Erin Kang, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, received the Prof. Chin Ok Lee & Ms. Kwanghee Kim Excellence Award at the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association Northeast Regional Conference. The award recognizes significant contributions to science, technology, and engineering. Kang’s research bridges science and clinical practice by understanding processes that shape clinical presentations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on neural mechanisms of clinical phenotypes and plasticity in ASD, and applying these insights to evidence-based interventions.
Manya Whitaker, PhD, has been named president of Colorado College. Previously the college’s executive vice president and chief of staff, Whitaker has been a faculty member since 2011 and held the David and Lucile Packard Professorship in education. She is a developmental educational psychologist with expertise in adolescent identity formation and motivation.
Klaus Libertus, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), has been appointed the inaugural director of the College of General Studies and assistant dean for online education. In this role, he will lead efforts to expand access for adult and other nontraditional students and develop fully online academic programs. Working with key university partners, Libertus will enhance general education offerings and create online versions of programs in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. He also leads Pitt’s Online BabyLab, conducting remote developmental psychology research with families.
Barbara Ritter, PhD, has been appointed dean of the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation at the University of Toledo. She previously served as dean of the Davis College of Business and Technology at Jacksonville University in Florida. An expert in organizational behavior and management, her research focuses on emergent leadership, implicit leadership theory, and human resource policies.
Kamau Siwatu, PhD, has been named dean of the College of Education at Texas Tech University, following his service as interim dean since July 2024. A full professor of educational psychology, he has held several leadership roles at the university, including department chair and interim associate dean for academic affairs. His research focuses on social cognitive theory and self-efficacy.
Beth Jefferies, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of York, received the British Psychological Society’s Presidents’ Award for her influential research on the neural basis of memory and language, making significant contributions to cognitive neuroscience. Her work, widely cited and internationally respected, explores how large-scale brain networks support memory-guided and goal-directed cognition, including how we interpret words and objects based on context—a process that can be disrupted in stroke aphasia.
Marisol Perez, PhD, has been appointed dean of the Graduate School at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia. She joins ODU from Arizona State University, where she served as associate vice provost for graduate academic enrollment and associate dean of graduate initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A full professor of psychology, Perez studies both theoretical and applied aspects of eating disorders and obesity, with an emphasis on Latine populations.
