Six Women Appointed to Positions as Dean

Kristina Ropella was appointed interim dean of the College of Engineering at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been serving as executive associate dean. Dr. Ropella has served on the Marquette University faculty for 24 years, including nine years as chair of the department of biomedical engineering.

Professor Ropella is a graduate of Marquette University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.

Kimberly Suress Gaiters-Fields is the new dean of the College of Education at Albany State University in Georgia. She has served in the post on an interim basis for the past year.

Dr. Gaiters-Fields holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Albany State University. She earned a doctorate in curriculum studies from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Elizabeth Simmons was appointed acting dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University. She has been serving as dean of the university’s Lyman Briggs College, an academic program that bridges the sciences and the humanities and she will continue in that role.

Dr. Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University. She also earned a master’s degree in physics as a Churchill Scholar at Cambridge University in England.

Jacqueline S. Jackson was named dean of students at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland. For the past five years, Dr. Jackson has served as dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer for the Community College of the University of the District of Columbia.

Dr. Jackson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Illinois University in Macomb. She earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Old Dominion University.

Lisa Berreau was appointed interim dean of the College of Science at Utah State University. She has been serving as associate dean for the past nine years and is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the university.

Dr. Berreau is a graduate of Mankato State University in Minnesota. She holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota.

Debra L. Parker was named interim dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Findlay in Ohio. She will serve in the post for the coming academic year. Since 2006, Dr. Parker has been an associate professor of pharmacy practice and she has chaired the department of pharmacy practice for the past five years.

Dr. Parker earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University in Ada.