Tracy Kijewski-Correa is the Frank M. Friemann Professor of Structural Engineering and Hazard Resilience at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where she teaches as a professor of civil and environmental engineering and of earth sciences. A faculty member since 2003, Dr. Kijewski-Correa also serves as the William J. Pulte Director of the university’s Pulte Institute for Global Development. Her interdisciplinary research centers on recovery after major disasters and how communities can implement climate-adaptive measures when threatened or impacted by events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and windstorms.
Dr. Kijewski earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. all from the University of Notre Dame.
Jenifer Shafer is the inaugural Ben L. Fryrear Presidential Chair at Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Shafer joined the faculty in 2012 and currently teaches as a professor in the department of chemistry and the nuclear science and engineering program. Her research focuses on developing f-element separations to support advanced nuclear fuel cycles, national security, and critical mineral processing. In her new endowed position, Dr. Shafer will work at the intersection of energy and commercialization, working with the Colorado School of Mines’ community to bring new energy technologies to the market.
Dr. Shafer holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. from Washington State University.
Wendy Berry Mendes was named the Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Before joining the Yale faculty in 2023, Dr. Mendes was the Sarlo/Ekman Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. As a scholar, she examines how mental states alter physiological responses including autonomic nervous systems, hormones, and immune changes. Her work has provided insights into areas such as how stress affects cognition, racial health disparities, stereotyping and prejudice, emotion and decision-making, and dyadic and group physiological synchrony.
A two-time graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Mendes earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She completed postdoctoral training in psychology and medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Emily Cherry Oliver has been named a 2026 Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor at the University of North Dakota. The title is the university’s highest faculty honor. Professor Cherry Oliver currently serves as chair of the theatre arts department. Her areas of scholarship include directing and performance. With experience directing and performing in both academic and professional settings, Professor Cherry Oliver also serves as co-chair of the Region 5 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Professor Cherry Oliver holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theatre from Texas Wesleyan University and a master of fine arts degree in directing from Western Illinois University.