Kim Lewis is vice president for research and chief research officer at Howard University. A full professor of physics, Dr. Lewis most recently served as the university’s associate dean for research, graduate programs, and natural sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. In her new role, she will serve as a member of Howard’s executive leadership team, providing strategic leadership to all aspects of the university’s research enterprise.
Dr. Lewis received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University in New Orleans. She holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in applied physics from the University of Michigan.
April M. Kloxin has been named director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, a statewide hub for life science research and workforce development at the University of Delaware. A faculty member with the university since 2011, Dr. Kloxin teaches as a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and engineering. Her research centers on designing materials that mimic human tissues, aiming to advance new strategies for the treatment of injuries, wounds, and diseases.
A two-time graduate of North Carolina State University, Dr. Kloxin earned her doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and completed postdoctoral training with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Melissa Peterson has been selected to serve as acting associate vice chancellor for the Office of Sovereign Partnership & Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Kansas. She is an assistant research professor and lecturer in Indigenous studies. Since joining the university in 2015, she has served as director of tribal relations and associate director for KU TRIO Support Educational Services & STEM.
Dr. Peterson earned her bachelor’s degree in community health from Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies/higher education administration from the University of Kansas.
Leah Sheppard was named associate dean for strategic initiatives and college culture in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University. An associate professor of management, she previously served as the college’s associate dean for access and opportunity and faculty development. As a scholar, Dr. Sheppard studies the effect of gender on individuals’ workplace experiences and outcomes.
Dr. Sheppard earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She received her doctorate in business administration from the University of British Columbia.
Rebecca C. Thurston is the associate dean for women’s health research for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She currently serves the university as a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, the Pittsburgh Foundation Professor of Women’s Health and Dementia, and director of the Center for Women’s Biobehavioral Health Research. As a scholar, Dr. Thurston has conducted extensive research on menopause and the behavioral health concerns of midlife women.
A graduate of Stanford University, Dr. Thurston earned her Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington and Harvard University.
Karen Keaton Jackson, professor of English at North Carolina Central University, has been named president of the Southern Regional Honors Council. At NCCU, Dr. Jackson serves as interim associate provost for academic programs and undergraduate research, as well as director of the honors program. Earlier in her tenure, she was director of the writing studio and the university’s campus-wide writing intensive program.
Dr. Jackson received her bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Hampton University in Virginia. She earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Yael Bensoussan is director of the newly established University of South Florida Health Institute for Voice and Hearing Innovation. She currently serves as an assistant professor of otolaryngology in the university’s Morsani College of Medicine. In her new role, Dr. Bensoussan will lead a multidisciplinary patient care and clinical research facility centered on disorders of communication and swallowing.
Dr. Bensoussan received her medical degree from the University of Montreal in Canada. She completed a surgical residency at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in laryngology at the University of Southern California.
Leslie Burger is the inaugural director of faculty recognition at Mississippi State University. She currently serves as an associate teaching professor in wildfire, fisheries, and aquaculture in the university’s College of Forest Resources. Earlier in her tenure, she served as the undergraduate coordinator for her department for over a decade. She has also held appointments with MSU Extension Service, developing educational materials and programs on natural science topics for adults and youth.
Dr. Burger holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Murray State University in Kentucky, a master’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Missouri, and a doctorate in forest resources from Mississippi State University.