New Academic Roles for Seven Women Scholars in Higher Education

Colleen Murphy was promoted to vice provost for global engagement at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Murphy is the the Roger & Stephany Joslin Professor of Law at the College of Law, with courtesy appointments in philosophy and political science. She has served in numerous leadership roles at the university, including interim associate chancellor and vice provost for global affairs and strategies, associate dean of academics in the College of Law, and director of what is now the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity. As a scholar, she focuses on political reconciliation and transitional justice in response to entrenched injustice, as well as the legal and ethical dimensions of risks.

A graduate of the University of Norte Dame in Indiana, Dr. Murphy earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nathalia Jaramillo is the new director of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Jaramillo comes to her new role from Kennesaw State University in Georgia, where she was a professor of interdisciplinary studies. Earlier in her tenure at Kennesaw State, she served as coordinator of the Latin American and Latinx studies program and deputy chief diversity officer. Her research and teaching focus on the histories, cultures, and politics shaping Latino/a and Latin American communities on both sides of the border.

Dr. Jaramillo earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Riverside, her master’s degree in international education policy from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in education with a specialization in urban schooling from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Amy Rector was named associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. A professor of anthropology, Dr. Rector previously served as director of the university’s School of World Studies. Her scholarship explores ancient environments and paleoecology of our evolutionary ancestors. She is the director of the paleoanthropological Ledi-Geraru Research Project in the Afar Region in Ethiopia, and co-director of the Zambia Rift Valley Research Project in South Luangwa, Zambia.

Dr. Rector holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. from the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University.

Jennifer Detlor was promoted to associate teaching professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She first joined the university as an assistant teaching professor in January 2023. Her current research interests center on engineering education, particularly the development of interactive tools for the classroom and strategies to support recruitment and retention of underserved student populations.

Dr. Detlor holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, chemistry, and English; a master’s degree in engineering mechanics; and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Lan Luo is director of the Vaneck Digital Assets Initiative at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where she serves as the Neely Chair in American Enterprise and a professor of marketing. Dr. Luo first joined the university in 2005 as an assistant professor and earned the rank of full professor in 2022. As a scholar who works at the intersection of innovation, technology adoption, and digital markets, Dr. Luo has recently examined how blockchain-based NFTs and smart contracts are restructuring the relationship between creators and consumers.

Dr. Luo holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from Nankai University in China, a master’s degree in economics from the University at Buffalo in New York, and a Ph.D. in business and marketing from the University of Maryland.

Stephanie Bonnes, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, has been selected as a 2026 Harry Frank Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar. As part of this fellowship, she will study sexual violence in the U.S. military through the perspectives of the professionals who work directly with victims. At the University of New Haven, Dr. Bonnes is assistant dean of the Henry C. College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences.

Dr. Bonnes received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from Gettsysburg College in Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in political and international studies from Rhodes University and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Tracy Fasolino is associate dean and director of the Wellstar School of Nursing and a professor of nursing at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Dr. Fasolino comes to her new role from Clemson University in South Carolina, where she was a professor of nursing. Her research interests center on symptom management for patients with chronic non-cancer illnesses, focusing primarily on pulmonary conditions.

Dr. Fasolino earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Clemson University, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center, and a Ph.D. in nursing research from the University of South Carolina.

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