Olivia Carr Edenfield, professor of English at Georgia Southern University, has received the 2025 Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research. The national organization presents the award to faculty who nurture undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry in arts and humanities disciplines.
Dr. Edenfield has been a faculty member at Georgia Southern since 1986. Over the past four decades, she has mentored over 50 undergraduate students, guiding them through scholarly research, writing, and professional development. During her time as associate dean for student affairs in the former College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, she launched an undergraduate research symposium and established the Center for Undergraduate Research.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Edenfield serves as director of the American Literature Association. Her scholarly work on the American short story has led to several publications, including Understanding Andre Dubus (University of South Carolina Press, 2017).
“I have been a university faculty member for decades, and nothing has provided me with more satisfaction and pride – more pure, unbridled joy – than my students’ myriad successes these 39 years,” said Dr. Edenfield. “The Council for Undergraduate Research Arts and Humanities Faculty Mentor Award encapsulates my highest priority as a university professor: helping my students thrive. I am deeply blessed and incredibly honored to receive this award.”
Dr. Edenfield is an alumna of Georgia Southern, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in American literature from the University of Georgia.
Beatriz Lorenzo has been granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of electrical and civil engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In her research, she focuses on networking and mobile computing, B5G/6G networks, resilient and intelligent networks, and quantum networking. She was previously a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Florida.
Elizabeth Wyles has been named associate dean of the College of Optometric Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Most recently, she served as an associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry. She previously taught at Pacific University in Oregon, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
Megan Case has joined the faculty at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas as an assistant professor of religion. Prior to her new appointment, she taught at Elon University in North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Drury University in Missouri, and Luther College in Iowa. Her main area of research is the Hebrew Bible, particularly questions involving gender and sexuality in Deuteronomistic history.
Lacie Peterson has been promoted to clinical professor in the department of nutrition, dietetics, and food sciences at Utah State University Salt Lake. A faculty member since 2013, she currently serves as director of the master’s degree program in dietetics administration. Earlier, she spent seven years as a registered dietitian and diabetes educator at the University of Utah Hospital.
Stephanie Payne has been selected to serve as acting chair of the department of human services at South Carolina State University. An assistant professor of social work, she has over 20 years of experience in mental health, child welfare, and higher education. In addition to teaching, she also serves as coordinator of the social work program and leads the tuition assistance program for the bachelor of social work degree in child welfare.
Sarah Stoneback, associate professor of trumpet at Montana State University, has been elected vice president and president-elect of the International Trumpet Guild. She has been a faculty member at Montana State for the past decade. In addition to teaching, she holds the position of principal trumpet for the Bozeman Symphony.
Lisa McNair has been selected to serve as interim co-executive director of the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to her interim appointment, she was the institute’s deputy executive director. A full professor of engineering education, she has held several roles throughout her tenure with Virginia Tech, including director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts and associate department head for graduate programs in engineering education.
Cynthia Sides has been appointed associate vice president for agriculture research and associate director of research development and compliance for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Arkansas. With 13 years of experience at the University of Arkansas, she currently teaches as an adjunct professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry. Prior to her new research appointment, she was assistant vice chancellor and director of research advancement for the division of research and innovation.
Amy Landis has joined the faculty at Michigan Technological University in Houghton as a professor of chemical engineering and the associate dean of graduate and online education in the College of Engineering. She comes to her new role from the Colorado College of Mines, where she was a professor of civil and environmental engineering and presidential faculty fellow for diversity, inclusion, and access. Her research centers on sustainable energy, biomaterials, plastics, and inclusivity in STEM.
Andrea Page-McCaw has been named associate dean for academic affairs for the Vanderbilt University Graduate School in Nashvhille. She currently serves as the Stevenson Chair and professor of cell and developmental biology. Before her new role, she served as director of graduate studies for the department of cell and developmental biology. Using the common fruit fly as a model organism, she has conducted extensive research on tissue remodeling.
Jess Hartshorn has joined the faculty at Central State University in Ohio as an associate research professor for forestry. In her new role, she will serve as the university’s research liaison for the Ohio Joint Forestry Team. Previously, she was an associate professor of forestry at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Lesley Reid has been promoted to senior associate provost for academic and administrative affairs at the University of Alabama. A professor of criminology and criminal justice, she had been serving as associate provost for faculty affairs since 2021. Her research interests include neighborhood and situational correlates of crime, immigration and crime, fear of crime.
Stacey Ellis, faculty and staff engagement program manager at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has received the 2025 Higher Ed Rock Star Award from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). The national award is presented to early-career professionals who are making a significant impact on human resources in higher education.
Pippa Jack has been appointed editor of the Yale Alumni Magazine. She has extensive experience in higher education, previously serving as editor of the Brown Alumni Magazine and editor-in-chief of the University of Rhode Island Magazine. She has also held senior editorial positions at Rhode Island Monthly magazine and the Block Island Times.
Sandy Barbour has been named interim athletic director at Utah State University. Her background includes over four decades of experience as a coach and college administrator. Previously, she was vice president for intercollegiate athletics at Pennsylvania State University. More recently, she served as a senior advisor for intercollegiate athletics at the Huron Consulting Group.
Windy Ann Mack Stephenson has been named executive director of academic and scholarship services for the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College at South Carolina State University. With over 20 years of professional experience, her career has focused on advancing gifted education, educational equity, and community leadership.
Jackie McClanahan has been officially appointed human resources division director for the division of facilities at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, following one year of interim service in the role. She has been with the university since 2017, serving in various leadership roles in the Pamplin College of Business, the division of human resources, and the division of facilities. Earlier, she held human resources positions with New River Community College and Radford University in Virginia.
Valerie P. Dent has been promoted from interim vice chancellor to permanent vice chancellor for community colleges for the State University of New York System. Prior to her new role, she served as SUNY’s associate vice chancellor and chief deputy for student success. Before joining SUNY, she was first deputy commissioner for the New York State Division of Human Rights.
Keli Zinn has been named director of intercollegiate athletics for Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New York. She comes to her new role from Louisiana State University, where she was executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer. Prior to LSU, she served in senior leadership roles with the University of Maryland and West Virginia University.
Christa Burgess has been appointed senior associate athletic director at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most recently, she was athletic director at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. Before transitioning her career to higher education, she taught health and physical education and directed athletics at JC Nalle Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
Deborah Keyek-Franssen has been joined the University of Oregon as associate vice provost for UO Online and continuing and professional education. With over two decades of experience in education, she most recently served as associate vice president and dean of university connected learning at the University of Utah. Earlier, she was associate vice president for digital education and engagement in academic technology at the University of Colorado.
Sonia De La Torre has been appointed vice president of student services at Fullerton College in California. Her background includes 24 years of experience in higher education, student advocacy, and equity-centered leadership. Most recently, she was dean of student equity at Long Beach City College. She has also served in student affairs leadership positions at Scripps College in California.
Avery Willis Hoffman has been named the Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director of the Court Theatre, a professional theatre affiliated with the University of Chicago. She comes to hew new role from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was the inaugural artistic director of the Brown Arts Institute and a professor of the practice of arts and classics. Her academic expertise centers on ancient Greek and Roman drama and Shakespeare.
Rosalind Horowitz is the new Ricardo Romo Endowed Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She currently serves as a professor in the university’s department of interdisciplinary learning and teaching and the department of educational psychology. As part of her new appointment, she will teach Honors College courses that examine theory and research across university disciplines, advancing experiential learning opportunities for students and helping them excel in higher education.
Jennifer Mueller has been named the Alfred R. Schmidt Endowed Chair for Excellence in Teaching at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana. As an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, she researches pedagogical methods for incorporating sustainability and ethical decision making in undergraduate engineering education. She has also served as a consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency on projects regarding lead-contaminated soil removal, spill prevention and control, and environmental site assessments.
Jungmeen Kim-Spoon is the Heilig-Meyers Endowed Professor in Psychology at Virginia Tech. A Virginia Tech faculty member since 2005, she achieved the rank of full professor in 2016 and currently directs the JK Lifespan Development Lab. Drawing from the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, neurobiological, and spiritual aspects of developmental processes, she has conducted extensive research on the risk and protective factors related to young people’s mental health, substance use, and overall well-being.
Shelly C. Lowe has recently assumed the presidency of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to the most recent federal information, the college enrolls about 750 undergraduates and 75 graduate students. Women represent about 60 percent of the undergraduate population.
DeRionne P. Pollard, president of Nevada State University, has announced she is stepping down from her role to lead the American Association of Community Colleges, effective September 5. She will be the organization’s first woman president in its 105-year history.
The University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education has hired 20 new faculty members, marking a significant milestone in the school’s rapid growth and evolution from an academic center into a full-fledged school. With these additions, the Hamilton School now has 53 faculty members with 1,500 students expected to be enrolled by the beginning of the fall semester.
Madeleine Armstrong is a historian with a particular interest in Edmund Burke. She has published her work in leading journals, including History of European Ideas. Prior to her appointment at the Hamilton School, Dr. Armstrong was the Thomas W. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University in New Jersey and a lecturer in the School of Government at the University of Oxford in England. Dr. Armstrong holds a master’s degree in English and early modern history from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge.
Adela Halo is a legal and political theorist who focuses on the constitutional debates during the French Revolution. Her research explores the constitutional thought of Germaine de Staël, particularly her ideas on legislative and executive powers, public opinion, and the role of religion in buttressing republican institutions. She previously served as a lecturer at University College London. Dr. Halo is a graduate of the University of New York Tirana in Albania, where she majored in political science and international relations. She holds a master’s degree in the history of political thought and a Ph.D. in law from Queen Mary University of London.
Yujie Li is a historian of modern China. Her research explores labor, technology and political economy in China since the late nineteenth century, with a focus on Maoist China. Prior to joining the Hamilton faculty, she was an assistant professor of history at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Li is a graduate of Zhengzhou Textile Institute in China. She holds a master’s degree in fashion history from Tianjin Polytechnic University in China and a master’s degree in arts administration from Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Li earned her Ph.D. in Chinese history at the University of Chicago.
Katie Marshalek is a historian of early modern Britain and Europe. Her research is focused on the effects of religious pluralism both within and between states in Europe after the legal and doctrinal Reformation of the mid-sixteenth century. Her work has appeared in The English Historical Review, Historical Research, and Renaissance Quarterly. Dr. Marshalek is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in European history. She holds a master’s degree in British and European history from the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Giulia Ricca is a literary scholar whose work focuses on European novels. She is the author of several articles and book chapters on twentieth-century Italian poetry, modern nonfiction, the essayistic tradition, and recent developments in literary criticism. She previously served as a preceptor in Columbia’s Great Books Core Curriculum. Dr. Ricca holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics, a master’s degree in Italian literature, philology, and linguistics, and a doctorate in humanities, all from the University of Turin in Italy. She recently earned a Ph.D. in Italian and comparative literature from Columbia University.
Zelieann Craig, associate professor of animal and comparative biomedical sciences at the University of Arizona, has received a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the molecular and cellular effects of phthalates on women’s reproductive health. Phthalates are a class of chemical compounds widely used in industrial applications, appearing commonly in everyday household plastic products, beauty products, and cleaning solutions. Dr. Craig’s project aims to confirm long-term exposure to phthalates causality in infertility and metabolic disease, as well as explore how they may increase harmful fatty acids in ovarian follicles and disrupt cellular energy metabolism.
St. Catherine University, a women’s undergraduate and co-ed graduate institution in Minnesota, has received a $1.36 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Student Support Services program, an initiative that aims to improve college retention and graduate rates among students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. Students who participate in the TRIO program are partnered with an academic advisor, receive priority course registration, and have access to resources on financial literacy, graduate school opportunities, and FAFSA assistance.
Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts college for women in Decatur, Georgia, has received a $174,416 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the college’s “Shakespeare and Digital Storytelling” project. The new funding will support a two-week residential institute for 25 high school English teachers to study digital storytelling approaches to teaching Shakespeare.
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Jane Wilson Kessler, a longtime professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, passed away on July 21. She was 104 years old.
Meredith College, a women’s undergraduate and co-ed graduate institution in Raleigh, North Carolina, has recently laid off six percent of its employees according to a 
Kelsey Slater is a new assistant professor of sports media at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was an assistant professor at North Dakota State University in Fargo. Earlier, Dr. Slater completed an internship with the Sports Diplomacy Division at the U.S. Department of State. Her research is focused on sport communication and sport for development.
Lauren Andrews has been granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She currently serves as the Marvin and Eva Schlanger Faculty Fellow in Chemical Engineering and holds affiliate appointments in the molecular and cellular biology graduate program and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences. Her research centers on developing programmable microbes and microbial communities to advance technologies in biomanufacturing, medicine, biomediation, and agriculture.
Alicia Spence has been promoted from interim director to director of recruitment and admissions for the College of Dentistry at Texas A&M University. A faculty member for the past decade, she currently teaches as a clinical assistant professor in comprehensive dentistry. She is also co-founder of the college’s mental health and wellness committee.
Janelle Adams has joined the faculty at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, as an assistant professor of religion. Before her new appointment, she taught at Spelman College and the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia. In her research, she explores the innovative ways faith-based groups and movements draw on the resources of religion to respond to the most pressing challenges of our time.
TaKeia N. Anthony has been appointed director of the Freddye T. Davy Honors College at Hampton University in Virginia. She has previously served in various academic leadership capacities with Edward Waters University in Florida, Kentucky State University, and North Carolina Central University. A scholar of African American history, she is the author of multiple publications, including 
Jennifer Jackson has been named vice provost at the California Institute of Technology. A Caltech faculty member since 2007, she currently serves as the William E. Leonhard Professor of Mineral Physics. Blending perspectives from geodynamics and seismology, her research focuses on understanding the behavior of minerals under extreme conditions characteristic of planetary interiors.
Hee Ra Yoo has joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as an assistant professor of dance. A specialist in ballet and modern dance pedagogy, she has previously taught dance at several higher education institutions, including Tulane University in Louisiana, Georgian Court University in New Jersey, the State University of New York at Brockport, and the University of Hawaii.
Cheryl Lambert has been named dean of the Julia S. Tutwiler College of Education at the University of West Alabama. She comes to her new role from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. There, she was an associate professor in the Eriksson College of Education and chair of the teaching and learning department. Earlier, she spent 12 years in various roles at the West Carroll Special School District in Tennessee.
Josephine O. Ibironke has been appointed dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University, a private graduate school affiliated with Drexel University in Philadelphia. She is a founding faculty member of the Kentucky College of Optometry at the University of Pikeville, where she has been serving as associate dean of professional engagement. In addition to her teaching and research endeavors, she is a pediatric optometrist with over 20 years of clinical experience.
Sandra Inouye was named dean of the College of Graduate Studies at the Glendale, Arizona campus of Midwestern University. She was the graduate college’s associate dean for academic affairs. A faculty member in the university’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2000, she also serves as director of anatomical laboratories and holds appointments in the departments of anatomy, osteopathic medicine, optometry, and dental medicine.
Elizabeth Xyr has been named dean and chief academic officer at Monterey College of Law in Seaside, California. She has been with the law school since 2008, most recently serving as vice president and dean of academic affairs. Throughout her tenure at Monterey, she has gained significant experience in curriculum design, online education, faculty development, and academic support.
Tania Castañeda has been appointed vice provost for enrollment management and dean of admission at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She comes to hew new role from Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she was vice president for enrollment management and student success. Earlier, she was associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Bisant A. Labib has been named dean of the College of Optometry at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. She most recently served as associate dean at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. There, she was also a full professor, director of the clinical internship program, and co-chief of primary care services at The Eye Institute.
Radiah Corn Minor has been selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University. For the past three years, she has served as chair of the college’s department of animal sciences. A faculty member since 2008, she focuses her research on the use of medicinal plants that promote positive immune responses and support the overall health of mammals.
Kelly Gebo has been named the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. She comes to her new position from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she has taught as a professor of medicine and epidemiology for over two decades. Additionally, she served as deputy director of Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and director of the KL-2 Clinical Research Scholars Program.
Kerwyn Flowers has been appointed dean of the Florida State University’s Tallahassee Regional Campus. She has been a faculty member with the university’s College of Medicine since 2017. She also currently serves as director of rural medical education. Earlier, she was a professor and director of osteopathic medicine education at Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia.
Marilyn Wolf, the Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recently received the 2025 Marie R. Pistilli Women in Electronic Design Award at the Design Automation Conference, an event sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Presented annually, the Pistilli Award recognizes individuals who have visibly helped to advance women in electronic design.
Ieisha Humphrey has been appointed assistant dean for professionalism, leadership, and bar success for the College of Law at Michigan State University. She comes to Michigan State from the University of Detroit Mercry School of Law, where she was associate dean for student affairs. Earlier, she spent nearly 10 years in various roles at Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.
Jenny Edmonds has been named associate dean for communications and marketing for the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Her background includes over three decades of experience in strategic communications, public engagement, and policy outreach. Most recently, she was director of policy analysis and communications at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
Kim Vaz-Deville has been appointed chief of staff to the president at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has previously served in leadership roles at Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of South Florida. A scholar of African American ceremonial culture in Louisiana, she is the author of 
Keyana Scales has been named senior vice president for enrollment management services at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has previously served in various admissions and enrollment leadership roles with Xavier University of Louisiana, the University of Minnesota, North Carolina A&T State University, and North Carolina State University.
Gina “Marq” Rogers has been appointed director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence at North Carolina A&T State University. Her background includes extensive experience in leadership and organizational development. Her most recent role in academia was with Duke University Health System, where she was associate director of learning and development.
Kathryn Keeton has been selected to serve as interim vice president of presidential initiatives and chief of staff at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She currently serves as vice president and chief of staff for UT Health Science Center San Antonio. Previously, she was senior executive director of the university’s Center for Professional Excellence.
Reka Wrynn has been tapped to serve as interim vice president for finance at the University of Connecticut. She has been a staff member with the university since 1999. For the past three years, she has served as associate vice president for budget, planning, and institutional research. Earlier in her tenure, she was director of capital budget and planning.
Danielle D. Blackwell has been named vice president for institutional advancement, development, marketing, and communications at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida. With over two decades of fundraising and communications experience, she most recently served as associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement at North Carolina Central University. Her background in higher education includes prior leadership roles with Albany State University in Georgia and Mississippi Valley State University.
Johanna Burton has been named Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania. With over 15 years of experience in museum leadership, she currently serves as director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Earlier, she was director of the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University in New York.
Elizabeth Hinton has been named the Class of 1954 Professor of History and Black Studies at Yale University. A faculty member since 2020, she currently leads the Yale Institute on Incarceration and Public Safety. Her research on the persistence of poverty, racial inequality, and urban violence in the twentieth-century United States has led to several scholarly publications, including her most recent book, 
Christine Dinh has been named the George Lerner University Chair in Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is the first woman in her department to be named to an endowed chair. Currently, she holds several leadership roles at the Miller School, including director of the Vestibular Schwannoma Research Laboratory, co-director of the Auditory Brainstem Implant Program, and vice chair of academic affairs for the otolaryngology department. Her research centers on Schwann cell biology, vestibular schwannoma, and auditory disorders.
Dwedor Weslyne Ford, director and associate professor of kinesiology at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, passed away on July 16. She was 45 years old.
Blair LM Kelley has been named the seventh president of the National Humanities Center, making her the first woman, the first person of color, and the first NHC Fellow to lead the institution.
Susan A. Andrzejewski has been chosen to serve as interim president of California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI) beginning August 4.
Heather Gerken, the Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law and dean of Yale Law School, has recently been appointed the eleventh president of the Ford Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to investing in programs and scholars who are working to address inequality in all forms, drive social justice, and build movements across the globe. Gerken will assume her presidency in November.
Christa Kunkel Smith, professor emeritus at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, passed away on July 16. She was 92 years old.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS) has recently received a $10 million gift from Emily and Malcom Fairbairn to establish the Fairbairn Menstruation Science Fund. The endowment will support innovative research on the human uterus and its impact on sex-based differences in human immunology that contribute to gynecological disorders, as well as other systemic inflammatory diseases that disproportionally affect women. Additionally, the gift will fund public engagement efforts to reduce stigma around menstruation and bring greater attention to women’s health research.
Desirée Garcia has been promoted to full professor of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean studies at Dartmouth College, the Ivy League educational institution in Hanover, New Hampshire. She currently serves as chair of her department and holds an affiliate appointment with the department of film and media studies. A specialist in musical film and race and ethnicity in American culture, Dr. Garcia has published several books, most recently, 
Tracey George has been appointed deputy provost at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. A Vanderbilt Law School faculty member for over two decades, she currently holds the Charles B. Cox III and Lucy D. Cox Family Chair in Law and Liberty. Her scholarship examines how institutional design influences actions and outcomes in state and federal judicial systems.
Achala Vagal has been named chair of the department of radiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, where she has taught for over 20 years. In addition to her new role, she will continue to serve as an associate dean and co-director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training. Her medical expertise centers on neuroradiology and stroke imaging.
Elizabeth Chen has been named the inaugural program director for the online master of health administration degree program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She will also serve as a professor of practice in the university’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Most recently, she was secretary for the executive officer of elder affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Viveka Vadyvaloo has been promoted from associate director to director of the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health at Washington State University. She joined the school in 2009 and became its first tenure-track faculty member in 2010. Her research focuses on the transmission biology of Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of bubonic plague.
Jimin Nam has joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an assistant professor of marketing in the Sloan School of Management. Prior to MIT, she was a faculty member in the marketing and logistics department at Ohio State University. In her research, she investigates what captures, directs, and exploits consumer attention.
Paula J. Massood has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts at Brooklyn College in New York City. A faculty member since 1999, she achieved the rank of full professor in 2019 and was appointed to the college’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. She has published extensively in the fields of film studies and visual culture, including her book 
Carol Bishop Mills has been appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Eastern Michigan University. With over two decades of higher education experience, she most recently served as associate dean of faculty success in the College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University. Earlier in her tenure, she was director of FAU’s School of Communication and Multimedia Studies. Her research examines the influence of everyday communication on relationships, encompassing workplace dynamics, political discourse, and the intricacies of “frenemyships.”
Rebecca Berry has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at South Piedmont Community College in North Carolina. Previously, she was a faculty member in history and humanities at Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina. There, she served in several leadership capacities, including humanities department head, director of global education, director of the student experience program, and strategic planning lead.
Tamalyn L. Peterson has been appointed dean of humanities and fine arts and interim director of graduate studies at Talladega College in Alabama. She most recently served as an associate professor of English at Stillman College in Alabama. Previously, she spent nearly two decades on the faculty at Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, where she held several administrative leadership roles in graduate education.
Cinthya Ippoliti has been named dean of the University Library at California State University, San Marcos. She has served as a librarian at various academic institutions for over 24 years. Most recently, she was director of the Auraria Library, a tri-institutional library serving the University of Colorado-Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Community College of Denver.
Elise Morgan has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Engineering at Boston University. A faculty member since 2003, she previously served as the college’s associate dean. Spanning the fields of mechanical engineering, materials science, and cellular and molecular biology, her research investigates how mechanical signals contribute to the development, adaptation, degeneration, and regeneration of bone and cartilage.
Ashlee D. Stevenson has been named dean for academic success at Northwest Vista College in Texas. Her background includes experience in academic program administration, student support services, and community partnership development. Prior to her new role, she worked for the University of Texas Health San Antonio, where she focused on advancing student and faculty development, wellness, and campus climate.