Vinciya Pandian was named dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Pandian comes to her new role from Pennsylvania State University’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, where she served as associate dean for graduate education. As part of her new appointment, she will serve as associate senior vice president for nursing academic-practice partnerships at UT Medical Center and she will hold the Lisa and Gregg Reed Endowed Dean’s Chair.
Dr. Pandian received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. She earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in nursing from Johns Hopkins University and her MBA from the University of Baltimore.
Cindy J. Rishel is the interim dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona. Dr. Rishel, a clinical professor, has more than 50 years of experience in nursing, healthcare, and academic leadership. A faculty member since 2011, she was instrumental in the development of the college’s executive health systems leadership doctor of nursing practice program.
Dr. Rishel received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wichita State University in Kansas and her Ph.D in nursing from the University of Arizona.
Désirée Pointer Mace was promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A professor of education at Alverno since 2007, Dr. Pointer Mace previously served as director of graduate programs. Throughout her career, she has led professional development and educator preparation at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Dr. Pointer Mace is a graduate of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she majored in cognitive science. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in education from the University of California, Berkeley.
C. Neelie Dobbins has been named dean of the College of Education and Human Performance at Southern Arkansas University. Dr. Dobbins has served as chair of the university’s department of teacher education for nearly a decade. She first joined the faculty in 2012 and currently holds the College of Education and Human Performance Alumni Endowed Professorship. Dr. Dobbins has also served as director of the master’s degree in teaching program.
Dr. Dobbins earned her bachelor’s degree and her master’s degree in mathematics education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from Walden University.
Bohyun Kim is the incoming dean of University Libraries at the University of Colorado Boulder. Kim comes to her new role from the University of Michigan Library, where she served as associate university librarian for library information technology and interim associate university librarian for collections. Previously, she held leadership positions at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Kim received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in Western philosophy from Seoul National University in South Korea. She earned a master’s degree in classical philosophy from Harvard University and a master’s degree in library and information science from Simmons University in Boston.
Carissa Slotterback was appointed dean of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University. Since 2020, Dr. Slotterback has served as dean of the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Earlier, she was associate dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Slotterback is a graduate of Winona State University in Minnesota. She earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Clemson University in South Carolina and a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from Florida State University.
Dasha Russell was promoted to dean of career and technical education at Missouri State University-West Plains, where she has taught since 2015. Before her new role, Russell served as associate dean of career and technical education. She has also served as program coordinator of business since January 2024.
Russell earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from Missouri State University.
Robyn McDougle has been selected to serve as interim dean of the L. Douglass Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. McDougle has been a faculty member with the Wilder School for more than two decades. Since 2021, she has served as the school’s associate dean of research and outreach. Her other leadership roles with the university include director of the Public Safety Institute, interim director of the Commonwealth Policy Institute, faculty director of public policy outreach, and director of the Center for Public Policy.
Dr. McDougle is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in criminal justice and a Ph.D. in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Simone Marstiller has been named the next dean of the Florida A&M University College of Law. Marstiller comes to her new role with more than two decades of leadership experience spanning judiciary, state government, regulatory affairs, and legal practice. Most recently, she served as secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Earlier, she was secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and a judge on Florida’s First District Court of Appeal.
Marstiller received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and her juris doctorate from Stetson University in Florida.
Laura Stevens was appointed dean of the Honors College at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Stevens has served as director of the Honors College at Auburn University since 2004. Before Auburn, she spent 25 years on the faculty at the University of Tulsa. As a scholar of early American and British Atlantic literature, she focuses her work on colonial encounter, religious texts, and emotion studies.
Dr. Stevens is a magna cum laude graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where she majored in philosophy. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in English from the University of Michigan.
Jeanine Myers was named the next dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Dr. Myers comes to her appointment with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. Most recently, she was a professor of mathematics and executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Arkansas Tech University. During her tenure at Arkansas Tech, she also served as associate vice president for academic affairs, interim assistant vice president for student success, and department head of mathematics.
Dr. Myers holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, a master’s degree in mathematical sciences and operations research from Clemson University in South Carolina, and a Ph.D in mathematics and complex analysis from the University of Arkansas.
Jenifer Jasinski Schneider was promoted to dean of the College of Education at the University of South Florida. A professor of literacy, Dr. Jasinski Schenider had been serving as the college’s interim dean since December 2024. Her research explores how students develop meaning through writing, reading, and digital tools, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Dr. Jasinski Schenider earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from the University of South Florida. She holds a Ph.D. in language, literature, and reading education from Ohio State University.
Caroline Chick Jarrold has been selected to serve as interim executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University. Dr. Jarrold, the Class of 1948 Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor of Chemistry, has been serving as the college’s associate dean for natural and mathematic sciences and research. She joined the Indiana University faculty in 2002.
Dr. Jarrold earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry form the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Deirdre Sartorelli was appointed dean of the Curtis L. Gerrish School of Business at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. Throughout her tenure on the Endicott faculty, Dr. Sartorelli has served as associate dean of the School of Business, director of the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship, and entrepreneur-in-residence. Before her career in higher education, she was an executive in the technology and telecommunications sector.
Dr. Sartorelli holds a bachelor’s degree from Salem State University in Massachusetts, a master’s degree from Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, and a doctorate from California Coast University in Santa Ana.
Deborah Kidder is the incoming dean of the College of Business at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Most recently, Dr. Kidder served as dean of the Turner College of Business at Columbus State University in Georgia. Earlier in her career, she held several key positions with the University of Hartford Barney School of Business, including associate dean, accreditation coordinator, and chair of the department of management, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Kidder is a graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she majored in economics. She earned her Ph.D. in industrial and labor relations from the University of Minnesota.