Pomona College, the highly selective liberal arts educational institution in Claremont, California, has announced promotions for 14 faculty members. Seven of these promotions went to women.
Ellie Anderson was promoted to associate professor of philosophy and awarded tenure. Dr. Anderson joined the college’s faculty in 2020. She specializes in continental European philosophy, with emphasis on twentieth-century French philosophy and feminist theory. Dr. Anderson is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University in Atlanta.
Heidi Haddad was promoted to professor of politics. She teaches courses on international relations, human rights, non-governmental organizations, global cities, and global governance. Dr. Haddad is the author of The Hidden Hands of Justice: NGOs, Human Rights, and International Courts (Cambridge University Press, 2018). Professor Haddad is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine.
Victoria Sancho Lobis was promoted to professor of art history. Professor Lobis also serves as the Sarah Rempel and Herbert S. Rempel ’23 Director of the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. She previously held posts at the Art institute of Chicago and the University of San Diego. Professor Lobis is a graduate of Yale University. She holds a master’s degree from Williams College in Massachusetts and the Ph.D. in art history and archaeology from Columbia University.
Joyce Lu was promoted to professor of theatre. She joined the faculty at Pomona College in 2008 and teaches contemporary drama and performance, specializing in applied theatre, movement, and Asian and Asian American performance. A graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Dr. Lu holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Hawai’i and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Sara Sadhwani was promoted to associate professor of politics and awarded tenure. She has been on the faculty since 2020 and specializes in Asian American and Latino voting behavior, elections, interest groups, and representation. Dr. Sadhwani holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Southern California.
Alaina Woo was promoted to associate professor of physical education. Since 2020, she has served as the head women’s basketball coach at the college. She previously coached at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Woo graduated from Pomona College with a degree in public policy analysis and a concentration in science, technology and society. She later earned a master’s degree in educational evaluation and data analysis from Claremont Graduate University in California.
Megan Zirnstein was promoted to associate professor of linguistics and cognitive science and awarded tenure. She joined the faculty in 2019. Dr. Zirnstein’s teaching and research combine perspectives from cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, and psycholinguistics to understand how the mind and brain accomplish amazing cognitive feats. Dr. Zirnstein is a graduate of the University of Memphis. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Davis.


