vice president and president-elect of the International Trumpet Guild. She has been a faculty member at Montana State for the past decade. In addition to teaching, she holds the position of principal trumpet for the Bozeman Symphony.
Dr. Stoneback received her bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from Arizona State University. She holds a master of music degree and a doctor of musical arts degree in performance and pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Lisa McNair has been selected to serve as interim co-executive director of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to her interim appointment, she was the institute’s deputy executive director. A full professor of engineering education, she has held several roles throughout her tenure with Virginia Tech, including director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts and associate department head for graduate programs in engineering education.
Dr. McNair earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English from the University of Georgia. She holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago.
Cynthia Sides has been appointed associate vice president for agriculture research and associate director of research development and compliance for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Arkansas. With 13 years of experience at the University of Arkansas, she currently teaches as an adjunct professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry. Prior to her new research appointment, she was assistant vice chancellor and director of research advancement for the division of research and innovation.
Dr. Sides is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, where she double-majored in chemistry and English. She holds a doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Arkansas.
Amy Landis has joined the faculty at Michigan Technological University in Houghton as a professor of chemical engineering and the associate dean of graduate and online education in the College of Engineering. She comes to her new role from the Colorado College of Mines, where she was a professor of civil and environmental engineering and presidential faculty fellow for diversity, inclusion, and access. Her research centers on sustainable energy, biomaterials, plastics, and inclusivity in STEM.
A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Dr. Landis holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Andrea Page-McCaw has been named associate dean for academic affairs for the Vanderbilt University Graduate School in Nashvhille. She currently serves as the Stevenson Chair and professor of cell and developmental biology. Before her new role, she served as director of graduate studies for the department of cell and developmental biology. Using the common fruit fly as a model organism, she has conducted extensive research on tissue remodeling.
Dr. Page-McCaw holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jess Hartshorn has joined the faculty at Central State University in Ohio as an associate research professor for forestry. In her new role, she will serve as the university’s research liaison for the Ohio Joint Forestry Team. Previously, she was an associate professor of forestry at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Dr. Hartshorn is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she majored in zoology. She holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in forest entomology from the University of Arkansas, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Lesley Reid has been promoted to senior associate provost for academic and administrative affairs at the University of Alabama. A professor of criminology and criminal justice, she had been serving as associate provost for faculty affairs since 2021. Her research interests include neighborhood and situational correlates of crime, immigration and crime, fear of crime.
A graduate of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Dr. Reid earned her master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans.