Public Institution

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.

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. 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.

Dr. Jeremiah Shinn has been appointed as the new President at the University of Montana. He will assume the presidency on July 1. Dr. Shinn currently serves as Interim President of Boise State University, where he has led initiatives to enhance student engagement, strengthen campus partnerships, and expand access to educational opportunities. Prior to serving as Interim President, he was Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Boise State. He also previously served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Louisiana State University. Dr. Shinn earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University, a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Natural Science from Arkansas Tech University. Read more.

Dr. Bishane Whitmore has been appointed as the new president at Community College of Denver. In his current role as Deputy Commander, Dr. Whitmore serves as Chief Operating Executive for a large, geographically distributed organization, providing strategic leadership for a 6,000-acre installation with $3.8 billion in program value, a $151 million annual operating budget, and $1.7 billion in physical infrastructure assets. He leads and integrates operations for more than 4,100 personnel across six global locations, aligning mission execution, personnel strategy, infrastructure planning, and fiscal oversight. Dr. Whitmore also collaborates with federal and state legislators, industry leaders, government agencies, and higher education to strengthen workforce pipelines, advance applied research, and support innovation initiatives. In addition, he spearheads enterprise-wide efforts to strengthen organizational culture, fostering an environment of trust, belonging, and mission effectiveness across a highly diverse workforce. Dr. Whitmore holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, along with master’s degrees in Military Art and Science, Organizational Leadership, and Business Management. Read more.

Dr. Regina Lawrence has been appointed as the new Edwin L. Artzt Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. Dr. Lawrence has been serving as interim dean since August 2025, and most recently held the roles of Associate Dean of SOJC Portland and Director of the Agora Journalism Center. Since joining the SOJC in 2015, she has been a member of the SOJC executive leadership team, served as co-chair of the SOJC Graduate Affairs Committee, and has been an active leader on the UO Portland campus, including chairing the campus-wide Academic Collaborative. Dr. Lawrence is a nationally recognized expert on political communication, gender and politics, local news ecosystems, community-centered journalism, and the role of media in democracy. She currently serves as Editor in Chief of the journal Political Communication and as Co-editor of the Communication, Society & Politics book series at Cambridge University Press. Her scholarship includes numerous books, peer-reviewed studies, and public-facing reports. In 2024, Dr. Lawrence received the Public Engagement Award from the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association, which recognizes a scholar who has successfully engaged with publics and organizations outside of academia in ways that meaningfully impact both scholarship and journalistic practice. In 2025, she received the Murray Edelman Lifetime Distinguished Career Award from the American Political Science Association, recognizing a lifetime contribution to the study of political communication. Dr. Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Metropolitan State College in Denver, her Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Washington. Read more.

Dr. Derek McLean has been appointed as the new Dean of the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Utah State University. He will begin his new role on July 1, 2026. Dr. McLean joins Utah State from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he has served as dean of the Agricultural Research Division since 2023. Dr. McLean previously served as a senior science adviser in the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health, where he worked to ensure that research funding aligns to the priority areas established by the National Institutes of Health. Prior to NIH, Dr. McLean was the senior director of collaborative research for Phibro Animal Health Corporation. He also served for 10 years as a faculty member in the animal sciences department at Washington State University. Dr. McLean holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematical sciences and a Master of Science in animal physiology from Clemson University and a doctorate in animal sciences from Oregon State University. 

Dr. Betsy Becker has been appointed as the new Dean of Health Sciences at the University of South Dakota. Since 2020, Dr. Becker has served as the chair of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in the College of Allied Health Professions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). In addition, she practiced physical therapy for 14 years across Nebraska and Arizona, with a specialized interest in women’s health. Dr. Becker will begin her duties with USD in July 2026. Dr. Becker holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of South Dakota and recevied her Ph.D.and Master's degree in Physical Therapy from UNMC. Read more.