Universities Announce the Appointment of Six Women to Dean Positions

Grace Yoo has been selected to serve as the next dean of San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies, effective July 1. She currently serves as a professor of Asian American studies at the university. She came to San Francisco State in 1996 as a lecturer. Dr. Yoo is the co-author of Caring Across Generations: The Linked Lives of Korean American Families (New York University Press, 2014).

Dr. Yoo earned her bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of California, Irvine. She holds a master of public health degree from Loma Linda University in California and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, San Francisco.

Denise J. Jamieson has been named vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, effective August 1. She has been serving as the James Robert McCord Professor and chair of the department of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and chief of gynecology and obstetrics for Emory Healthcare. From 1997 to 2017, Dr. Jamieson worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she served in a variety of leadership positions, most recently leading the Zika emergency response team.

Dr. Jamieson is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her medical degree from Duke University and holds a master of public health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Cathy Horn was appointed dean of the College of Education at the University of Houston. She has served as interim dean since August 2022 and is the first woman to serve as dean. Dr. Horn joined the faculty of the College of Education in 2005 in its educational leadership and policy studies department.

Dr. Horn is a graduate of Rice University in Houston, where she majored in sociology and English. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston and a Ph.D. in educational research, measurement, and evaluation from Boston College.

Brenda Ellington has been named interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Louisiana State University Alexandria. She was taught English at the university since 1987.

Dr. Ellington is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University, where she majored in library science. She holds a master’s degree in secondary education and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Brittini Brown was appointed associate vice provost for student engagement and dean of students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, effective July 5. She has been serving as associate vice president for student affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Dr. Brown is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She earned a master’s degree in industrial and agricultural technology from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in agricultural education from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Jennifer Kellman Fritz is the new dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. She has been serving as interim dean since January. Dr. Kellman Fritz is a professor in the School of Social Work at the university. Her research interests include criminal and juvenile justice, mentoring, child welfare, and service learning.

Dr. Kellman Fritz earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a master’s of social work degree, a master’s degree in sociology, and a doctorate in social work and sociology – all from the University of Michigan.