Tonya Smith-Jackson has been named chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark. She will begin her appointment on August 1.
The Newark campus of Rutgers University enrolls over 7,400 undergraduate students and nearly 3,400 graduate students. Women represent 53 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Currently, Dr. Smith-Jackson is provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at North Carolina A&T State University. She first joined the the university in 2013 as chair of the department of industrial and systems engineering. Earlier in her career, she spent 14 years on the faculty of Virginia Tech. She also had a stint as program director of the Cyber-Humans-Systems Program at the National Science Foundation.
“My success is not possible without chancellors, presidents, and leaders I’ve learned from, and each institution’s commitment to scholarship, innovation, academic excellence, community engagement, and providing opportunities for all — which is exactly what inspired me to seek out this opportunity to lead Rutgers-Newark,” said Dr. Smith-Jackson. “It’s an incredible honor to join this esteemed institution, and I look forward to working together in shaping a future that honors institutional legacy and embraces bold new opportunities on the horizon.”
Dr. Smith-Jackson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in interdisciplinary psychology and industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in psychology and ergonomics from North Carolina State University.
After three months as interim president, Nicolle Cestero has been named the thirteenth president of American International College. Upon assuming her official presidency on July 1, she will become the institution’s first permanent woman president.
Sandra Minor Bulmer has been named interim president of Southern Connecticut State University. Her appointment is effective July 1.
Each week, Women in Academia Report will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. The links presented direct the reader to articles from many different points of view that deal with issues of women in higher education. The articles selected do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board of WIAReport.
Since 1972, Ms. magazine has published articles on women’s studies, feminism, and a variety of topics of interest to women. Now, the magazine has 
Women in Academia Report regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view. The opinions expressed in these books do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board of WIAReport. As an Amazon Associate, WIAReport will earn a fraction of revenue from qualifying purchases.
Amy Richter, chair of the history department at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, passed away on June 2. She was 57 years old and had suffrd from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
In addition to her work at Clark University, Dr. Richter was academic director of the Worcester chapter of The Clemente Course in the Humanities, a free educational program for adults facing economic hardship and adverse circumstances. For her contributions to education and her volunteer work, she received Clark University’s John W. Lund Community Achievement Award in 2022. The following year, Worcester Magazine named her a 2023 Hometown Hero.
Antoinette Hays, president of Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2026.
Deborah Pellow, longtime professor of anthropology at Syracuse University in New York, passed away on May 29. She was 80 years old.
Jamie Taylor has been appointed associate provost at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. A faculty member since 2006, she currently holds the title of Mary E. Garrett Alumnae Professor of Literatures in English. Her scholarship focuses on medieval literature and culture, law and literature, and the global Middle Ages.
Jill Sible has been promoted to vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs at Virginia Tech. Since joining the university’s department of biological sciences in 1998, she has served in several academic, research, and leadership roles. Most recently, she was associate vice provost for undergraduate education. She also directs the Academy for Experiential Learning.
Bethany Neilson has been appointed director of the Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University. Since 2008, she has held a joint appoint as a researcher with the laboratory and a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department. She also currently serves as head of the department’s water division and director of the Logan River Observatory.
Jessica Calarco, professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been elected vice president of the American Sociological Association. In her research, she examines how and why systems of power and privilege contribute to socioeconomic, racial, and gender inequalities in education, family, and health. Her most recent book is 
Ann Fisher-Wirth, professor emerita of English at the University of Mississippi, has been named poet laureate for the state of Mississippi. She will serve in this role for a four-year term. Until 2022, she had been serving as director of the university’s undergraduate minor in environmental studies. Earlier this year, she published the poetry anthology 
Miechelle McKelvey has been appointed chair of the department of special education and communication disorders in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A faculty member for nearly two decades, she most recently served as associate dean of the College of Education. Her research focuses on assessment and intervention for adults with communication disorders.
Maura Rhodes has been named associate dean of the School of Social Work at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. She has been a faculty member with the university for the past 14 years. Earlier in her tenure, she played a key role in developing Sacred Heart’s master of social work degree program. Prior to academia, she spent 15 years with the Family and Children’s Agency in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Barbara Ritter has been named dean of the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation at the University of Toledo in Ohio. She comes to her new role from Jacksonville University in Florida, where she served as dean of the Davis College of Business and Technology. An expert on organizational behavior and management, she focuses her research on emergent leadership, implicit leadership theory, and human resource policies.
Cora Bragg Thompson has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Education at Savannah State University in Georgia. With over 30 years of professional experience, she has served as an educator in both K-12 public schools and higher education settings. She has been with Savannah State since 2013, serving as a tenured professor and program coordinator.
Amelia Manning has been appointed dean of the School of Professional Advancement at Tulane University in New Orleans. She brings over two decades of higher education leadership experience to her new role. Previously, she was chief operating officer of Southern New Hampshire University.
Amy Bronson has been named founding dean of the School of Physician Assistant Studies in the College of Health Science at Pepperdine University in California. She has previously served in several academic leadership roles, including dean of the master of physician assistant program at the Texas campus of West Coast University and assistant vice president for research and innovation at Colorado Mesa University.
Kathy Phillips has been selected to serve as interim dean of undergraduate admissions at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She has been a member of the Duke community for over three decades. She has been serving as associate dean of undergraduate admissions.
Hillary Richardson has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of library services in the Fant Memorial Library at Mississippi University for Women. She first joined the university in 2017 as an associate professor and coordinator of undergraduate research and information literacy. Earlier this year, she was promoted to the rank of full professor.
Dayle Smith, dean of the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, recently received the 2025 Patricia M. Flynn Distinguished Woman in Business Education Award at the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International Conference and Meeting in Vienna, Austria.
Yolanda T. Robinson has been named director of counseling services at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. Her background includes over 15 years of experience in the mental health field, working with children, adolescents, and adults with various mental health and developmental challenges.
Belinda Burke has been named chief financial officer and vice president for administration at Sweet Briar College, a women’s liberal arts educational institution in Virginia. She has been serving in the same role at William Peace University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also has served as chief financial officer of Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and Wesley College in Delaware.
Robin Griffin-Kitzerow has been has been promoted to chief of the University of Central Florida Police Department. With over three decades of experience in law enforcement, she has served as the university’s deputy chief of police since 2022. Prior to UCF, she was deputy chief at the Florida Atlantic University Police Department.
Heather Johns has been appointed vice president for communications and marketing at Smith College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts. She comes to her new role from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where she has served as vice president for marketing and communications since 2020.
Lisa Stoffer has been named associate vice president for foundation relations and sponsored research at Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. For the past three years, she has been director of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research at Smith College. Earlier, she held a similar role at Amherst College.
Janel Forde has been appointed senior vice chancellor for operations at the University of Colorado Boulder. She most recently served as chief operating officer for the Denver mayor’s office. Earlier in her career, she was a partner in the Chicago office of Boston Consulting Group.
Amy Orders has been appointed associate vice president for public safety at Virginia Tech. Her background includes more than 20 years of experience in safety programming in higher education. Most recently, she served as assistant vice chancellor for emergency preparedness and environmental health at North Carolina State University.
Fiona McFarlane, associate professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, has received The Story Prize for her short story collection, 
At UC Berkeley, Dr. McFarlane serves as director of the creative writing minor and teaches courses on narratives, novels, and creative writing practices. In addition to her latest work, she is the author of three other books: 
Deanna Kerrigan is slated to join the faculty at Rutgers University in New Jersey this fall as the Henry J. Rutgers Chair of Whole Person Health and vice dean of the School of Public Health. She most recently served as chair of the department of prevention and community health in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on how structural and psychosocial determinants impact the health and well-being of people in marginalized communities.
Jo Hardin has been named the Reuben C. and Eleanor Winslow Memorial Mathematics Professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She has been a faculty member with the college since 2002. Her academic expertise centers on the statistical analysis of high-throughput genetic data, inference in machine learning, statistics and data science education, and equity and flourishing in statistics and data science.
Anna Lemnitzer has been named the Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts at West Texas A&M University. A faculty member since 2021, her visual practice is grounded in playful exploration, fluidity of meaning, and multifaceted layers of the human experience. Earlier in her career, she was director for the interdisciplinary arts major at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Aliaa Bassiouny has been named the Lawrence Term Professor of Finance at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She first joined the university in 2019 and currently serves as the faculty advisor for the student-managed Williams Investment Society. Earlier, she spent seven years as a professor of finance at The American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Kimryn Rathmell has been named the inaugural Jeri B. Block and Robert H. Schottenstein Distinguished Chair in Cancer and chief executive officer of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Center. She has previously held faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More recently, she was director of the National Cancer Institute.
After four months of service as interim president, Jeanette M. Nuñez has been officially named the seventh president of Florida International University. She is the university’s first alumna to hold the position.
Suri Duitch has been named the eighth president of Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. She had been serving in the role on an interim basis since January 2024.
Victoria L. Walsh has been named the seventh president of Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson. She is slated to assume her presidency on July 1.
Barbara Rodriguez has been selected to serve as interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. Her appointment begins on July 3.
Lauren Lee McIntyre has been named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Michigan State University, effective August 4. She will also hold a faculty appointment as the MSU Research Foundation Professor in the department of counseling, educational psychology, and special education.
Beth A. Winkelstein has been appointed provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern University in Boston. She will begin her new role on August 22.
Vojislava “Voki” Pophristic has been promoted to provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Her promotion is effective July 1.
The Dan David Prize is awarded by the Dan David Foundation at Tel Aviv University in Israel to up to nine early and mid-career scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines. The honor comes with a $300,000 prize. The prize was established in 2001 by Dan David, who lived through Nazi and Communist persecution in his native Romania before becoming a global business leader and philanthropist. The prize has the goal of rewarding and encouraging innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms. The prize is given in recognition of the winners’ contribution to the study of the past and to support their future endeavors.
Mackenzie Cooley is an associate professor of history and director of Latin American and Latine studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. A historian of science and medicine in the early modern Hispanic world, Dr. Cooley’s work explores how humans have shaped, classified and extracted knowledge from nature – and, in so doing, redefined their own bodies, societies and empires. Her first book, 
Beth Lew-Williams is a professor of history and director of Asian American studies at Princeton University in New Jersey. A historian of race and migration in the United States, her work demonstrates how restrictions on Chinese immigration to the United States was pivotal in the construction of American concepts of citizenship and “alienage.” She is the author of the forthcoming book, 
Hannah Marcus is a professor in the department of the history of science and the faculty director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the scientific culture of early modern Europe between 1400 and 1700. She is the author of 
Wendy Wintersteen, the sixteenth president of Iowa State University, has announced her intent to retire in January 2026 after nearly a decade of service.
Susan Brynteson, a longtime librarian and administrator at the University of Delaware, passed away on May 26, 2025. She was 89 years old.
Earlier this year, it was 
Barbara McCaskill was named distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia. She has been with the university since 1992. For the past eight years, she has served as the associate academic director of the Wilson Center for Humanities. She is the editor or author of several books, including 
Beth Gibbs has joined the faculty in the School of Music at the University of Nevada-Reno as an assistant professor and director of choral activities. She comes to her new appointment from Florida Southern College, where she was a professor and director of choral studies. Her current research focuses on Basque choral music.
Amy Durham has been appointed associate dean for education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. A Penn faculty member since 2008, she currently teaches as a full professor of anatomic pathology. Her scholarship focuses on oncologic pathology with a particular interest in lymphoma in domestic animals.
Eunjoo Cho has been named assistant dean of the honors program in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. She first joined the faculty in 2013 and now teaches as full professor of apparel, merchandising, and product development. Her academic work focuses on digital fashion branding, retailing, and sustainability in the fashion business.
Shannon Wanless has been named director of the University Center for Social And Urban Research at the University of Pittsburgh. A faculty member since 2011, she has served as executive director of the university’s Office of Child Development in the School of Education for the past seven years. In her work, she focuses on building community and social change among adults that are helping young children thrive.
Elizabeth Askren has joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music as an associate adjunct professor and director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. She has been serving as the first principal guest conductor for the Hawai’i Opera Theatre and a music staff member at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Additionally, she is the founder and artistic director of the Transylvania Opera Academy, the first-ever opera studio in Romania.
A. Carla Staver has joined the faculty at Princeton University as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. She comes to Princeton from Yale University, where she has taught for over a decade. A scholar of plant and ecosystem ecology, she previously served as associate director of the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.
Cynthia Minkovitz has been named vice provost for faculty development at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. A faculty member with Johns Hopkins for more than three decades, she currently serves as the William H. Gates, Sr. Professor and chair of the department of population, family, and reproductive health. Her research focuses on enhancing systems of care and the quality of preventative services for children and families.
Sooyun Kim has been joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as an assistant professor of flute. A professional flutist specializing in classical music, she has performed with orchestras and symphonies around the world. She previously taught at the Longly School of Music at Bard College.
Emily Roper-Doten has been named dean of admissions for undergraduate programs at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She has held several admissions and financial aid leadership roles at various institutions throughout Massachusetts. Most recently, she was vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial assistance at Clark University in Worcester.
Melissa Craft has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma. She currently serves as the Robert and Doris Klabzuba Professor of Nursing Science. Prior to her interim appointment, she was the college’s associate dean for clinical affairs, outreach, and practice innovation.
Stephani Etheridge Woodson has been appointed vice president for enrollment services and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of Northern Colorado. She has spent the past nine years on the faculty at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. While there, she served in various leadership roles, most recently as senior associate dean of students and academic programs.
Sandra Smith has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the School of Professional Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Before joining the Ivy League institution in 2015, she gained significant experience in strategic consulting, focusing primarily on technology and services companies.
Keisha M. Pollack Porter has been named dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A Johns Hopkins faulty member since 2006, she currently serves as the Bloomberg Centennial Chair and Professor in the department of health policy and management. She also directs the university’s Institute for Health and Social Policy.
Lisa Saltzman has been selected to serve as interim dean of graduate studies at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. She first joined the college’s faculty in 1997 and currently serves as the Emily Rauh Pulitzer ’55 Chair in Modern and Contemporary Art and director of graduate studies for the department of the history of art. Earlier in her tenure, she served as department chair and director of the Center for Visual Culture.
Saskia L. van de Gevel has been named dean of the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech. She comes to her new role from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, where she has been serving as a professor and chair of the department of geography and planning. She previously served as the National Geographic Society’s geography steward for the state of North Carolina and as coordinator of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance.
The award-winning monograph explores the evolution of pregnancy tropes in comedic movies and television shows from the silent film era through present day, highlighting how media can often misrepresent, trivialize, or overlook women’s experiences.
Wendy Cook has been appointed vice president of student access and success at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She has been with the community college since 2023, serving as dean of student access and enrollment. Earlier, she worked for Wake Technical Community College.
Samantha Campbell has been selected to serve as interim associate vice president of Utah State University-Moab. A staff member with the university for more than a decade, she currently serves as the associate campus director and director of student services for the Moab campus.
Nikki Pantera has been promoted from deputy general counsel to general counsel at Boise State University in Idaho. She first joined the university in 2014 as associate general counsel. Earlier, she practiced law with Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley and clerked for Justice Jim Jones at the Idaho Supreme Court.
Brandy Salmon has been promoted from associate vice president to vice president for innovation and partnerships at Virginia Tech. She has held several key administrative roles at the university, including executive director for business engagement and managing director for Virginia Tech’s operations in Alexandria, Virginia.
Alison Chandler has been appointed assistant provost of student success at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. With 20 years of progressive experience in student success, inclusive campus environments, and serving underrepresented populations, her career spans academic advising, student support, academic affairs, university teaching, and administrative leadership.
Meredith Stewart has been promoted from interim vice president to permanent vice president and chief human resources officer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She first joined the university in 2016 as the inaugural executive director for total rewards. Prior to Johns Hopkins, she was vice president of total rewards at the Algeco Scotsmans Group.
Ann Schmiesing has been named senior vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder. She had been serving in this capacity on an interim basis since March. A faculty member and administrator with the university for nearly three decades, she recently completed a stint as interim chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver.
Anne Anlin Cheng was named the Louis W. Fairchild ’24 Professor of English. Dr. Cheng is affiliated faculty in the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies and on the Committee on Film Studies, and former director of the Program in American Studies. She works primarily with twentieth-century American literature and visual culture with special focus on Asian American and African American literatures. Her most recent book is 
Jenny Greene was appointed the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astrophysical Sciences. Dr. Greene began her career at Princeton in 2011 as an assistant professor of astrophysical sciences. Earlier she was an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Greene 
Margaret Martonosi was designated as the William M. Addy ’82 University Professor. Professor Martonosi joined the faculty at Princeton University in 1994. For three years, she served as associate dean for academic affairs for the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science. Her research area is computer architecture, with contributions to both classical and quantum hardware and software systems. Dr. Martonosi is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she majored in electrical engineering. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Olga Troyanskaya was appointed the Maduraperuma/Khot Professor of Computer Science. She has been on the Princeton faculty since 2003. She teaches within the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics and is the director of Princeton Precision Health. Dr. Troyanskaya is affiliated with the department of molecular biology and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute. Professor Troyanskaya holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and computer science from the University of Richmond and a Ph.D. in biomedical informatics from Stanford University.
On June 1, Kathy Murphy became president of Wallace Community College-Dothan in Alabama. According to federal data, the school enrolls about 4,000 students, two-thirds of whom are women.
Heather Pence recently became president of Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia. Across its nine campuses, the college enrolls over 9,800 students, 57 percent of whom are women.