Brenessa Lindeman has been named executive dean of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, making her the first surgeon and the first woman to serve in the role. Dr. Lindeman has been with the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Medicine since 2017, most recently serving as vice chair of education for the department of surgery; professor of surgery, pediatrics, and medical education; program director of the endocrine surgery fellowship; and assistant dean of graduate medical education.
Dr. Lindeman received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She completed a residency in general surgery and a master of education degree in health professions at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a fellowship in endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Sarah J. Williams, professor of law at Pennsylvania State University, has been appointed interim dean of Penn State Dickinson Law. She has been a faculty member at the law school since 2019. An expert in financial and securities regulation, Professor Williams focuses her scholarship on the regulation of gatekeepers under federal securities law. Before entering academia, she served in key roles with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the National Association of Securities Dealers, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
A graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, Professor Williams earned her juris doctorate from the New York University School of Law.
Tamera Halter is the new dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Performance at Vincennes University in Indiana. Dr. Halter has been a faculty member with the university since 2012. For the past eight years, she has served as director of the RN-BSN completion program. Her healthcare background spans acute care, long-term care, obstetrics, and medical-surgical nursing.
Dr. Halter received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the former Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She holds a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Southern Indiana and a doctor of nursing practice degree from Indiana State University.
Bethany Sansing-Helton is the new dean of science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington. Before her new role, Dr. Sansing-Helton was a mathematics faculty member, interim department chair for engineering, mathematics department co-chair, and lead data partner at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin. Earlier, she spent nearly seven years as an engineer with Lockheed Martin Astronautics.
Dr. Sansing-Helton is a graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she majored in physics. She holds a master’s degree in mathematics teacher education from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Anne Shaffer is interim dean of the University of Georgia Graduate School. Dr. Shaffer, a professor of psychology and a faculty member for nearly two decades, most recently served as senior associate dean of the Graduate School. Earlier, she was graduate coordinator for the department of psychology. Her research centers on developmental psychopathology, parenting, and family relationships.
Dr. Shaffer is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where she majored in psychology and philosophy. She holds a master’s degree in child psychology and a Ph.D. in developmental psychopathology and clinical science from the University of Minnesota.
Terri L. Warholak has been appointed dean of the College of Pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina. Most recently, Dr. Warholak served as a professor and dean of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, Missouri. She has also taught at at the Midwestern University College of Pharmacy in Arizona and the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Warholak holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration, all from Purdue University.
Brittaney S. Lott is dean of the School of Business & Entrepreneurship and assistant professor of business administration at Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina. Prior to her new role, Dr. Lott was director of the information technology program at Miller-Motte College. She has also held academic appointments with Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Colorado Technical University, Outside of academia, Dr. Lott is the founder and CEO of BeCode Consulting.
Dr. Lott received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in education from Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, her MBA with a concentration in information systems and technology management from American InterContinental University, and her doctorate in accounting and finance from Trident University International.
Cheryl A. Thaxton is dean of the School of Health Sciences and chief nursing administrator at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. Dr. Thaxton most recently served as associate dean and chair for graduate studies in the College of Nursing at the University of North Texas Health at Fort Worth. Her research interests include palliative care, hospice, neonatal nursing, pain management, loss, grief, bereavement, geriatric nursing, advanced nursing practice, mentorship, quality improvement, and faculty onboarding.
Dr. Thaxton earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Hampton University in Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from New York University and a doctor of nursing practice degree from George Washington University.