Keisha M. Pollack Porter has been named dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A Johns Hopkins faculty member since 2006, she currently serves as the Bloomberg Centennial Chair and Professor in the department of health policy and management. She also directs the university’s Institute for Health and Social Policy.
Dr. Pollack Porter is a graduate of Tufts University in Massachusetts, where she majored in sociology. She holds a master of public health degree in chronic disease epidemiology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in health and public policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Cora Bragg Thompson has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Education at Savannah State University in Georgia. With over 30 years of professional experience, she has served as an educator in both K-12 public schools and higher education settings. She has been with Savannah State since 2013, serving as a tenured professor and program coordinator.
Dr. Thompson received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Savannah State, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Troy University in Alabama, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Nancy S. Kirkpartick has been named dean of libraries at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her background includes decades of experience in library administration. Most recently, she was dean of university libraries at Florida International University. Earlier, she was executive director and chief executive officer of OhioNet, a consortium supporting public, academic, and special libraries.
Kirkpatrick holds a juris doctorate from the University of Richmond in Virginia and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois.
Lionel C. Howard has been appointed interim dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University. He joined the university in 2009 and currently serves as an academic dean and a professor of educational research. As an applied developmental psychologist, Dr. Howard focuses his research on racial and gender identity development, socialization, social and emotional learning, motivation, and academic achievement.
Dr. Howard received his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from William Paterson University in New Jersey and his master’s degree in measurement, statistics, and evaluation from the University of Maryland. He holds a second master’s degree and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.
Jessica Brooks has been selected to serve as interim dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Virginia State University. A faculty member for nearly eight years, she most recently served as the college’s associate dean. Earlier in her tenure, she served as associate director of clinical training for the doctoral program in clinical psychology and as coordinator of the master’s degree program in the same discipline. Her research bridges the areas of cognitive and social-emotional development.
Dr. Brooks holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Virginia State University.
