Office of the Dean

I earned B.A. in History and Political Science from Rutgers College in 1993 and a Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University in 2001. My primary areas of focus are 20th century American diplomacy, the Cold War, and race politics in the United States, but I’m also well-versed in Atlantic World, North American Colonial, Early American Republic, Antebellum South, and US Reconstruction Era history.

I joined the TCNJ faculty in 2000 with a joint appointment in the African American Studies and History Departments. Within three years, during the curriculum transformation process, I was the Chair of the African American Studies Department, and help rebuild the program and expand its core and affiliated faculty. I was also an early member of the International Studies Program and served on its Steering Committee. In my first decade at TCNJ, I helped Dr. Alan Dawley grow the Center for the Study of Social Justice, which is now named in his honor. Along with campus programs, the Center for the Study of Social Justice established the USA Studies minor premised on a novel shift in the field of US foreign relations called, US in the World. After, Professor Dawley’s sudden death, I completed a book, Global America, in his honor with my colleague, Dr. Robert McGreevey, and we continued promoting America’s links with the world.

Beyond my service as a department chair and the Dawley Center, I also served on the Faculty Senate Executive Board, chaired the Committee on Academic Programs and the Committee on Faculty Affairs, chaired two of our standing committees, spearheaded a provost search, and co-chaired the Presidential Advisory Commission on Social Justice: Race and Educational Attainment established by then-President Gitenstein that culminated in the naming of Trenton Hall, provided a blueprint for greater ties to the city of Trenton and the towns that neighbor TCNJ, and outline priorities that paved the way for TCNJ’s Inclusive Excellence initiative.

Outside of TCNJ, I have served as the Vice-Chair of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and held prominent leadership roles in the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), including as co-chair of the organizing committee for the 2024 annual conference in Toronto.

As Interim Dean of HSS, my goals are:

• To build on our strong tradition of interdisciplinarity and excellence in research
• To promote innovative teaching and an engaging classroom experience
• To marshal the intellectual and institutional resources of HSS for student awareness and empowerment
• To foster healthy dialogue across perspectives and maintain a nurturing environment for students, staff, and faculty
• To equitably and efficiently manage HSS resources and provide a vision that anticipates the demands of the future

I was a student worker in a program office throughout my undergraduate career at the University of Maryland, College Park where I studied Criminology and Psychology (B.A., 1999), and have spent the last 20 years continuing to work with faculty, staff, and students in education administration, advising, and programming at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University (M.P.A., 2008,) and now TCNJ. I am a NJ native and am happy to have come full circle!

At TCNJ, I started as a Program Coordinator in the Psychology Department in the fall of 2019, and added Admissions and Advising responsibilities to my portfolio as a part of the Dean’s Office in the fall of 2020. I am now completely housed in the Dean’s Office as the Coordinator of Student Recruitment, Advising, and Retention with a focus on HSS recruitment and yield efforts as well as advising, support, and retention initiatives. I live with my husband, two children, and two dogs in Springfield, NJ.

My role in the Dean’s Office is as follows:

• HSS Recruitment and Yield Coordinator and Liaison
• HSS Advising Coordinator
• Advisor to HSS Undeclared students

I was born and raised in northeastern New Jersey and currently reside in Bucks County, PA.

My undergraduate (B.A. History, New Jersey City University) and graduate (M.A. History, Illinois State) studies led me to a career in Higher Education at Rider University, Bucks County Community College, and, ultimately, to The College of New Jersey. I am also a proud alum of TCNJ (M.A. English; Graduate Certificate in Gender Studies)! From 2007-2022, I served as a Program Coordinator in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, working with the English, Philosophy, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Departments. I am currently the Director of the WILL (Women in Learning and Leadership) Program, as well as the Graduate Coordinator for HSS.

My role in the Dean’s Office is as follows:

• Manage applications, enrollment decisions, and matriculation
• Advising: Current and prospective graduate students
• Build relationships with potential internship sites and future employers for both Master’s programs and certificate programs
• Develop a graduate alumni network with programming

Born and raised in Wisconsin, I moved to New Jersey in 1988.  I have a B.F.A. in Acting and Directing from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, a M.A. in Theater Studies from Montclair University, and am a 2025 candidate for the M.B.A. here at TCNJ.

I joined the community here at TCNJ (then TSC) in 1989 as an adjunct professor in the Communication Studies Department, teaching courses in public speaking, theatrical production, theater history, and performance. I ran the NJ Governor’s School of the Arts Theatre Division for a number of years during its residency here at the College.  I served as the State Coordinator for the NEA’s program through the NJ Council for the Arts, Poetry Out Loud, for three years just prior to returning full time to TCNJ as the Program Assistant for the Department of Communication Studies.

Over time I have worked for other departments across campus including the Center for the Arts, Development and Alumni Affairs, and the Women’s Studies Program (prior to its name change to Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies).  I am active in TCNJ’s Staff Senate, currently serving as a Staff Senator on the Steering Committee and as Chair of the Staff Mentoring Council.  I enjoy volunteering every year for our commencement ceremonies as the staff member assisting with the reading of the graduates’ names.

I live nearby in Titusville with my husband, Kevin.  We have a son (a TCNJ School of Business alumnus) and a daughter, both of whom are successful in their chosen professions.

My role in the Dean’s office is as follows:

• HSS Budget Management
• HSS Event Coordination
• HSS Scheduling Coordination
• HSS Scholarship Application Coordination