New Faculty Appointments for Twelve Women Scholars

Kris Varjas has been named a Distinguished University Professor in the department of counseling and psychology services at Georgia State University. She has been a faculty member with the university since 2000, currently serving as a professor of school psychology and the associate dean for research and doctoral studies in the College of Education and Human Development.

Dr. Varjas received her bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University and her master of social work degree from the University of Connecticut. She received a second master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from the University at Albany in the State University of New York System.

Rachel Debuque has been appointed director of the School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. She comes to her new role from George Mason University in Virginia, where she served as an associate professor and associate director of the School of Art.

Professor Debuque holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master of fine arts degree in sculpture from the University of Georgia.

Jana Jasinski has been named vice provost at the University of Kentucky. For over two decades, she has been a faculty member with the University of Central Florida, where she  served as vice provost for faculty excellence and the Pegasus Professor of Sociology. Earlier in her tenure, she served as associate dean in the College of Graduate Studies and the College of Sciences.

Dr. Jasinski is a three-time graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. in sociology.

Jennifer Munson has been appointed director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at the Virginia Tech-Carillon Cancer Research Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Alongside her new appointment, she will retain her current positions as a faculty member in the department of biomedical engineering and mechanics and co-director of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation Center of Excellence at Virginia Tech.

Dr. Munson is a magna cum laude graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she double-majored in chemical engineering and neuroscience. She holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Martha Hurley has been named associate provost of faculty affairs at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. She previously served the community college as dean of liberal arts, communication, and social sciences. Prior to joining the Sinclair Community College faculty, she served as a professor and chair of the criminal justice and security studies department at the University of Dayton.

Dr. Hurley is a graduate of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master’s degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.

Jessica Kahn has been named senior associate dean for clinical and translational research and director of the Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She comes to her new role from the University of Cincinnati, where she currently serves as a professor of pediatrics and co-director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training. She is also the founding associate chair of academic affairs and career development at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Kahn holds a master of public health degree and a medical degree from Harvard University.

Martha Buell has been appointed vice provost of faculty affairs at the University of Delaware. She has been a member of the university’s faculty for roughly two decades, currently serving as chair of the department of human development and family sciences. She holds a joint faculty appointment in the university’s School of Public Policy and Administration.

Dr. Buell holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, a master’s degree in education from Tulane University, and a doctorate in human development and family studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Kanwalroop “Kathy” Dhanda has been named associate dean of faculty affairs and research for the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. As a professor, she teaches courses on operations management, supply chain management, and sustainable management.

Dr. Dhanda holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Angelo State University in Texas and a Ph.D. in management science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Olivia Landry has been promoted to chair of the department of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. She currently serves as an associate professor of German studies in the School of World Studies. She has written several books on various film and media topics, most recently A Decolonizing Ear: Documentary Film Disrupts the Archive (University of Toronto Press, 2022).

Dr. Landry received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from McGill University in Canada. She holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington.

Julie Hasenwinkel has been selected to serve as associate provost for academic programs at Syracuse University in New York. Currently, she serves the university as the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, chair of the department of biomedical and chemical engineering, and a faculty affiliate with the BioInspired Institute.

Dr. Hasenwinkel received her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, a master’s degree in bioengineering from Clemson University in South Carolina, and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University in Illinois.

Angela Gonzales has been appointed director of the American Indian studies program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. A faculty member with the university since 2016, she most recently served as faculty lead of the justice studies program in the School of Social Transformation and interim director of the Center of Indian Education.

Dr. Gonzales completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Riverside, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master’s degree in education policy and management, a second master’s degree in sociology, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University.

Sandra L. Rierson has joined the faculty at Westcliff University in Irvine, California, as a full professor in the Western State College of Law. She previously held faculty positions with the Thomas Jefferson University School of Law in San Diego, the California Western School of Law, and the University of San Diego School of Law.

Rierson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a juris doctorate from Yale Law School.