Office of the Dean of the College – Directory

Dean Gillespie, Presidential Endowed Chair of Southern History, was appointed Dean of the College with academic oversight for the Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences on July 1, 2015. She was named Kahle Family Professor of History in 2003, and she was the first Wake Forest faculty member to be honored with an endowed Presidential chair in 2013. Her most recent book, “Katharine and R.J. Reynolds: Partners of Fortune in the Making of the New South,” presents 10 years of in-depth research on industry titan R.J. Reynolds and his progressive wife Katharine Reynolds, on whose 300 acres of property Wake Forest now stands.

Associate Dean Alexander joined the Wake Forest Department of Chemistry in 2000. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued postdoctoral research at MIT and The Scripps Research Institute. She teaches biochemistry to undergraduate and graduate students. Her research uses experimental and computational tools to study protein-RNA interactions in protein biosynthesis. She led the establishment of Wake Downtown, which has introduced new undergraduate programs in downtown Winston Salem’s Innovation Quarter, and she continues to serve as Director of Wake Downtown. In her role as Associate Dean for Research and Community Engagement, she supports initiatives that develop and enhance academic excellence in research for students and faculty alike and helps the College build and sustain partnerships with key community groups and institutions.

Contact the Associate Dean for Research and Community Engagement for questions on

• Research initiatives
• Undergraduate research and scholarship
• Grant submission through Cayuse
• Experiential learning and community-based research 
• Teaching and programming at Wake Downtown

Liaison with 

• Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
• Associate Provost for Research and Scholarly Inquiry
• Dean of the Graduate School
• Dean of the Medical School 
• Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URECA) Center
• Office of Civic and Community Engagement
• Office of University Collaborations

Assistant Dean Bennett received her Bachelor of Science from Winston-Salem State University and the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest. She joined the staff of Wake Forest in 1985, and served in the Department of English and the Program of Academic  Support Services until 1995, when she joined the Dean’s Office. Since then she has been responsible for administering academic policies and procedures, assisting with student/faculty concerns and assisting with the recruitment and training of academic advisers. She works closely with faculty and staff advisers and their advisees to enhance the advising experience. She helps coordinate New Student Orientation and serves as the contact for Bulletin revisions for the office.

Associate Dean Laura Giovanelli joined the Wake Forest faculty in 2014 as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Writing Program, Department of English. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MFA in fiction from North Carolina State. Before graduate school, she worked as a journalist at daily newspapers for nine years. As a writer and a teacher, she relishes particularly working with first-year students in their transition to college writing, thinking, and learning. In her role in the Office of the Dean of the College, Giovanelli works with administration, faculty, and staff to manage, plan, and renovate new and existing classrooms, offices, and buildings to reflect and encourage engaged pedagogy and active learning. She also represents the College on Wake Forest space-related committees.

Contact the Associate Dean for Learning Spaces for information on the following:

• Liaison and facilitator between:
  • College departments and partners in upper administration
  • Facilities
  • IS
  • Procurement
  • the Center for the Advancement of Teaching
  • and other partners to maintain, design, renovate, construct, and better utilize our shared resource of classrooms and other academic space, including capital requests.
• Designee for:
  • Campus Safety and Security Master Planning Committee
  • Capital Projects Advisory Board 
  • Committee on Library Planning
  • Learning Spaces Committee
  • University Space Allocation Committee

Associate Dean Hairston returned to his alma mater in 2019, after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in English and Politics from Wake Forest in 1992. He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia as well as a law degree at the University of North Carolina. He served two terms on the Board of Visitors for the Wake Forest College and Graduate School, from 2001-2008. Hairston was most recently an Associate Professor of English and of Law & Humanities at Elon University. As Associate Dean, Hairston leads the Office of Academic Advising and represents the Dean’s Office on the Committee on Orientation and Lower Division Advising, the First-Year Seminar Committee, the Committee on Academic Affairs, the Admissions Committee, and the Faculty Athletic Committee.

Contact the Associate Dean for Academic Advising for information on the following:

• Administrator of the OAA Staff: Asst. Dean, SACs, ACs, Assoc. Dir. or Orientation, support staff
• Lower Division Academic Advising and Registration
• General Advising for the College 
• FYS
• FL, FYS Equivalency 
• Grade Changes
• Orientation 
• Designee for:
  • Committee on Academic Affairs
  • Committee on Admissions
  • Committee on First-Year Seminars
  • Committee on Orientation
  • Committee on Advising
  • Faculty Athletic Committee
  • College Academic Commons
  • Health Professions Committee
•  Task Forces
  • Retention
• Subcommittees
  • CAC subcommittee on Advising, Deans Office, Scholarships

Associate Dean Hardcastle joined the Wake Forest faculty in the Department of Romance Languages (Spanish) in 2002. She earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and her Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia. As Associate Professor of Spanish, she teaches and publishes on contemporary culture in Spain with a particular focus on film studies. One of the first core faculty members of the Film Studies interdisciplinary program, she also served as its Director from 2010-2012. More recently she helped lead the reorganization of the Department of Romance Languages and chaired the newly formed Department of Spanish & Italian from 2016-2020. In her role as Associate Dean, Hardcastle works with faculty, administration, and staff on short- and long-term academic planning for course enrollments, faculty hiring, academic program reviews, SACSCOC compliance, and the College Core Curriculum.

Contact the Associate Dean of Academic Planning for information on the following:

• Requests for faculty positions, including planning for long-term faculty needs or short-term coverage for leave replacements, enrollment pressures, etc.
• Course enrollment planning, including under-enrolled sections, divisional course needs for new students, etc. (in partnership with AD for OAA)
• Negotiating with faculty candidates during the hiring process (in partnership with AD for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion), and assistance with faculty hiring (submission of “Faculty Appointment” forms and “Part-Time Payroll” forms, in partnership with Academic Operations Manager)
• (Online) Bulletin revisions (course changes, additions, deletions, etc.) and other Curriculum Committee procedures (in partnership with the Registrar’s Office)
• 10-year program and department review procedures
• Institutional Effectiveness and SACSCOC compliance
• Feedback regarding the Student Information System (“Workday Student”) implementation
• ODOC representative on Committee on Academic Planning (CAP); including planning for new programs and majors, etc. (in partnership with AD for Engaged Liberal Arts)
• ODOC representative on Online Education Committee (OLEC)
• ODOC representative to the Committee on Curriculum
• Summer Session (including summer online course development grants; summer schedules; summer teaching stipends; etc.)

Senior Associate Dean Marsh received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Western Australia and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He came to Wake Forest in August 1996. He teaches undergraduate courses in Anatomy and Biomechanics and led a study-abroad semester at Casa Artom in Venice in Spring 2014. He is an affiliate faculty member in the VT-WFU School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences and in Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Marsh has served as the HES Graduate Program Director, as a member and Chair of the WFU Institution Review Board, and as a member and Chair of the Research Advisory Council. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts; received substantial external funding for this work; is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the Gerontological Society of America; and serves on the Editorial Board of Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

Contact the Senior Associate Dean of Faculty for information on the following:

• Tenure and Promotion for Tenure-Track faculty
• Promotion for Teaching Professionals
• Reappointments for TT and TP faculty
• Research Leaves, Parental/Medical Leaves, Unpaid Leaves
• Faculty Retirements, Emeritus Status
• Faculty Development Funding
• New Faculty Orientation and New Faculty in the Forest program
• New Ideas Series
• Mid-career Program
• Mentoring workshops for TT and TP faculty
• Service Tracking
• Faculty Governance, Handbook, Committees
• Faculty HR issues
• Senior Orations
• Faculty Awards
• Student Honors and Awards ceremony
• Designee for:
  • Information Technology Executive Committee (ITEC) 
  • Committee on Information Technology (CIT)
  • Committee on Study Away
•  Task Forces
  • Research and Discovery Task Force
  • Canvas Implementation Committee
  • Affordability Initiative Committee
  • Student Information System Committee

Associate Dean Still joined the Wake Forest faculty in the Department of English in 2007. She earned her undergraduate degree from Temple University and her Master of Arts and PhD degrees from the University of Iowa. In addition to teaching courses in African-American Literature, she has consistently served as a lower-division advisor to students. In her administrative role, Still oversees faculty recruitment and hiring practices as well as develops and leads programs to increase diversity and support for inclusivity within the College.

Contact the Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion for information on the following:

• Faculty recruitment (with AD for Academic Planning)
• Diversity and Inclusion efforts 
• Honor and Ethics Council (Co-Chair)
• Biased Incident Response Team 
• Co-chair of the President’s Commission on Race, Equity, and Community

Associate Dean Stottlemyer joined the Wake Forest University English Department in 2012. He completed his Bachelor of Arts at The Ohio State University, his Master of Arts at San Diego State University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Nevada, Reno, where his interests centered on environmental literature and environmental rhetoric. His research interests have evolved to include contemplative pedagogy and experiential learning, especially as they relate to writing and environmental studies. In his role as Associate Dean, Stottlemyer focuses on curriculum development, new academic initiatives, interdisciplinary programs, and experiential modes of learning. He has served as the director of the Environmental Program, and represents the Dean’s Office on the Teaching and Learning Collaborative, the Teacher Education Committee, the Open Curriculum Committee, and the First-Year Seminar Committee.

Contact the Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs and
Experiential Learning for information on the following:

• Implement, track the budget, spearhead initiatives, and coordinate all aspects of the 2018 Mellon grant. Oversee the conclusion of the 2015 Mellon grant;
• New academic initiatives, including, but not limited to, potential majors in Environment and Sustainability and Neuroscience;
• Coordinate Wake Washington and Wake West;
• Support and enhance interdisciplinary programs and program directors;
• Develop and support URECA and new initiatives in undergraduate research;
• Coordinate initiatives with the Humanities Institute and the Office of Civic and Community Engagement;
• Wake Online advisory committee; Center for the Advancement of Teaching committee; 
• Chair of the Open Curriculum and Interdisciplinary Major Committee;
• Active shooter emergency training.

Assistant Dean Wieters received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. She originally joined Wake Forest as Accounts Payable Manager in 1995 and, following a move to Rhode Island, became Assistant Director of Finance and Administration at Brown University. In 2007, she returned to Wake Forest and joined the Dean’s Office as Budget Analyst. She is primarily responsible for management of financial information for the College, assisting with new faculty hiring, preparation of the annual college budget, and managing the use of restricted accounts and compliance with donor conditions.

Acacia Fike-Nelson holds a Master of Science in Education with specialization in Leadership for Higher Education from Capella University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Wyoming. Prior to joining Wake Forest University in May 2019 as the academic coordinator for interdisciplinary studies, Acacia worked for more than 10 years at Colorado Mountain College in Dillon and Leadville, Colorado. At Colorado Mountain College, she served as an academic advisor II, TRIO Upward Bound program coordinator (a federally funded college access program through the U.S. Department of Education), and as an administrative technician where she did admissions, registration, and academic advising. In March 2021, Acacia assumed the role of Secretary to the Judicial Council and in November 2021, joined the Wake Forest Scholars Office as the Scholars Program Specialist.

Dr. French received his Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest and Master of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining Wake Forest’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. After two years, he joined the Office of Multicultural Affairs. In 1999, he returned to UNC-CH to complete his doctoral degree in Communications Studies. In 2004, Dr. French joined the faculty of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, where he served as Assistant Professor of Communications. In 2009, he returned to Wake Forest, where he serves as Director of the Magnolia Scholars Program and is a member of the Office of the Dean of Wake Forest College.

Jackie Sheridan holds bachelor’s degrees in both Political Science and Russian from the University of Notre Dame. She earned a master’s degree in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies from Georgetown University. While serving at an experiential education nonprofit in Washington, D.C., she designed tailored academic internship programs in partnership with clients like the Prudential Foundation and the Panamanian Ministry of Science and Technology; later, she managed the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, a program designed to increase diversity in the U.S. Foreign Service. Prior to joining Wake Forest as Director of the Scholars Program, she served in a similar capacity at Vanderbilt University, supporting talented students in the pursuit and undertaking of prestigious scholarships.

Jane Caldwell received her Bachelor of Science degree from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her Master of Science from Wake Forest. Before working at Wake Forest, she was employed at USAirways in customer service and marketing. In 2001, she joined Wake Forest in the Department of Athletics, where she manages the academic services for student-athletes. In 2005, she became Assistant to the Dean and serves as liaison between the Dean’s Office and the Department of Athletics.

Director of the ITG Adam Friedman was appointed to the Wake Forest University faculty in 2007, after having received his Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo and his Master of Education and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. He is a Professor of Education, focusing on social studies education, and served as Chair of the Department of Education from 2014-2020. Friedman has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate level social studies education courses along with a First Year Seminar (FYS) course entitled Sports, Culture, and Geography. He has also directed a summer study abroad program at the Worrell House in London and directed the LENS program in Nicaragua. Friedman’s research focuses on the advantages as well as drawbacks of technology integration into pedagogy, as he co-edited the book Research on Technology in Social Studies Education, has authored over 30 refereed journal articles and book chapters, and delivered over 80 presentations pertaining to pedagogical uses of technology. He has also been awarded several grants to study technology’s impact on teaching. Friedman currently serves as Director of the Instructional Technology Group.

Assistant Dean Haggas joined Wake Forest University Advancement in 2010 as Director of Development for the School of Business. He currently serves as the Assistant Dean for College Development, working closely with Dean Michele Gillespie to support the College initiatives. In addition to providing support for the various councils and boards supporting the College, Haggas focuses on major gifts to the Wake Will CORE campaign initiatives by engaging alumni, parents and friends around the country. He partners with University staff, faculty, and leadership to ensure success for the College, ZSR Library, Wake Forest Downtown and Wake Forest Entrepreneurial Initiatives.

Dr. Kirkman holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and M.S. in Statistics from Michigan State University. As a Professor of Mathematics, Kirkman’s research focuses on noncommutative algebra, representation theory, and homological algebra. She is the author of 55 peer-reviewed research publications and a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. She has been Graduate Program Director for the Mathematics Program (2009-2017) and a member of the Judicial Council (2000-2010, chair 2003-2008). In 2007, she received the Donald O. Schoonmaker Faculty Award for Community Service, and she also received distinguished service awards from the southeastern section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in 2012, and from the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) in 2022. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the EDGE (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) Foundation since its establishment in 2014. In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Kirkman also serves the Wake Forest community as the Co-chair of the Honor and Ethics Council.

Dr. Lamb holds a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rhodes College, and a second Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. A political theorist with experience in practical politics, Lamb’s research focuses on the ethics of citizenship, the relationship between religion and politics, and the role of virtues in public life. Before joining Wake Forest, he was at the University of Oxford, where he taught courses in ethics and political theory, helped to launch the Oxford Character Project, and served as Dean of Leadership, Service, and Character Development for Rhodes Scholars. He is currently working with the Wake Forest community to develop new programs in Leadership and Character.

Assistant Dean Taylor began working at Wake Forest in 2005. In his capacity as Assistant Dean for Global Study Away Programs, he manages initiatives and services related to study away programs and serves as a liaison between the Office of the Dean of the College and the Center for Global Programs and Studies. His recent work with the Dean’s Office has included support in the development and implementation of Global AWAKEnings, the University’s first-year abroad program in Denmark, and the Wake Washington semester program. He received his Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian from Princeton University and an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest.

Dr. Mark Vail serves as the Judicial Liaison for the Honor and Ethics Council. In this role, Vail advises faculty members who encounter cases of potential student violations of the honor code in the academic context and oversees academic honor code cases in their pre-hearing phase. Vail joined Wake Forest in 2021, as the Worrell Chair of Politics and International Affairs. His research and teaching focus on the comparative political economy of advanced industrial countries with a particular emphasis on social and economic policy; industrial relations; political institutions; and the role of political ideas and ideologies in Western Europe. Previously, he was a Professor of Political Science and a Fellow at the Murphy Institute of Political Economy at Tulane University, where he also served on the judicial board for nine years. Vail holds a Ph.D. and Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley; a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; and a Bachelor of Arts in the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Associate Dean Alexander joined the Wake Forest Department of Chemistry in 2000. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued postdoctoral research at MIT and The Scripps Research Institute. She teaches biochemistry to undergraduate and graduate students. Her research uses experimental and computational tools to study protein-RNA interactions in protein biosynthesis. She led the establishment of Wake Downtown, which has introduced new undergraduate programs in downtown Winston Salem’s Innovation Quarter, and she continues to serve as Director of Wake Downtown. In her role as Associate Dean for Research and Community Engagement, she supports initiatives that develop and enhance academic excellence in research for students and faculty alike and helps the College build and sustain partnerships with key community groups and institutions.

Amanda Tingle received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of the South (Sewanee) and a B.S.A. degree in Biological Science from the University of Georgia. Prior to coming to Wake Forest University in 2011, she was employed as an Administrative Specialist at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and as an Executive Coordinator for the University of Virginia’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. Tingle spent 5 years as an integral part of the Wake Forest Scholars Office. In 2016, she became the first Office Manager for Wake Downtown.

Richard Browne has dual Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Penn State University. He joined Wake Forest in 2016 and the Office of the Dean of the College in 2018. Richard partners with departments, programs, and functional units to ensure employment and administration procedures are accurately and efficiently executed.

Crystal Reid has more than 20 years of experience in research and financial management. She has pre- and post-award expertise and extensive experience in presenting statistical data reports and research projections. Reid has been trained and certified in many areas which include but are not limited to: Financial Administration for research & financial institutions, Clinical Trials Research Administration, Grant Writing, Animal Research Administration and Housing Counseling. She completed her degree and minor education coursework at Midlands Technical College and Lander University. Her primary responsibilities include physical and fiscal management of grant awards and restricted funding and assisting with preparing funding applications.

Seneca Rudd graduated from Appalachian State University with dual Bachelor of Science in Finance and Risk Management. He joined the Wake Forest community in 2011 and currently holds the title of Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the Dean of the College. His primary responsibilities are to support the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration in tracking College expenses, preparing the annual College budget, and managing the use of restricted accounts.  He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Assistant Dean Wieters received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. She originally joined Wake Forest as Accounts Payable Manager in 1995 and, following a move to Rhode Island, became Assistant Director of Finance and Administration at Brown University. In 2007, she returned to Wake Forest and joined the Dean’s Office as Budget Analyst. She is primarily responsible for management of financial information for the College, assisting with new faculty hiring, preparation of the annual college budget, and managing the use of restricted accounts and compliance with donor conditions.

Assistant Dean Bennett received her Bachelor of Science from Winston-Salem State University and her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest. She joined the staff of Wake Forest in 1985 and served in the Department of English and the Program of Academic  Support Services until 1995 when she joined the Dean’s Office. Since then she has been responsible for administering academic policies and procedures, assisting with student/faculty concerns and assisting with the recruitment and training of academic advisers. She works closely with faculty and staff advisers and their advisees to enhance the advising experience. She helps coordinate New Student Orientation and serves as the contact for Undergraduate Bulletin revisions for the office.

Margaret Clayton earned her Bachelor of Science in Family and Community Services from the College of Human Ecology at East Carolina University and her Master of Arts in Child Development at East Carolina University. Margaret has more than 20 years of higher education experience, starting as a graduate assistant in the athletic department at East Carolina University working with at-risk student-athletes as well as overseeing the tutoring program for the athletic department. After serving as a graduate assistant, she was hired full-time as the athletic academic advisor for the football team and continued to serve as the tutor coordinator for all sports in the athletic department. She has also advised students in departments on different campuses (East Carolina University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Winston Salem State University, Davidson County Community College, and Forsyth Technical Community College), as well as worked in the Registrar’s Office at Georgia Institute of Technology and in the Office of the University Registrar’s Office at Wake Forest. In her free time, Margaret loves college football and spending time with her children, family, and friends.

Bert Ellison received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008 and a Master of Divinity from Duke University in 2012. He completed his Ph.D. on the Sociology track of the City, Culture, and Community program at Tulane University in 2021, where he studied the formation of college students’ sense of belonging. At Tulane University, Bert collaborated with the Office of Retention and Student Success and the Office of Academic and Career Advising on a variety of initiatives, ranging from technology innovation to first-year advising. Bert’s additional higher education experience includes his positions as Senior Academic and Career Adviser at Tulane University and Admissions Counselor at The University of New Orleans. Bert joined the Office of Academic Advising in 2021 as an Academic Counselor and Pre-Engineering/STEM Adviser. In this position, he specializes in leveraging knowledge and resources within the Office of Academic Advising to empower STEM students to achieve academic excellence and prepare for meaningful vocations. In pursuit of this goal, he works closely with partners across Reynolda Campus and at Wake Downtown.

Ruiting Gong earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Shanghai University and Master of Arts in School counseling from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After finishing graduate school, she worked as an Academic Counselor at New Oasis International Education, where she worked with international high school students who studied abroad. She joined the Office of Academic Advising at Wake Forest as an Academic Counselor in June 2021.

Associate Dean Hairston returned to his alma mater in 2019, after receiving his B.A. in English and Politics from Wake Forest in 1992. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia as well as a law degree at the University of North Carolina. He served two terms on the Board of Visitors for the Wake Forest College and Graduate School, from 2001-2008. Hairston was most recently an Associate Professor of English and of Law & Humanities at Elon University. As Associate Dean, Hairston leads the Office of Academic Advising and represents the Dean’s Office on the Committee on Orientation and Lower Division Advising, the First-Year Seminar Committee, the Committee on Academic Affairs, the Admissions Committee, and the Faculty Athletic Committee.

Sarah Hefner received her Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies, a major that combined the fields of International Relations, Africana, and Urban Studies with a focus on education, from Davidson College. While at Davidson, Sarah worked as a student assistant for the Office of Academic Affairs. Sarah joined the Office of Academic Advising as Academic Coordinator in November 2021.

Cherise James received her Bachelors of Science degree in public relations from the College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Florida and her Master’s degree in College Student Affairs with an emphasis in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University. She has a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies with a Concentration in Higher Education as well as earning a Certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

James worked several years in Residence Life & Housing at Wake Forest University where she served as the Resident Coordinator for South Campus for 4 years and then became the Assistant Director of Residence Life.

James’ current role as the Associate Director of Orientation and Lower Division Programming, which falls under both the Office of the Dean of the College as well as the Office of the Dean of Students, allows her the opportunity to work collaboratively with offices across campus that deliver programs to first-year students, sophomores, and transfer students.

John James graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a concentration in Religion and Public Engagement. He attended Union Theological Seminary of NYC, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. Following the master’s program, James began working with Columbia University’s Disability Services as a Student Services Coordinator. In November 2019, he returned to his undergraduate alma mater and joined the staff of the Office of Academic Advising at Wake Forest as Academic Counselor.

Maggie Sheridan was born and raised in Florida. She attended Stetson University, where she received both a Bachelor of Arts (2010) and a Master of Arts (2013) in English. Having discovered her passion for advising as a graduate assistant in Stetson’s Office of Career Development and Academic Advising, Sheridan continued this line of work in 2013 with a two-year fellowship at Elon University in Burlington. In June of 2015, Sheridan began her position as an Academic Adviser at East Carolina University, where she advised for 10 different majors in Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

Shane Weimer graduated from Brevard College with a B.A. in Mathematics along with a minor in Psychology. He previously served as a Community Director at Brevard College where he developed a passion for assisting students through their academic years. He contributes to the advising of many WFU undergraduates and assists with drop/add and other student academic requests.

Sarah Frederick has a Master of Applied Arts and Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and dual Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Her career at Wake Forest University began in December 2018 as the administrative assistant in the Department of History. She joined the staff of the Dean of the College as Academic Coordinator in September 2019. Prior to working at Wake Forest, Frederick worked with an eco-adventures company, tutored in elementary language arts, and served as an undergraduate assistant at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Denise Griggs holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Missouri. Joining the Wake Forest College staff in 2013, she previously served in positions including Executive Assistant and Project Management Specialist, Carolina First/South Financial Group, Lexington, SC; Budget Analyst, Southern Community Bank and Trust, Winston-Salem, NC; and Financial Analyst, Capital Bank, Winston-Salem, NC.

In her role as Assistant to the Dean of the College, Griggs facilitates and coordinates efforts to ensure excellence for all communication, scheduling, organizational and logistical needs related to the Dean of the College.

Anna Henley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She began her career at Wake Forest University in July 2012, as the Administrative Assistant for the departments of History and Religion before joining the Office of the Dean of Wake Forest College in April 2015. Prior to working at Wake Forest, she was employed in the hotel and newspaper industries.

Contact Henley regarding faculty position funding, faculty leaves and end-of-employment, Interdisciplinary programs and minors, 10-year program reviews, reappointment and promotion, administrative appointments, and undergraduate Summer Session.

Bethany Leggett holds a Master of Science in Journalism for Magazine Editing and Writing from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She also received dual bachelor degrees in English and Communication Studies from Furman University. She transitioned from a journalism career that included several years as the editor of a lifestyle publication to a career in higher education when she joined the Office of the Dean of the College at Wake Forest University in July 2019.

Contact Leggett regarding communication platforms for the College, including social media channels and the biweekly Dean’s Office Digest, the College’s website, College-sponsored events, the New Ideas Series, and the Dean’s Student Advisory Panel.

Marie Guy received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Affairs with a minor in Middle East and South Asia Studies from Wake Forest University in 2021. During her undergraduate career, Marie participated in marching band, where she was librarian, and volunteered as both a virtual tutor for the Office of Civic and Community Engagement and as a peer tutor. 

As the fellow in the Office of the Dean of the College, Marie organizes the Dean’s Student Advisory Panel, assists in Project Wake, liaises with Student Government for the Major/Minor Fair, and organizes the Dean’s List Gala.

Leigh Anne Robinson received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Wake Forest University, where she was a Wake Forest Honors Scholar, Kulynych Scholar, and Zachary T. Smith Leadership Scholar. She joined the Wake Forest College staff in 2016 as the Administrative Assistant for the Office of the Dean of the College. Prior to working at Wake Forest, Robinson worked with a construction litigation firm and volunteered with the Forsyth County Public Schools.

Contact Robinson regarding faculty administrative issues associated with Archie Grants, Fellowships and Faculty Development Funding Awards, College space needs and DeaconSpace, and the Dean’s Office Apartment.

Amanda Tingle received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of the South (Sewanee) and a B.S.A. degree in Biological Science from the University of Georgia. Prior to coming to Wake Forest University in 2011, she was employed as an Administrative Specialist at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and as an Executive Coordinator for the University of Virginia’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. Tingle spent 5 years as an integral part of the Wake Forest Scholars Office. In 2016, she became the first Office Manager for Wake Downtown.