Nine Women Appointed to Dean Posts at American Colleges and Universities

Elaine Clark is the new dean of the College of Education at the University of Utah. She is a professor of educational psychology at the university. Professor Clark joined the faculty at the university in 1983. She is a past president of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.

Dr. Clark holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Michigan State University. She earned a second Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Shailey Menon will be the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She has been serving as associate dean for research, facilities planning, and community engagement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.

Dr. Menon is a graduate of Saint Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India. She earned master’s degrees at the University of Mumbai and the University of South Carolina. Dr. Menon holds a Ph.D. in zoology, natural resources, and anthropology from Ohio State University.

Evelyn B. Harrell was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Southern University at New Orleans. She has served as interim dean since July 2016. Dr. Harrell is director of the Addictive Behaviors Counseling and Prevention Program at the university. She first joined the faculty at the university in 1990.

Professor Harrell is a graduate of Southern University at New Orleans. She holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in social work from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Sharon Meagher is the new dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. She had been serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. Dr. Meagher is the editor of Philosophy and the City: Classic to Contemporary Writings (State University of New York Press, 2008).

Dr. Meagher is a graduate of Boston College, where she majored in philosophy and sociology. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Stony Brook University in New York.

Stacey A. Duhon, the William McIntosh Endowed Professor in Liberal Arts at Grambling State University in Louisiana, is the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the university. She holds a joint appointment in the department of sociology and psychology as well as in the biological sciences department.

Dr. Duhon is a graduate of Grambling State University. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Elizabeth Dumont was appointed dean of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California, Merced. She has been serving as a professor of biology and senior vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She joined the faculty there in 2001.

Dr. Dumont is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, where she majored in anthropology. She holds a Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Stony Brook University in New York.

Diane Helfers Petrella was named interim dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She will serve in this role for the 2017-18 academic years. She has been serving as a professor of piano and piano pedagogy and executive associate dean at the conservatory.

Professor Petrella is a magna cum laude graduate of Eastern Illinois University. She holds a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a doctorate in music from the University of North Texas.

Toni Doolen was appointed dean of the College of Education at Oregon State University. She has been serving as dean of the Honors College at the university, and will continue to hold that post. Dr. Doolen is a professor in the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering.

Professor Doolen joined the faculty at Oregon State in 2001. She is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Doolen holds a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Oregon State University.

Jeannette E. Riley was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. She has been serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English and women’s studies at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. She joined the faculty there in 2002.

Dr. Riley is a graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She holds a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a Ph.D. in contemporary American and British literature and literary theory from the University of New Mexico.

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