Dr. Howard joins Spelman from Ohio State University, where she has been serving as dean of the College of Engineering. She is a nationally recognized expert in robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-centered technology.
The Association for Research in Otolaryngology recently honored Ksenia Gnedeva, assistant professor at the University of Southern California, for her research on the development and regeneration of sensory hearing cells in the inner ear.
The appointments are Chanita Hughes-Halbert at the University of Southern California, Tanzeem Choudhury at Cornell University, Kathryn Kloepper at Mercer University, Amanda Geidel at Concordia University Nebraska, Rita Ryan at Marshall University, and Dora Malech at Johns Hopkins University.
Mechthild Tegeder of Washington State University, MarÃa P. Aranda of the University of Southern California, Andrea Hohmann of Indiana University, and Rupali Chandar of the University of Toledo have all been granted prestigious faculty titles. Professor Karin Öberg was named senior vice provost for faculty at Harvard and Professor Tonya Peeples was appointed a special adviser to the provost at Penn State.
In 1995, Dr. McPhail was named the first woman and first African American president of Cypress College in California, where she served for three years. Over two decades later, she served as president of St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Dr. Dorr was a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles for more than three decades. During this time, she spent 13 years as dean of the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. She later served five years as provost of the University of California System.
Dr. Lassar served as director of the University of Denver's School of Accountancy for 15 years. Earlier in her career, she directed the School of Accounting at Florida International University.
The National Academy of Education has elected 19 distinguished education scholars and leaders to its membership. Of the 19 new members of the National Academy of Education, 12 are women.
The University of Southern California has released new data on women's representation among directors of the top-grossing films in the United States. In 2025, only 8.1 percent of the 100 top-performing movies were directed by women, which is a seven-year low for top-performing women directors.
As head of the University of Southern California's Medical and Analytical Device Laboratory, Dr. Mousavi develops integrated electrochemical sensors for at-home and point-of-care medical testing, with a focus on addressing health disparities through accessible and affordable technologies.
This year, 15 works of fiction authored or edited by 19 writers and poets were awarded an American Book Award. Of these winners, seven are women currently holding faculty appointments at American-based institutions.
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new faculty positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@WIAReport.com.
