Yajaira Padilla was named associate dean for arts and humanities in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. A faculty member since 2013, Dr. Padilla is a professor and chair of the English department. From 2017 to 2023, she was director of the Latin American and Latino studies program. Her research centers on Central American culture and literary studies and Central Americans in a U.S. Latinx/a/o context.
Dr. Padilla received her bachelor’s degree in literature and Latin America and Chicano/Latino studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her Ph.D. in literature from the University of California, San Diego.
Ruth Braunstein was named director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Braunstein, an SNF Agora Institute Professor of Sociology, came to Johns Hopkins last year following 12 years on the faculty at the University of Connecticut. As a scholar, she has published extensively on democracy, civic life, religion, and public morality. Her most recent book is My Tax Dollars: the Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025).
Dr. Braunstein is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from New York University.
Amelia Kraehe is vice dean of the Arizona arts division in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona. A professor of art and visual culture education, Dr. Kraehe has been a faculty member with the university since 2018. She previously served as associate vice president for organizational excellence and impact. Her scholarship centers on the development of professional identity and 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.
Kathy Newman has been appointed chair of the department of theatre at Mississippi University for Women. Before joining the university’s faculty in 2018, Newman taught at Georgia College & State University, Reinhardt University, Georgia Highlands College, Shorter College & University, and Mercer University. During her time at Mississippi University for Women, she has directed seven productions and taught courses on acting, directing, script analysis, theatre management, and theatre history.
An alumna of North Greenville Junior College in South Carolina, Newman earned her bachelor’s degree in theatre from LaGrange College in Georgia and her master of fine arts degree in theatre performance from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Chloe Dedic is slated to join the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty in August as an associate professor of mechanical engineering. For the past eight years, she has taught in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia. In her new lab, Dr. Dedic will focus on the design and application of advanced, laser-based measurements and nonlinear spectroscopy techniques to study reacting flow systems.
Dr. Dedic holds a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University.