Yvette Huet has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before her interim dean appointment in July 2025, Dr. Huet was interim chair of the epidemiology and community health department. Throughout her 35-year tenure at the university, she has served in a variety of leadership positions and conducted extensive research on biological resilience. Her more recent work focuses on institutional transformation and enhancing support for faculty success.
Dr. Huet holds undergraduate degrees in microbiology and human biology from the University of Kansas. She earned her Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Allison Renee Webel has been appointed dean of the School of Nursing and professor of nursing at the University of Michigan. Dr. Webel comes to her new role from the University of Washington, where she has been serving as associate dean for research and innovation in the School of Nursing. During the 2023-2024 academic year, she was interim executive dean of the tri-campus of the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma. She has a wide range of research interests, including aging with HIV, cardiovascular health, digital innovation in health systems, and global partnerships to address chronic disease.
Dr. Webel is a graduate of Ohio State University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and nursing. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in nursing form the University of California, San Francisco.
Patricia Sánchez Abril was promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the School of Law at the University of Miami, where she has taught courses on business law and ethics for over two decades. She has served in several leadership roles throughout her tenure, including chair of the business law department, vice dean of the Miami Herbert Business School, and interim dean of the Graduate School. Professor Abril’s legal research centers on privacy and technology.
Professor Abril earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Latin American Law Review.
Amy Cossentino is dean of the Cliffe College of Creative Arts at Youngstown State University in Ohio. Dr. Cossentino has served in several academic and administrative positions since joining the Youngstown State faculty in 1990. In addition to her new role, she will continue to serve as associate provost and dean of the university’s Sokolov Honors College. She also currently leads the division of experiential learning and engagement, the Office of Community Engagement, and the Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork.
Dr. Cossentino received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and elementary education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Youngstown State University and a Ph.D. in educational studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Kneka P. Smith was named dean of the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences. Her appointment marks a return to the ATSU system, where she previously served in senior academic roles with the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health. For the past five years, Dr. Smith has served as vice president for academic affairs at MaineHealth. Her scholarship focuses on educational innovation, access to care for rural and underserved populations, health workforce development, and population health.
Dr. Smith holds a master of public health degree in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in health professions education from ATSU’s College of Graduate Health Studies.