Kristin Eschenfelder has been selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A faculty member since 2000, Dr. Eschenfelder has served as the college’s academic associate dean and associate director for the School of Computer, Data, & Information Sciences. She is also affiliated with the university’s Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies. Her areas of research include data management, scholarly communications, information and data policy, and science and technology studies.
Dr. Eschenfelder is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she majored in Latin American studies with a minor in Spanish. She holds a Ph.D. in information science from Syracuse University in New York.
Gena D. Southall is the new dean of the Dare County campus of the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. With over two decades of higher education experience, Dr. Southall most recently served as associate vice president for online education at Magellan Learning Solutions. Earlier in her career, she was director of educator preparation at Elizabeth City State University. She has also taught as a professor of English education at Longwood University in Virginia.
Dr. Southall holds a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in English, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia.
Tracey Gregory has been appointed dean of the School of Education and Psychology at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. She comes to her new role from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was an associate professor of graduate education and director of the educational doctorate program. In addition to her background in academia, Dr. Gregory has experience as a K-12 educator and administrator.
Dr. Gregory earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Jackson State University in Mississippi, a master’s degree in elementary education from Belhaven University, and both an educational specialist degree in school administration and supervision and a doctorate in educational leadership from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Ceridwyn King has been named the Dimond Family Dean of the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Dr. King comes to Cornell from Purdue University, where she has been serving as an associate dean and head of the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Her research centers on marketing and service management, particularly the internal stakeholders’ role in creating competitive and sustainable service experiences.
Dr. King received her bachelor’s degree in hotel management, a master’s degree in marketing management, and a Ph.D. in marketing from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
Anne Stevens was appointed dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Most recently, Dr. Stevens served as dean of the College of Public Affairs and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she had previously served as dean of the College of Letters and Science. A professor of English, Dr. Stevens also has served as chair of the department of interdisciplinary, gender, and ethnic studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Dr. Stevens earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in English from New York University.
Melanie Landon-Hays is acting dean of the College of Education at Western Oregon University, where she has taught since 2013. She has held several leadership roles over the past decade, including program coordinator for the master’s degree in teaching and director of general education and student transitions. As a professor of education and leadership, Dr. Landon-Hays specializes in literacy education.
Dr. Landon-Hays is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she majored in English. She earned a master’s degree in literacy at Idaho State University and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Utah State University.
Melanie Bloom was named interim dean of the College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media at the University of Nebraska Omaha. In addition to her interim responsibilities, Dr. Bloom will continue to serve as dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. A faculty member since 2005, she has previously served as associate dean of humanities for the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the department of foreign languages and literature. Her scholarship focuses on teaching culture, study abroad, and intercultural sensitivity, language assessment, and experiential learning.
Dr. Bloom is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she double-majored in Spanish and English. She holds a master’s degree in foreign language education and a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Carolyn Pepper was promoted to vice provost and dean of the School of Graduate Education at the University of Wyoming. She has served in the role on an interim basis for nearly a year. During her 25-year tenure with the university, Dr. Pepper has served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, head of the department of psychology, director of the Psychology Clinic, and director of the clinical psychology doctoral training program.
A graduate of Western Michigan University, Dr. Pepper holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Deborah Farringer has been appointed dean of the Belmont University College of Law in Nashville. Professor Farringer, a Belmont faculty member since 2013, has been serving as the law school’s associate dean of academic affairs. Earlier in her career, she practiced health care and regulatory law at Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC, and as senior associate general counsel at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Her legal and academic expertise centers on health law, cybersecurity, and regulatory policy.
Professor Farringer received her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of San Diego in California and her law degree from Vanderbilt University.
Kirsten Hokeness was named dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Dr. Hokeness currently serves as chair of the department of biological and biomedical sciences. In her research, she studies the mechanisms of immune suppression following exposure to microbial volatile organic compounds and the role of cytokines and chemokines during infection with Clostridium difficile.
Dr. Hokeness holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a Ph.D. from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.