Eight Women Scholars Taking on New Faculty Positions at Universities

Lisa Myers has been named the inaugural executive director of the School of Professional Education and Community Engagement at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Dr. Myers is an assistant professor of adult education and leadership studies who previously served as director of the bachelor’s degree program in applied arts and sciences.

Dr. Myers is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Texarkana, where she majored in English with a minor in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in adult education from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of New England.

Jan Ivery has been appointed associate dean for academic affairs in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. She has held the position in the interim for the past year. As an associate professor of social work, she has held several leadership roles with the university including assistant dean for academic programs, interim director of the School of Social Work, and director of the Center for Collaborative Social Work.

Dr. Ivery is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Margaux Fitoussi has been appointed to the faculty of the Jewish Studies program at the University of California Irvine. She will begin her new position in 2025 with a joint appointment in the history and comparative literature departments.

Dr. Fitoussi holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in religion and social science from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University.

Khadene Harris has been named an assistant professor in the department of anthropology and the Center for African and African American Studies at Rice University in Texas. She most recently served as an assistant professor of anthropology at Kenyon College in Ohio. Prior to her faculty position, she served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery in Charlottesillve, Virginia.

Dr. Harris received a bachelor’s degree in history and archaeology and a master’s degree in heritage studies from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University in Illinois.

Jeanne Persuit has been elected president of the Eastern Communication Association for the 2024-2025 term. She currently serves as an associate professor of communication and director of the master’s degree program in integrated marketing communication at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Dr. Persuit is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she majored in French. She holds a master’s degree in corporate communication and Ph.D. in rhetoric from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Jessica Snowden has been appointed vice chancellor for research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She will also serve as a professor in the department of pediatrics. Currently, she serves as the vice dean for research and chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. Snowden received her bachelor’s degree in medical sciences and her medical degree from Texas A&M University. She holds a master’s degree in health professions teaching and technology, as well as a second master’s degree in clinical and translational research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Lisa S. Schocket has been appointed as the permanent chair of the department of ophthalmology and visual services at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She has held the position in the interim for the past two years. Prior to her interim appointment, she served as the department’s vice chair for clinical affairs, chief of vitreoretinal surgery, and medical director of the University of Maryland Eye Associates.

Dr. Shocket is magna cum laude graduate of Brown University. She earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Rogers has been appointed to the faculty of the race track industry program at the University of Arizona. She most recently served as director of racing at Hollywood Gaming Valley Race Course. She previously held a variety of racing office roles with Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Rogers is an undergraduate alumna of the rack track industry program at the University of Arizona.