2024 Women of Impact Honorees

Gail Burd

Senior Vice Provost, Academic Affairs, Teaching and Learning
University Distinguished Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
College of Science 
WSCUC Accreditation Liaison Officer

Dr. Gail Burd is the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Teaching, and Learning and Distinguished Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology. As a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Burd has chaired numerous committees for the NSF and the NIH. With 39 years of distinguished service at the U of A, she has received several awards for innovative teaching and advising, including the UA Mortar Board Citation Award, College of Science Innovation in Teaching Award, and the Sarlo Family Foundation Outstanding Faculty Award.

Lisa Elfring

Vice Provost, Assessment, Teaching and Technology
Specialist, Biology Education 
College of Medicine- Tucson
Professor, BIO5 Institute

Dr. Lisa Elfring, vice provost for Instruction and Assessment and specialist in Biology Education, has been a driving force for discovering and adopting effective approaches to evaluating teaching in higher education. Dr. Elfring has a passion for communicating big picture biology concepts. She now leads the Office of Instruction and Assessment, successfully supporting all U of A instructors. Dr. Elfring is a highly engaged campus leader who has led a multitude of instruction focused projects and collaborations that have left a lasting impact on faculty and students alike.

Hee-Jeong Kim

Assistant Professor, Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics
College of Engineering

Dr. Hee Jeong Kim, assistant professor in Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics, received a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from KAIST and completed postdoctoral training at MIT. Dr. Kim focuses on multiscale chemomechanical characterization for developing sustainable and resilient construction materials. Kim complements experiments with modeling and machine learning. At U of A, Kim has established an Advanced Materials field within the Civil Engineering Program and developed a state-of-the-art experimental laboratory supported by multiple grants. She has already made advances in CO2 utilization, understanding cement hydration, and 3D concrete printing — all while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

Sangita Judge

Vice President, Research Operations 
Research Assistant Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Research, Innovation and Impact

Dr. Sangita Judge brings extensive leadership in research, administration, and management, with a proven record of driving transformation in educational and clinical settings. As Vice President of Operations with RII, Judge has advanced academic and innovative impact by overseeing $955M in research activities and streamlining operations to enhance the university’s research capabilities. She holds a PhD in Molecular Cellular Biology/Cancer Biology, an MSc in Microbiology and an MBA. Previously, she served as Assistant VP for Research and Assistant Dean at the Division of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Prior to that, she led the College of Medicine Research Office for six years.

Simin Karimi

Emerita Professor, Linguistics
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Simin Karimi joined the U of A in August 1990 and was a professor in the Department of Linguistics from 2008 until her retirement earlier this year. Her research focused on generative syntax and the interactions of syntax, semantics, and morphology. She has published articles on a variety of topics in linguistic journals, is the author of a monograph, and is co-editor of six books in linguistics. Her most recent research concentrated on theoretical analysis of the syntax, semantics, and morphology of complex predicates in 17 Iranian languages.

Amelia Kraehe

Associate Vice President, Equity in the Arts,
Co-Founder, Racial Justice Studio
Arizona Arts
Professor, Art and Visual Culture Education
College of Fine Arts

Dr. Amelia Kraehe, associate vice president for Equity in the Arts and professor in the School of Art, focuses her research on structural inequities in the arts and art education. She has published several books, including Race and Art Education, co-edited three anthologies, and has published widely. She co-founded the Racial Justice Studio, which co-sponsored the Black Faculty Speaker Series featuring renowned Black scholars, and "Race/Remix," a racial justice arts podcast. Her work promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion across Arizona Arts and the university. Kraehe is professor of Art and Visual Culture Education and faculty affiliate in Human Rights Practice.

Josephine Korchmaros

Director, Southwest Institute for Research on Women 
Research Social Scientist and Research Professor, Southwest Institute for Research on Women
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Josephine Korchmaros is the Director of the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women. She has developed, implemented, and provided training and technical assistance for multiple grant-funded research projects of importance to underserved populations. She has produced peer-reviewed research briefs, trainings, papers, implementation tools, and presentations concerning accurate identification of service needs within underrepresented and disadvantaged populations, effectively addressing such needs and health-related behavior change.

Kirsten Limesand

Vice Provost, Graduate Education
Dean, Graduate College
Professor, Nutritional Sciences and Wellness
College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Member, Cancer Center

Dr. Kirsten Limesand is the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College. She leads efforts to provide professional development and mentoring opportunities for students who are pursuing professional, research, and academic careers. Dr. Limesand has long investigated the effects of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer in surrounding normal tissues. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research has supported her work since 2001.

Melanie McKay-Cody

Assistant Professor, Disability and Psychoeducational Studies
College of Education 

Dr. Melanie McKay-Cody, a Deaf woman with Cherokee, Shawnee, Powhatan, and Montauk heritage and assistant professor in the College of Education, is one of the few scholars working to revive endangered languages, preserving cultural histories among marginalized groups. She is the only Deaf researcher specializing in North American Indian/Indigenous Sign Language (NAISL) in the nation, dedicating her life to its revitalization. As co-founder of Turtle Island Hand Talk, she leads transformative change within Indigenous Deaf communities. Her nationally recognized work enhancing the multicultural understanding of deaf education and culture has provided critical information to education communities, leaving a lasting impact.

Maha Nassar

Associate Professor, School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies 
Affiliated Faculty, History;  Gender and Women's Studies; Religious Studies; Center for Middle East Studies
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Maha Nassar is an associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies. She is a cultural and intellectual historian of the twentieth-century Arab world with a focus on Palestinian history. Her research focuses on intellectual constructs of social, political, and cultural identities. She is the author of an award-winning monograph, is a 2018 Tucson Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project, and served as a 2022 Palestinian non-resident fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Kimberly Ogden

Chair and Professor, Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Agricultural-Biosystems Engineering
Director, Arizona Institute of Advanced Energy Solutions
College of Engineering

Kimberly Ogden is a professor and chair of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, with additional appointments in Agricultural-Biosystems Engineering. A fellow and past president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, her research focuses on bioreactor design for alternative fuels and the energy-water nexus. Recently, she led a USDA-NIFA project exploring the production of bioproducts and biofuels from desert crops like guayule and guar. This work led to a Partnerships for Climate Smart Guayule grant which funds numerous farmers in the region to grow guayule. She continues to drive sustainability and energy innovation, with her leadership extending to mentoring graduate students and fostering collaboration across academia and industry.

Jenn Parlin

Director, The Garden Kitchen 
Assistant Agent, Family-Consumer and Health Sciences
Pima County Cooperative Extension
Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences

Jenn Parlin is an assistant agent with Pima County Cooperative Extension and she directs The Garden Kitchen, a seed-to-table whole health program that focuses on health equity. She is the state lead for mental wellness programming for Family, Consumer, and Health Sciences for the U of A Cooperative Extension and the Arizona Department of Health Services statewide trainer for food demonstrations. She prioritizes building authentic community connections, as seen through her role in facilitating the Healthy South Tucson Coalition.

Lori Poloni-Staudinger

Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 
Professor, School of Government and Public Policy

Dr. Lori Poloni-Staudinger currently serves as Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The author of six books and more than thirty articles, chapters, and reports, she was a Kettering Foundation Fellow and has been a Distinguished Fulbright Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. Dr. Poloni-Staudinger’s research focuses on gender and politics. She has also worked to increase citizen participation in politics, facilitating dozens of community forums throughout the state of Arizona.

Cindy Rankin

Associate Professor (Educator Scholar), Physiology
Director, Physiology Honors Academy
Executive Director, University of Arizona Health Sciences K-12 Health Literacy Project
College of Medicine- Tucson

Throughout Dr. Lucinda "Cindy" Rankin’s 40+ year career, she has developed and taught over 20 courses while mentoring hundreds of students across various educational levels, receiving multiple teaching and mentoring awards. As associate professor in the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine – Tucson and director of the Physiology Honors Academy, she is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration, functional curricula, and community engagement. Her impact reaches all levels as she established the Health Connector program to connect UA STEM students with local K-8 classes and helped Pima JTED develop the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Center for Health and Medical Careers for high school students.

Jessica Retis

Director, School of Journalism 
Director, Bilingual Journalism Program 
CUES Distinguished Fellow Full Professor, Journalism
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Jessica Retis was appointed as the director of the School of Journalism in 2022 and also serves as the director of the Master’s in Bilingual Journalism program. She has been a college educator for more than thirty years in multiple countries across the Americas and Europe. With over two decades of experience in journalism across Peru, Mexico, and Spain, she has made significant contributions to various media outlets. Her research in bilingual journalism education has garnered prestigious accolades, including the Center for University Education Scholarship Fellowship and the Provost Investment Fund.

Channah Rock

Professor and Water Quality Specialist, Environmental Science 
Jim Brennan Endowed Chair in Extension Fresh Produce Safety
College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences
Maricopa Agricultural Center

Dr. Channah Rock is a professor and water quality specialist, focused on supporting stakeholders with improved knowledge of public health protection measures. Within the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences, she holds the Jim Brennan Endowed Chair in Extension in Fresh Produce Safety and leads projects on microbiological water quality and food safety. She directs stakeholder-driven research alongside fresh produce industry partners on the environmental impacts of Southwest growing practices. Dr. Rock has had an enormous impact on the scientific foundation of food safety and security, garnering deep support from stakeholders throughout Arizona.

Kathleen Rodgers

Associate Director, Center for Innovation in Brain Science 
Professor, Pharmacology 
College of Medicine- Tucson
Professor, BIO5 Institute

Dr. Kathleen Rodgers is the associate director of Translational Neurosciences in the Center for Innovation in Brain Science and professor of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine - Tucson. She has 176 peer-reviewed publications and holds 57 patents. Dr. Rodgers maintains a current research portfolio of 13 grants, focused on aging, Alzheimer's disease, and ALS.

Janet Roveda

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering 
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Nursing
Director, Center for Stream Healthcare in Place
College of Engineering
Professor, BIO5 Institute

As the first woman in the College of Engineering to direct an NSF Industry and University Research Consortium, 2024 honoree Dr. Janet Roveda is a pioneering leader. Her career has evolved from semiconductor design to improving patient health outcomes. With over 150 publications, her work spans VLSI design, biomedical instruments and smart grids. Dr. Roveda’s collaborative spirit and groundbreaking research have earned her prestigious honors, including the PECASE award, and an AIMBE Fellowship. Her contributions continue to shape engineering, healthcare and community outreach.

Karen Seat

Director, School of International Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Department Head, Religious Studies and Classics 
Associate Professor, Religious Studies 
College of Humanities

Dr. Karen Seat serves as both the head of the Department of Religious Studies and Classics and the director of the School of International Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She was named one of two inaugural recipients of the University of Arizona’s Distinguished Head/Director’s Award and was conferred the title of Distinguished Scholar. Her current research focuses on conservative Christians' engagement with American politics in modern American history. She is co-editor of A Marginal Majority: Women, Gender, and a Reimagining of Southern Baptists. Her current book project is titled Free Market Family Values: The Rise of Neoliberal Christianity in the United States.

Rebecca Senf

Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography
Arizona Arts

Dr. Rebecca “Becky” Senf is the Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography. She has curated over 50 exhibitions, including Richard Avedon: Relationships shown internationally. Dr. Senf is the author of Reconstructing the View (2012) and To Be Thirteen (2017). In 2020, she published Making a Photographer on Ansel Adams's early years, now in its second printing. Her proposal earned a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for a project on Chicano photographer Louis Carlos Bernal, further highlighting her impact in the field.

Lisa Shubitz

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Research Scientist, Valley Fever Center for Excellence
College of Medicine- Tucson
Associate Research Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences
Member, Bio5 Institute

Dr. Lisa Shubitz, now a Research Scientist at The Valley Fever Center for Excellence, began her career as a student researcher on campus. Her current focus includes developing a vaccine for Valley fever, studying the epidemiology of the disease in canines, the ecological distribution of the fungus in Southern Arizona, and interactions between the host and the fungus that causes Valley fever. Dr. Shubitz has developed educational resources for pet owners and veterinarians to raise awareness about the disease and its treatment, making her a cornerstone of the pet community of Arizona.

Stacey Tecot

Associate Professor, Anthropology
Director, Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute

Dr. Stacey Tecot is an associate professor in the School of Anthropology and the Director of the Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates (LEEP). At LEEP, she works with others to develop new assays to measure noninvasively collected samples and train researchers to analyze their samples and conduct their own hormonal assays. She also co-directs the Ranomafana Red-Bellied Lemur Project in Madagascar where she works with local research technicians and students to understand infant caregiving strategies and how the environment affects behavior and physiology.

Stephanie Troutman Robbins

Department Head and Associate Professor, Gender and Women's Studies 
Associate Professor, English
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 
Assistant Professor, Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies
College of Education
Affiliated Faculty, Graduate College and W. A. Franke Honors College

ON LEAVE (STILL NEDS APPROVAL) Dr. Stephanie Troutman Robbins, a Black feminist scholar and first-generation college student, is the head of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies. As a scholar-activist and consultant, Dr. Robbins has been recognized across a variety of community and campus spaces for her mentorship, student-staff-faculty advocacy, and justice-oriented leadership. She is the former director of two outreach projects rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion. An alum of the university’s Academic Leadership Institute, she served as co-chair of the university-wide Women of Color Faculty Collective, and her research has secured two Mellon grants.

Kasey Urquidez

Chief Enrollment Officer 
Vice President, Enrollment Management 
Dean, Undergraduate Admissions
Office of the Provost

Dr. Kasey Urquídez is the Vice President, Enrollment Management and Dean, Undergraduate Admissions, serving as the university’s chief enrollment strategist. She oversees Admissions, Scholarships & Financial Aid, New Student Services, Parent Family Programs and more. Dr. Urquídez actively serves on many national boards, including the National Association of College Admissions Counseling and the Coalition for College Access, to name a few. A proud Wildcat alumna, she has been recognized as a distinguished alum for the College of Agriculture and Life & Environmental Sciences. Dr. Urquídez demonstrates unwavering energy and commitment to her work while focusing on college access and success.

Karna Walter

Assistant Dean, Student Engagement
Director, Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships
W.A. Franke Honors College

Dr. Karna Walter is the Assistant Dean for Student Engagement in the W.A. Franke Honors College and the Director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. She leads the Student Engagement Team in providing support for Honors students in multiple ways. She oversees many efforts to engage scholar groups and foster student growth and development within the Honors College and her work with competitive scholarships helps students and alumni within and beyond the Honors College apply for awards like the Fulbright, Goldwater, Churchill, Udall and Marshall.

Beth Weinstein

Acting Associate Dean, Student Affairs
Associate Professor, Architecture
Program Chair, Object and Spatial Designs emphasis areas, BA Design Arts and Practices
College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture 

Dr. Beth Weinstein serves as the Acting Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Architecture. Her research bridges architecture and performance, exploring political, environmental and labor issues through spatial interventions. Co-founder of ReSI (Remembering Spaces of Internment), her doctoral work examines the invisibilities of architectures of internment. She authored Architecture + Choreography, examining collaborations between architects and choreographers. A registered architect and founder of Architecture Agency, she has taught internationally and published extensively on performativity in and of space and scenography. She is a U of A Inclusive Leadership Fellow and serves on several advisory boards.

Ada Wilkinson-Lee

Associate Professor, Co- Principal Investigator, Arizona Prevention Research Center
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
Associate Professor, Mexican American Studies
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Ada Wilkinson-Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mexican American Studies and serves as a Co-PI at the Arizona Prevention Research Center. She focuses on addressing Latine health disparities through community-based participatory research, leading initiatives like the Unidos Project and the Hijos Project, which explore the impact of socio-cultural factors on Latine families. Additionally, she supports national efforts for Community Health Workers, providing trauma-informed training and evaluation. Her passion for improving Latine health is deeply personal, shaped by her own experiences growing up in a border community and witnessing health inequities firsthand.

Hao Helen Zhang

Professor, Mathematics
Professor and Chair, Statistics and Data Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program
Professor, Applied Mathematics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program
College of Science 
Member, Cancer Center

Dr. Hao “Helen” Zhang is a statistician and professor in the Department of Mathematics, and Chair of the Statistics and Data Science Interdisciplinary Program. She is co-author of the book Principles and Theory for Data Mining and Machine Learning. Dr. Zhang is Fellow of the American Statistical Association, Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. She was also the 2019 Medallion Lecturer of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Dr. Zhang's highly cited research, mentorship of 29 Ph.D. students, and extensive interdisciplinary collaborations have significantly advanced statistics and data science research and education.