I am excited to share that after a national search, Dr. Rachel Jones will join the CAS Academic Programs Office as the Student Engagement Coordinator on September 19, 2022. Born and raised in Virginia and Missouri, Rachel completed a BS (Truman State University) and a MS (Villanova University) in Biology. In 2014, she obtained a PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno and then lived with her family in Zurich, Switzerland for 3 years. Rachel is no stranger to CAS; she has been an instructor for the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, and since 2017 has worked as advisor and instructor for the Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering.
Rachel has been a tireless advocate for student success, being especially interested in increasing the participation and visibility of underrepresented groups in academia. Because of this, I believe Rachel fits perfectly in the Academic Programs Office and shares our passion for promoting student retention, academic excellence, and professional success. Among other responsibilities in her new position, Rachel will coordinate undergraduate research opportunities and advise the Club Leadership Team.
I want to extend a big THANK YOU to the fantastic search committee that did a great job efficiently conducting this search. The committee was chaired by Michelle McAllaster and included Ivan Arismendi (Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences), David Stone (Food Innovation Center), Kathryn Walters (College of Engineering), and Yan Yan (CAS Student Ambassador). Special thanks to Rachael Guenthner (Ecampus) who generously helped us as the search advocate. A huge thanks goes also to Lori Hodgert for providing excellent search support.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Rachel in her new position.