Seven Women Taking on New Dean Positions at Universities

Veena Misra was named interim dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, where she has taught since 1998. Dr. Misra currently serves as head of the department of electrical and computer engineering, the M.C. Dean Distinguished University Professor, and founding director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies. Her research centers on power electronics, power systems, physical electronics, photonics, and magnetics.

Dr. Misra earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, all from North Carolina State University.

Susan Davies was promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the School of Social Work at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Davies joined the Tulane faculty in 2020 after a 30-year career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a leading researcher on reducing HIV and STIs, curbing unintended adolescent pregnancy, and addressing mental health concerns for mothers living in poverty.

Dr. Davies holds a bachelor’s degree in health education from Florida State University. She earned a master’s degree in education from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and a Ph.D. in health education and promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Angela Johnson is the new dean of the chapel at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her background in higher education ministry includes service at Emory University and Spelman College in Atlanta. Rev. Johnson has been serving as the senior pastor of Columbia Drive United Methodist Church in Decatur, Georgia, and chaplain for the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College.

Rev. Johnson is an alumna of Spelman College and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Marci Maple was selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Sciences and Health at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. A faculty member since 2010, Dr. Maple currently holds the rank of full professor of nursing. Earlier in her tenure, she served as senior nursing administrator and chair of the department of nursing. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Maple spent over a decade as a nurse and nurse practitioner at MeritCare/Sanford Health in Bemidji.

A Bemidji State University alumna, Dr. Maple received her master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

Molly McGehee was promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of Emory University’s Oxford College, an undergraduate residential college for first- and second-year students. Prior to her interim appointment, Dr. McGehee, a professor of English and American studies, was Oxford College’s senior associate dean for academic affairs. Before joining the Emory faculty in 2014, she was an associate professor of English at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.

Dr. McGehee holds a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College in North Carolina, a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Emory University.

Erin N. White was promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the Lloyd College of Health, Science, and Technology at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. A faculty member since 2005, Dr. White has held several leadership roles at the university, including associate dean and director of the honors program. Her research focuses on student retention in higher education and explores factors that influence degree completion and academic success in the sciences.

Dr. White is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, where she majored in molecular biology. She received her doctorate in biochemistry from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and completed postdoctoral training in cancer biology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Sarah Westberg was appointed dean of the Anderson Family College of Health Sciences at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Westberg has been serving as a professor and associate dean for professional affairs in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. A pharmacotherapy specialist, she previously served as co-associate dean of clinical affairs and directed a large ambulatory care residency program.

Dr. Westberg earned her doctor of pharmacy degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She completed a pharmaceutical care leadership residency at the University of Minnesota.

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