Women Scholars Who Have Been Named to Dean Positions

Heather Bush has been named dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky after serving as interim dean for the past two years. She is a professor in the department of biostatistics and has been with the university since 2006.

Dr. Bush is a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio where she majored in mathematics. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Kentucky.

Susan Rowan has been appointed dean of the College of Dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago after serving as interim dean since 2022. She is a professor of restorative dentistry who has held other leadership positions within the college such as executive associate dean and associate dean for clinical affairs.

Dr. Rowan holds a bachelor’s degree in dentistry, a master’s degree in patient safety leadership, and doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Patricia Sanchez Abril has been named interim dean of the School of Law at the University of Miami in Florida. She has been with the university since 2006, currently serving as a professor and chair of the department of business law in the Miami Herbert Business School. She previously served as vice dean of graduate business programs for three years.

Abril holds a bachelor’s degree in comparative area studies and literature from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.

Marcilynn Burke has been appointed dean of the School of Law at Tulane University in New Orleans. She currently serves as the Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law and dean of the University of Oregon School of Law. Earlier in her career, she held academic and leadership positions with the University of Houston Law Center.

Burke is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in international studies. She holds a juris doctorate from Yale Law School.

LaVonda Reed has been named the first woman dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law. She currently serves as dean of the College of Law at Georgia State University. Previously, she served as a professor of law and associate provost for faculty affairs at Syracuse University.

Reed holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and a juris doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Jenna Shim has been named the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean of the College of Education at the University of Wyoming after serving as interim dean for the past year. She is a professor in the School of Teacher Education and has held multiple leadership positions within the college including associate dean and associate director of the School of Education.

Dr. Shim holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from California State University, a master’s degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in literacy education from the University at Albany of the State University of New York System.

Kalea Benner has been named dean of the School of Social Work at Indiana University. She currently serves as associate dean of academic and student affairs and the Doris Y. Wilkinson Distinguished Professor in Social Work Education at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work.

Dr. Benner received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate in social work from the University of Missouri.

Sheila Yeh has been appointed dean of University Libraries at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Yeh has over three decades of experience in academic and public libraries, most recently serving as associate vice provost for University Libraries and strategic program development at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

Dr. Yeh holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and literature from Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Franklin University in Ohio, a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in industrial and human factors engineering from Wright State University in Ohio, and a doctorate in computer science and information systems from the University of Colorado Denver.

Tracy Linderholm has been named dean of the Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She most recently served as associate dean of the College of Education at Georgia Southern University. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions with the University of Florida.

Dr. Linderholm is a graduate of the University of Kansas where she majored in journalism. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from California State University, Sacramento and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Franita Tolson has been named the first Black dean of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She will hold the Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law. She previously served as the school’s vice dean for faculty and academic affairs for three years and has been a professor with the university since 2017. She is the co-author of the sixth edition of The Law of Democracy (Foundation Press, 2022).

Tolson holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Carol Dawson-Rose has been appointed dean of the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. In this role, she will also serve as the associate vice chancellor for nursing affairs. She has over three decades of nursing experience, and currently serves the university as the James P. and Majorie A. Livingston Chair in Nursing Excellence.

Dr. Dawson-Rose is a three-time graduate of the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in nursing.