Three Women Among the Four Finalists to Be the Next President of the University of Maine

Susan Hunter, the first woman president of the University of Maine, will be retiring on June 30. The university has selected a field of four finalists to replace Dr. Hunter. All candidates will visit the Orono campus by March 2 for interviews and meetings with members of the campus community. Three of the four finalists are women.

Joan Ferrini-Mundy is the chief operating officer at the National Science Foundation. She has been on the staff at the NSF since 2007. Earlier, Dr. Ferrini-Mundy served on the faculty at Michigan State University and the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Ferrini-Mundy holds a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of New Hampshire.

Sally Reis holds the Letitia Neag Morgan Endowed Chair in Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. From 2011 to 2017, she served as vice provost for academic affairs at the university. Dr. Reis is a graduate of what is now Chatham University in Pittsburgh, where she majored in English and psychology. She holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Connecticut.

Nancy Targett is provost at the University of New Hampshire. She has held this position since 2016. Previously, she serving on the faculty at the University of Delaware for more than 30 years. At the University of Delaware, Dr. Targett served as dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and was acting president of the university. Dr. Targett is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and she earned a master’s in marine science at the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Maine.