Dr. Alfred Watkins has been appointed as the new Senior Director of STEM-S and Data Science Initiatives at the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC). Prior to this appointment, Dr. Watkins served as Interim Senior Director of the Data Science Initiative at AUCC. He brings extensive experience in STEM education and workforce development, data science strategy and implementation, innovation ecosystems, emerging technologies, and public-private partnerships that support economic growth. Before joining AUCC, Dr. Watkins spent more than a decade at Morehouse College, where he served as a computer science professor, academic program director, and department chair. In his new role, Dr. Watkins will play a key part in advancing AUCC’s mission to expand access to high-quality STEM education and promote interdisciplinary collaboration across its member institutions. Dr. Watkins earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Howard University and a B.A. in Computer Science from Morehouse College. Read more.
Ms. Jennifer Soyka has been appointed as the new General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary to the Board at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She will begin on June 1, 2026. Ms. Soyka currently serves as the Assistant Deputy General Counsel at Rutgers University. She joined Rutgers in January 2018 and focuses on providing legal advice, counsel and guidance related to procurement, international studies, finance, and other transactional matters, including general contract review. Prior to joining Rutgers, Jennifer served as Associate General Counsel at Kean University, where she had primary responsibility for all transactional legal matters. She joined Kean as Director of Purchasing. Before her employment at Kean, Ms. Soyka served as Director of Project Management at the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority, the New Jersey State authority responsible for the issuance of debt on behalf of New Jersey Colleges and Universities. She began her career as a public finance attorney in New Jersey. Ms. Soyka received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law.
Dr. George Wesley Hitt has been appointed as the new Inaugural Chair of the Department of Engineering at the College of Charleston. He will begin on July 20, 2026. Dr. Hitt comes to the College of Charleston with a wealth of experience initiating and growing engineering programs at Coastal Carolina University and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. He is dedicated to student success, and he has experience collaborating across many disciplines including the humanities, fine arts, business, and STEM. He brings a strong background in interdisciplinary engineering, having contributed to program development and accreditation efforts both in the United States and internationally. As the Inaugural Chair of Engineering at the College of Charleston, Hitt will focus on supporting faculty excellence, growing innovative academic programs, and strengthening the College’s distinctive model of undergraduate engineering education. Dr. Hitt received a B.Sc. in Physics from Virginia Commonwealth University and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in experimental nuclear physics from Michigan State University. He was previously a Postdoctoral Scholar with the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, then an Associate Professor with the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Following his time at Khalifa University, he served as an Associate Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Most recently, he was Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering Science at Coastal Carolina University, where he achieved ABET accreditation and led significant growth in engineering enrollment, degree productivity, and student success. Under his leadership, engineering enrollment more than doubled, degree production nearly tripled, and retention of Pell-eligible and underrepresented students improved substantially through targeted mentoring and supportive program development.
Dr. Ramana Chintalapalle has been appointed as the new Director of the Ion Beam Laboratory and Professor in the Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University of Albany. He will begin on September 1, 2026. Dr. Chintalapalle currently serves a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Center for Advanced Materials Research at the University of Texas, El Paso. His research expertise is towards developing and/or engineering advanced structural materials for application in the energy production, storage and conversion, utilization and management. Dr. Chintalapalle’s is extensive contributions are towards a deeper understanding of multifunctional materials physical/chemical/electronic behavior, manufacturing and associate mechanics at the reduced (micro/nano) dimensionality, with materials/device fabrication, characterization and performance evaluation playing a significant role in his research. His research also focuses on a thin-film/surfaces/interfaces growth and plasma-based advanced manufacturing of next generation materials, which will have direct application in power generation system, batteries, fuel cells, and photovoltaics. He has been involved with various research projects related to nanomaterials, ceramic coatings, and surface/interface engineering of advanced materials. Dr. Chintalapalle earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Applied Physics and his M.S. in Physics and Electronics Engineering from Sri Venkateswara University, and his B.S. in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry from Sri Krishnadevaray University.
Sarah Westberg, PharmD, has been appointed as the new Dean of the Anderson Family College of Health Sciences at Bethel University. Dr. Westberg joins Bethel from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, where she has served as professor and associate dean for professional affairs. In that role, she led initiatives connecting academic programs with professional practice, strengthened partnerships across healthcare systems, and supported continuing professional development for faculty. Dr. Westberg earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Drake University and completed a pharmaceutical care leadership residency at the University of Minnesota. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and licensed pharmacist, served as co-associate dean of clinical affairs, and directed a large ambulatory care residency program. Read more.
Dr. Veronique V. Tran has been appointed as the new President and CEO at Gateway Technical College effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Tran comes to Gateway from Dallas College, where she served as the institution’s Founding Vice Provost for the School of Manufacturing & Industrial Technology. She is recognized for building high-impact academic, career, and technical education programs; strengthening student success outcomes; and aligning education systems with workforce demand and regional economic priorities. Her leadership is grounded in a student-centered approach and a commitment to collaborative innovation—bringing together faculty, staff, industry, and community partners to design programs and systems that expand opportunity, strengthen career pathways, and deliver results aligned with evolving workforce and regional needs. Dr. Tran earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Texas at Arlington. Read more.
Dr. Kristin Landis-Piwowar has been appointed as the new Dean, College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Hartford effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Landis-Piwowar is a seasoned academic leader and scholar whose career spans cancer biology research, clinical laboratory science, and higher education administration. She comes to the University of Hartford from Oakland University where she serves as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Science and Professor in Oakland’s School of Health Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Wayne State University School of Medicine, an M.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Medical Technology from Ferris State University. Read more.
Dr. Juliet Spencer has been appointed as the new Dean of the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the College of Charleston. She will start as dean on August 1, 2026. Dr. Spencer currently serves as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, where she has also held roles as director of the School of the Sciences and chair of the Department of Biology. A nationally recognized leader in student success, Spencer was recently honored with the 2025 Outstanding Support of Student Success by an Administrator Award from the National Organization for Student Success. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Virginia, an MBA with an emphasis in women in leadership from Texas Woman’s University and a B.S. in biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Read more.
Dr. Denise Jones Gregory has been appointed as the new President at Jackson State University, following an eight-month national search. Dr. Gregory will officially begin her new role on May 1, 2026. Dr. Gregory most recently served as Interim President of Jackson State University, a role she has held since May 2025. In this capacity, she served as the Institutional Executive Officer, providing executive leadership to ensure operational effectiveness, strategic alignment, and advancement of the university's mission and long-term priorities. Prior to serving as Interim President, Dr. Gregory served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Jackson State, where she provided strategic oversight for all academic units — including six colleges, graduate studies, institutional research, and the university library — and managed a $56.5 million budget comprising 46% of the university's total operating budget. Dr. Gregory earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude, from Jackson State University and her Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Read more.