Office of the Dean of the College – Directory

Dr. Jackie Krasas is the Dean of the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University since July 1, 2023. 

Dean Krasas received her undergraduate degree with honors in Social Relations from Lehigh University, and both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Southern California with concentrations in Gender Studies, Organizations, and Work. At Penn State University, she was a faculty member for 10 years in the Department of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations, where she played a key role in the development of graduate education. In 2005, Dr. Krasas returned to her alma mater, Lehigh University, where she served as the Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies for almost a decade. She then served for six years as the inaugural Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs and International Initiatives, working with directors of more than 20 interdisciplinary programs to improve interdisciplinary structures, collaborations, and education at the university. In 2020, Dr. Krasas was promoted to Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs, where among her many accomplishments, she guided faculty-related COVID policies, implemented new term faculty ranks, and revised the triennial review process in addition to leading and implementing a university-wide faculty salary equity review and subsequent salary adjustments.

Throughout these appointments, Dr. Krasas has shown extensive academic administrative experience in operations and leadership including curricular development, faculty development, strategic planning, budget and resource management, fundraising and alumni relations, and faculty hiring, retention, promotion, and tenure.

Dr. Krasas’ scholarship on social inequalities includes contingent and temporary work; sexual harassment; women in STEM; work and family; and motherhood. In addition to her peer-reviewed articles appearing in top journals, such as Gender & Society and Work and Occupations, she published two books. Her first book, Temps: The Many Faces of the Changing Workplace (Cornell/ILR Press, 2000) was one of the first to analyze both the structure of power and the meaning of temporary employment across different occupational contexts. Her most recent book, Still a Mother: Noncustodial Mothers, Gendered Institutions, and Social Change (Cornell University Press, 2021), sheds light on the challenges of contemporary motherhood through the lens of noncustodial mothers’ experiences as they navigate a set of gendered social institutions including employment, education, health care, and the legal system. Dr. Krasas was also the co-PI of Lehigh University’s five-year, $2.6 million NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant, “Building Community Beyond Academic Departments,” and co-led their membership in the Aspire IChange Network of the NSF Aspire Alliance. 

In addition to her work as Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Krasas also holds a faculty appointment as Professor with the Department of Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies. In this role, she continues her more than two decades of experience teaching classes in sociology and gender studies, from introductory courses to graduate-level instruction on social and feminist theory, workplace inequalities, and research methods. 

Senior Associate Dean Anthony Marsh received his undergraduate degree with honors and his master’s degree from the University of Western Australia and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Exercise Science. He came to Wake Forest in August 1996, after a year as a lecturer at California State University-Sacramento. He teaches undergraduate courses in Anatomy and Biomechanics, taught a First Year Seminar class for four years, 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 Institutional Review Board, and as a member and Chair of the Research Advisory Council. He has served Wake Forest as an Associate Dean of the College since January 2016. He has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed manuscripts; received substantial external funding from the National Institutes of Health for this work in the prevention and amelioration of functional loss and mobility disability in older adults; 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 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
• 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

Associate Dean Rebecca 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 her for questions on Research and Community Engagement topics:

• Research initiatives
• Undergraduate research and scholarship
• Grant submission through Cayuse
• Teaching and programming at Wake Downtown

Liaison with:

• Experiential learning and community-based research
• 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
• CAP
• CCC
• OLEC

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.

Dr. Elston was born and raised in Florida.  Her education and career have taken her to  Minnesota, Virginia, Washington, DC, Georgia, and now North Carolina.  She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of West Florida, a master’s degree in College Student Development and Counseling from St. Cloud State University, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Georgia State University.  At previous institutions Dr. Elston has worked as an academic adviser, an Assistant Director of Student Activities, and an Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs.  In addition to her work in OAA, she serves as a Faculty Fellow, and an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling.  She primarily teaches undergraduate courses in culture and ethics, and master’s courses in advanced counseling skills and crisis management.  She is also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trainer (ASIST).

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, programs, and partners in upper administration
    • Office of the University Registrar
    • Facilities and Campus Services
    • IS
    • Procurement
    • 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
  • Faculty Fellows
  • Learning Spaces Committee

Associate Dean Amanda Griffith served in leadership roles in the Department of Economics, first as Associate Chair from 2017 to 2021 and then as Chair since 2021. The department has thrived under her leadership, hiring exceptional faculty committed to undergraduate education, managing significant enrollment growth, and fostering strong mentorship of junior faculty. Dr. Griffith joined the Department of Economics at Wake Forest in 2009, after receiving her Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University. She is known for her scholarly expertise in the field of the Economics of Education, and she is a regular participant in conferences, workshops, and seminar presentations for higher education institutions and policy associations nationally. She has published widely in her field, including more than a dozen peer-reviewed published works, and she has received external funding for her work. She currently serves as a co-editor for the economics journal Contemporary Economic Policy and is on the editorial board of Economics of Education Review. Dr. Griffith has also given exemplary faculty leadership and service to the university, including her current role as Vice Chair of the Core Planning Team for Strategic Framework and serving as a Faculty Senator.

Contact her for questions on Academic Planning topics: 

• 10-year program reviews
• Course scheduling
• Position Requests 
• CAP
• CCC
• OLEC

Associate Dean Ashley 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, Dir. or Orientation, support staff
• Lower Division Academic Advising 
• General Advising for the College 
• Academic Complaints
• FYS, FYE
• FL, FYS Equivalency, FL Exemption
• 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 Erica 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 & Hiring
• Diversity and Inclusion efforts
• Honor and Ethics Council
• Biased Incident Response Team
• ODOC representative on CLACC

Associate Dean Eric 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
• New academic and/or curricular initiatives
• Develop programming centered on experiential and engaged learning;
• ODOC coordination of Wake Washington
• Support and enhance interdisciplinary programs and program directors
• Oversee and support all College directors
• Coordinate initiatives with the Humanities Institute and the Office of Civic and Community Engagement
• ODOC representative on the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Committee
• Chair of the Open Curriculum and Interdisciplinary Major Committee

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.

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 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.

Hailing from a small town north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Bodin received bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy; International Politics; and Security and Risk Analysis from Penn State University (2015), where he spent a short time interning at the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Inspired by this experience to pursue a career in higher education, he went on to receive a M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania (2017). In August 2018, he joined Wake Forest University School of Law’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, where he worked as the Coordinator of Law Admissions Operations for more than four and a half years. In March 2023, David joined the Office of Academic Advising, fulfilling a long-term career aspiration to work closely with students to help them chart and achieve their academic and personal goals.

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. Clayton 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 adviser 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.

Miriam Cone was born and raised primarily in the Tampa Bay area in Florida. They earned their Bachelor of Arts in English from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and their Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. At UNCW, she worked in the Watson College of Education’s Student Success Center for three years, helping future educators navigate their undergraduate experience. Miriam joined the Office of Academic Advising in July 2023 and assists students in achieving their dreams and goals.

Dr. Elston was born and raised in Florida.  Her education and career have taken her to  Minnesota, Virginia, Washington, DC, Georgia, and now North Carolina.  She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of West Florida, a master’s degree in College Student Development and Counseling from St. Cloud State University, and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Georgia State University.  At previous institutions Dr. Elston has worked as an academic adviser, an Assistant Director of Student Activities, and an Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs.  In addition to her work in OAA, she serves as a Faculty Fellow, and an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling.  She primarily teaches undergraduate courses in culture and ethics, and master’s courses in advanced counseling skills and crisis management.  She is also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trainer (ASIST).

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, Gong 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 Ashley 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, Dir. or Orientation, support staff
• Lower Division Academic Advising 
• General Advising for the College 
• Academic Complaints
• FYS, FYE
• FL, FYS Equivalency, FL Exemption
• 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

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, Hefner worked as a student assistant for the Office of Academic Affairs. She joined the Office of Academic Advising as Academic Coordinator in November 2021.

Kitterman was born and raised in a small town 30 minutes outside of Greensboro, NC. She graduated from Wake Forest in 2020 with a B.A. in Sociology and minors in Schools, Education, and Society and German Studies. During her time as a student, she conducted research in the Education, Sociology, and English departments and studied abroad in the WFU Flow House in Vienna, Austria. Additionally, she was involved in the Spirit of the Old Gold and Black, Students for Education Reform, the Office of Personal and Career Development, and a national education nonprofit with a base in Houston, TX. She previously worked for Salem College in the Office of Admissions and for Wake Forest in the Office of University Advancement as a Territory Development Coordinator. She joined the Office of Academic Advising in February 2023, and her focus is academic advising and new student programming.

Gianna Medina grew up in a military family and spent most of her childhood in Florida and Georgia. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Georgia in 2012. Her mother’s career in nonprofit work influenced her desire to help others in their educational journeys. She worked in college access with the Georgia College Advising Corps in Atlanta in 2013, and then with College Success in the Houston Independent School District from 2015 to 2018. During this time, she became interested in retention while working with former students who were facing challenges within their first year of college. This prompted Medina to pursue an M.Ed. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education at UNC Greensboro, from which she graduated in 2020. She previously worked in Residence Life at Salem College. Medina joined the Office of Academic Advising at Wake Forest as an Academic Counselor in July 2022.

Sara Morgan was born in Nanchital, Mexico but spent time growing up in both Kenner, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas. Having received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX, her professional career began by teaching K-12 students. With a passion for education, Sara worked to empower her students to reach their fullest potential. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Mississippi State University, where she discovered an enthusiasm for academic advising in higher education.

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 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. Sheridan joined the Office of Academic Advising as Academic Counselor in November 2017.

Elka Staley received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from the University of New Orleans. She has served multiple roles in the English, Modern Languages, and Cultural Studies Department at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, including Associate Writing Program Administrator, Literary Studies Adviser, and also as the Assessment Coordinator for the university. She joined the Office of Academic Advising at Wake Forest as an Academic Counselor in May 2022, and was promoted to Senior Academic Counselor and Pre-Engineering and STEM Adviser in February 2023.

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.

Wendi Zongker earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of North Florida and her Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Georgia. She began her career in higher education at UNF advising students on undergraduate admission, student records and registration, and financial aid. She worked in the Office of the Registrar at UNF before relocating to North Carolina in February 2017. She joined the Advising staff in the Office of the Dean of the College in May 2017 and was promoted to senior academic counselor in October 2019.

Alana James is the Director of Wake Downtown. Previously, Alana led Wake Downtown’s community engagement strategies, working to identify partnership opportunities that effectively promote and support mutually beneficial university and community priorities. Activities include coordinating STEAM exploration events with local K-12 partners, co-curricular opportunities with peer institutions and providing entry points for community members to access partnership, mentorship, and other resources. Prior to this inaugural role at Wake Downtown, she served as the Director of Community-Based Collaborations at The United Way of Forsyth County for nearly seven years. Alana graduated from Wake Forest in 2009 and received her MA in Management from the Schools of Business in 2010. An Ohio native, she fell in love with Winston-Salem as a student while volunteering and serving at community organizations as a member of Alpha Phi Omega.

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.

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.

Dennise López is an alumna of UNC-Greensboro (’20) and majored in Psychology. During her undergraduate career, she became actively involved in the Undergraduate Admissions: Latinx Educational Affairs office which hosts CHANCE (Campamento Hispano Abriendo Nuestro Camino a la Educación) every summer. CHANCE aims to prepare Latinx high school students, many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college, to pursue higher education through academic, cultural, and leadership activities. She also worked for LatinxEd – Somos Carolina as a Summer Coach in 2021 where she led community-building activities among students in 9th-12th grade, provided 1:1 college access coaching sessions, and facilitated group as well as 1:1 classroom sessions about culture, identity, and storytelling. Dennise finds the relationships with students to be the most rewarding part of being in higher education, and hopes to continue to advise and empower first-generation college students and their families here at Wake Forest.

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.

Carol Torres is a double alumna of UNC Greensboro (’13 and ’22), where she earned her master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education. She has previously worked for an attorney’s office and for the Los Angeles Unified School District, where she worked in a college access program. It was through the work for LAUSD that Torres focused on making higher education accessible and equitable for minoritized students. Torres joined the staff of the Scholar’s Office as First in the Forest advisor in July 2022.

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.

Marie Land has several years of budget and administrative experience in higher education. Most recently, she served as the Budget Specialist in the Office of the Dean for the School of Health and Human Sciences at UNCG. Her primary role is to assist in the management of restricted accounts and provide general administrative, analytical, and financial support to all academic units in the college.

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.

Laura Riddle Crist holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communication from Wake Forest University (’08,’10). She began working in the Office of the Dean of the College as an Academic Data Analyst in September 2023. Before returning to Wake Forest, she worked in higher education on projects related to institutional effectiveness, assessment, and research.

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.

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.

Sandy Kokkonos received her diploma from Canandaigua Senior Academy in New York. She has 44 years of experience in the administrative field and was employed by Xerox Corporation for 18 years before relocating to N.C. She worked at KMPG, LLC for two years before coming to Wake Forest and working in the Graduate Business Admissions Office for one year as an Applications Assistant. She then went on to work for three years in the Office of the Dean of the College as the Administrative Assistant to the Senior Associate Dean of Faculty. The last seven years were spent working in the Provost Office as the Executive Assistant to the Provost. Most recently, she has started her new role in the Office of the Dean of the College as the Executive Assistant to the Dean of the College.

Dianna graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology. She has experience in quantitative and qualitative methods, youth education, community organizing, and community arts advocacy. During her undergraduate career, Dianna served as an intern with the Secrest Series and explored several tenets of social and arts research, both inside and outside the academic sphere. Her interests in the effects of urban living environments, gentrification, and access to the arts led to a Richter scholarship in Manchester, England, where she identified transferable urban characteristics to enhance the health of local music scenes. In her free time, she is an active member of the North Carolina arts community, providing arts instruction to local high schools and volunteering in underground arts initiatives.

As the fellow in the Office of the Dean of the College, LaTerra organizes the Dean’s Student Advisory Panel, assists in Project Wake, liaises with Student Government for the Major/Minor Fair, and coordinates various other ODOC tasks.

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, and the Dean’s Student Advisory Panel.

Leigh Anne Robinson is a proud “Double Deac,” receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2001 and Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Studies in 2021.  Since returning to Wake Forest in 2016 to join the Office of the Dean of the College staff, she has served on the Staff Advisory Council and the Office of Sustainability’s Green Team.  Prior to working at Wake Forest, Robinson worked with a construction litigation firm and volunteered with the Forsyth County Public Schools.

Contact Robinson regarding College space needs and EMS/DeaconSpace, faculty and staff administrative issues, internal funding awards, and professional development workshops/events.

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.

Anna Willis earned her M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest and worked as a graduate assistant in the WFU Writing Center. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Distinction from UNC Chapel Hill, where she majored in English Literature and minored in Classical Civilizations. She worked as an academic coordinator for the Department of English for six years before taking her current position as Academic Coordinator for Interdisciplinary Programs and the URECA Center.