New Dean Appointments for Six Women in Academia

Janice Zgibor has been appointed dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy and senior associate vice president at University of South Florida Health. Dr. Zgibor, a professor of epidemiology, has been a USF faculty member since 2015. Throughout the past decade, she has served in several leadership capacities, most recently as senior associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Public Health. Earlier, she was director of the Ph.D. program in epidemiology as well as the doctor of public health degree program. As a pharmacist and epidemiologist, Dr. Zgibor is known for her research on diabetes prevention, education, and care delivery.

Dr. Zigbor earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, her master of public health degree, and her Ph.D. in epidemiology, all from the University of Pittsburgh.

Following nearly two years of interim service, Angela Gilmore has been officially named dean of the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia. Prior to joining the university, Gilmore was senior counsel for accreditation at the American Bar Association. She has extensive experience as a legal educator, including prior teaching roles at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, Elon University in North Carolina, the University of Iowa, and North Carolina Central University, where she served as associate dean for academic affairs.

Gilmore is a graduate of Houghton College in New York. She received her juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Windy Ann Mack Stephenson has been selected to serve as interim dean of the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College at South Carolina State University. In addition to her new responsibilities, she will continue to serve in her current role as executive director of academic and scholarship services at the college. Dr. Stephenson has more than two decades of experience spanning early childhood, K-12, and higher education as a teacher, literacy coach, administrator, and faculty member. She has conducted prior research on gifted education and educational leadership in rural South Carolina.

Dr. Stephenson is an alumna of South Carolina State University, where she majored in early childhood education. She holds a master’s degree in communication studies from Northern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in education from Capella University.

Heidi Getchell-Bastien is dean of business and professional studies at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Her appointment marks a return to the community college, where she previously taught as an adjunct faculty member. More recently, she was a professor of legal studies and government at Mass Bay Community College and a visiting associate professor of management at Framingham State University in Massachusetts.

Getchell-Bastien earned her associate’s degree from Northern Essex Community College and her bachelor’s degree from Bradford College. She received her juris doctorate from Suffolk University in Boston.

Lisa Reyes Mason has been appointed dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Reyes Mason has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs and interim dean of the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. As a social worker and scholar, she specializes in climate change, community development, environment, health and wellness, public policy, race and ethnicity, and social justice.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Reyes Mason received her master of social work degree and her Ph.D in social work from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Vanessa B. Sheppard was named dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences/Institute of Public Health and assistant vice president for health science enterprise and research innovation at Florida A&M University. Dr. Sheppard comes to her new role from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was an endowed professor and founding dean of the School of Public Health. She served in several other roles at VCU, including associate vice president for population and public health strategic initiatives. Her research centers on cancer prevention, survivorship, medication adherence, health disparities, and community-engaged translational science.

Dr. Sheppard is a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in public administration and political science. She holds a master’s degree in sociology and urban affairs from Norfolk State University and a Ph.D. in health services research from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

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