/Institutions/Simmons-College/json/2024-2025/Graduate-Course-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Simmons-College/json/2024-2025/Graduate-Course-Catalog.json

Administration

Simmons College was chartered in 1899 in accordance with the will of John Simmons. In 2017, in recognition of the comprehensive nature of its programs - bachelors, masters, and doctoral - Simmons applied to and received approval from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to become Simmons University.  The overall governing body of the University is the Board of Trustees. The Board is entrusted with the management of the business, property, and affairs of the University, including setting overall policy for the University, appointing the president and officers of the University, approving the granting of degrees and other academic functions, and ensuring the responsible use of its assets for the long-term health of the institution.

Board of Trustees

Simmons Trustees are the ultimate fiduciaries of Simmons University. They oversee all of Simmons's institutional affairs in accordance with the University's charter, bylaws, evolving statements of mission and purpose, and strategic plan.  The Board of Trustees is responsible for governance of the University and for monitoring the implementation of its policies, as distinguished from its day-to-day management or administration, which is the responsibility of the President and other administrative officers of the University.

The President

The President is appointed by the Board of Trustees and is the chief executive officer of the University, responsible for academic and financial administration in accordance with policies established by the Board. Senior vice presidents and vice presidents report to the president. The president acts as a liaison between the Board of Trustees and the faculty, works with members of the Board and the Simmons community to plan and budget for future needs, and fosters an open, collegial environment for faculty, staff, and students. In addition, the president works closely with alumnae/i, business, government, foundations, educational associations, and other external constituencies and ensures that Simmons University plays an active role in Boston-area community relations and higher education on a national level.

Lynn Perry Wooten, a seasoned academic and an expert on organizational development and transformation, became the ninth president of Simmons University on July 1, 2020. She is the first African American to lead the university.

Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership—organizational behavior that reveals and nurtures the highest level of human potential—Dr. Wooten is an innovative leader and prolific author and presenter whose research has informed her work in the classroom and as an administrator. She first joined a university faculty in 1994 and has served in administrative roles since 2008. Dr. Wooten came to Simmons from Cornell University, where she was the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management.

With leadership at the core of her work, Dr. Wooten's research has ranged from an NIH-funded investigation of how leadership can positively alleviate health disparities to leading in a crisis and managing workforce diversity. She is the author of two books, Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion (2016) and Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Before, During, and After a Crisis (2010). Sharing her work at nearly 60 symposia and conferences, she also is the author of nearly 30 journal articles and more than 15 book chapters, as well as managerial monographs and numerous teaching cases.

Dr. Wooten earned a BS in accounting in 1988 from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Historically Black College, where she graduated as valedictorian; an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business in 1990; and a PhD in business administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 1995. She received a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2018.

Starting her career as assistant professor of management at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, Dr. Wooten returned in 1998 to the University of Michigan, where she served on the faculty of the Ross School of Business for nearly 20 years. There she taught undergraduate, graduate, and executive education courses and served as Co-Faculty Director of the Center for Positive Organizations as well as Co-Faculty Director of the Executive Leadership Institute. She became engaged in student life as an associate dean, ultimately serving as Senior Associate Dean for Student and Academic Excellence. She left Michigan in 2017 for the deanship at Cornell.

Provost

Dr. Stephanie Cosner came to Simmons in 2018 as Dean of the College of Social Sciences, Policy and Practice and served in that position until September 2021. The Vice Provost is primarily responsible for the execution of strategic priorities including: the CompleteDegree@Simmons program for adult learners, supported by 2U; the Simmons Experience Program, supported by Gallup; supervision of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and the Career Education Center; establishment of Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification in Leadership; and other priorities as determined by the Provost or other senior leadership and strategic planning. In addition, the Vice Provost collaborates and partners with the Provost and works directly with the Deans and other members of the Provost's staff on, including but not limited to, curricular and personnel issues, on strategic academic plans and policies, and on the effective implementation of the Faculty Policy Manual. Prior to her arrival at Simmons, served as Assistant Dean for the Doctoral Program at the Boston College School of Social Work. Her most recent book was published by Oxford University Press, Innovation From Within: Redefining How Nonprofits Solve Problems (2018). Dr. Cosner graduated cum laude from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, earned her MSW from Columbia University, and a PhD from the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley.

Associate Vice President of Human Resources

J. David Hollinden

Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students

Rae-Anne Butera is the Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students. Dean Butera oversees Residence Life; the Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership and Engagement; Health Promotion and Wellness, which includes the Health Center, Counseling Center, and REEF Student Support Center;  Athletics and Recreation; division-wide operations; student community standards and conduct; and general student support. She holds an Ed.S. in Higher Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a M.S. in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an A.B. in Psychology from Trinity College in Washington, DC.

Vice President of Student Success

Dr. Nakeisha Cody currently serves as the Vice President of Student Success and Diversity. In her role she oversees the Center for Student Success which includes Undergraduate Advising, the Center for Global Education, Writing and Academic Support, Accessibility Services, the Center for Career Education, Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, and the London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice. In addition, her work also includes supporting inclusive excellence at Simmons, through oversight of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Multicultural Center. She holds a PhD in Sociology, and her scholarly work focuses on the intersections of race, class and gender in the labor market.

Vice President of University Real Estate Development and Facilities Management

Laura Brink Pisinski is the Vice President of University Real Estate Development and Facilities Management. Ms Pisinski is overseeing the “One Simmons” campus master plan that involves  major renovation of the academic campus, including the transformation of Lefavour Hall into the University's science facilities, and the building of the 400,000 square foot  Living and Learning Center which will allow the consolidation of our campuses into one modern, accessible, inclusive campus. During 20 years of service to Simmons, Pisinski has held positions across the University including fundraising, Chief of Staff and currently real estate, facilities, and auxiliary services. She holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and a master's degree in communications management from Simmons University.

General Counsel

Gretchen Groggel Ralston is Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Simmons.  She joined the Simmons Office of the General Counsel in 2013, and served as Associate General Counsel from 2017 through February 2022, before being appointed to her current role.  Previously, Ms. Groggel Ralston worked in the San Francisco office of Bingham McCutchen, practicing securities, antitrust, and business litigation.  She also worked in a variety of roles within student affairs at Simmons prior to attending law school.  She has a B.A. from Colby College and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.  During law school, she served as an articles editor for the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, as a member of the Ecology Law Quarterly, and as Co-President of the Boalt Hall Women’s Association.

Associate Provost for Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation

As Associate Provost for Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation, Dr. Kelly Hager provides strategic leadership for the undergraduate and graduate academic programs. She is responsible for oversight of the general education program, academic integrity, and the Honors Program. Dr. Hager serves as thee Academic Liaison Officer to the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE), and she works with the academic units to ensure compliance with our disciplinary accrediting bodies. In the area of assessment, she coordinates with the Center for Faculty Excellence and the academic units to develop and implement assessment strategies. She also works with the Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment and oversees the University's regulatory data filings and submissions. She works closely with the Registrar, Student Affairs, General Counsel, the Center for Student Success, the Center for Faculty Excellence, Enrollment Management, and Admissions.

Dr. Hager previously served as the Interim Dean of the Undergraduate Program, the Director of General Education, the chair of the English and of the Women's & Gender Studies departments and the director of the graduate program in Gender/Cultural Studies. Her research and teaching interests focus on Victorian literature, children's literature, reading practices, and gender history. She is the author of Dickens and the Rise of Divorce: The Failed-Marriage Plot and the Novel Tradition (2010, pb 2017) and  holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Rice University and a PhD in English from the University of California, Irvine.

Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Dr. Leanne Doherty works closely with the Provost and Vice Provost on the development and implementation of academic redesign. She provides strategic leadership on the academic issues and policies impacting on the ground and online faculty. Dr. Doherty collaborates closely with the Registrar, the Director of the Library, and with the Associate Provost for Curriculum, Assessment, and Accreditation, the College Deans, and the academic unit heads regarding university-wide policies and procedures. She also oversees the processes related to faculty recruitment, hiring, development, and retention.

Dr. Doherty works with members of the University Strategy Team to ensure alignment of the academic vision with the University’s strategic plan and mission. She works with the Center for Faculty Excellence to support faculty development in teaching, scholarly work, and service, and with the Office of Sponsored Programs to support faculty research and funding opportunities. Dr. Doherty is a primary liaison between the Provost’s Office and the Faculty Senate. She also supports the development and implementation of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts from the Provost’s Office and the Center for Faculty Excellence. She holds a bachelor’s of arts degree in American Government from Clark University and a PhD in Political Science from Northeastern University.

Dean of the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences 

Dr. Ammina Kothari is the Dean of the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Dr. Kothari's background in media and communications includes extensive academic leadership and research experience – particularly as it relates to AI and implications for journalism. She is adept at developing and implementing cutting-edge undergraduate and graduate curriculum and building industry partnerships.

Previously, Dr. Kothari served as Director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island, where she worked with local media partners to establish scholarship and internship opportunities for students. Under her leadership, the school established the Social Media Research Lab, which allows students to work with industry partners to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. In 2023, Dr. Kothari was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honors society and was selected as a Scripps Howard Leadership Academy Fellow. A dynamic, energetic, and collaborative leader, she impressed the search committee with her leadership experience both at URI and earlier at the Rochester Institute of Technology. At RIT, she served as a program director at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and received the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, RIT's highest honor for tenured faculty. She has demonstrated an active commitment to interdisciplinarity and collaboration in her teaching and research.

Dr. Kothari's scholarship has a global reach and includes research on timely issues, including artificial intelligence and its implications for journalism and communication, social media and its impact on mental health, and issues affecting minority communities in the U.S. and around the world. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Kothari holds a Ph.D. in mass communication, a master's degree in communication and society, and a bachelor's degree in English and print journalism.

Dean of the School of Library and Information Science

Dr. Erdelez is a former Fulbright Scholar and recipient of The Texas Excellence Teaching Award and The ALISE Pratt-Severn Faculty Innovation Award. Her research interests include human information behavior, human-computer interaction, and usability evaluation in online environments. She has been internationally recognized for her pioneering research in the areas of information encountering and opportunistic discovery of information. Her research has received funding from both corporate and government sources including Dell Inc., SBC Communication, Texas State Government, and NSF. She is an active member of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T), where she has served in numerous leadership roles including the chair of the Special Interest Group on Information Seeking and Use (SIG USE) and member of the ASIS&T Board of Directors. 

In 2015, Dr. Erdelez received the Outstanding Contribution to Information Behavior Research Award from SIG USE and also became a member of the SIG USE Academy of Fellows. She currently serves as the chair of the iSchools Organization.

Dean of the School of Management

Dr. Astrid Sheil is the Dean of the School of Management. Dr. Sheil has a passion for women’s-centered business education and a strong vision for how Simmons can leverage its rich history, leadership, and expertise in this area.

A collaborative leader and a creative thinker, Dr. Sheil has expertise in a variety of key areas – including fundraising and philanthropy and the development of creative enrollment strategies that include non-traditional and first-gen students, partnerships with local community colleges, and speed-to-complete programs, among others. She brings a unique perspective to Simmons and is deeply committed to diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion.   For the past five years, Dr. Sheil has served as Dean of Shenandoah University’s School of Business, where she led all aspects related to that school’s operations, strategic planning, communications, fundraising, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She also guided Shenandoah University’s business faculty through a dynamic re-envisioning of the institution’s undergraduate and graduate curricula – considering everything from purpose and mission, to content, assessment, and delivery modes – to create a student-centric, future-focused business school skilled in offering pathways to 21st century careers.
 
Dr. Sheil also has extensive private sector experience. She previously served as president of Sheil & Associates, providing strategic communication, public relations, and project management services to a variety of government, academic, and private sector clients. In addition, she worked in various roles for Kemira Oyj and Resolute Forest Products.

Dean of the School of Nursing

Before advancing to the role of an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), she served as a Registered Nurse (RN) in diverse fields, including Home Health & Hospice, High-Risk Maternal Child Health, Public Health, Pediatrics, and NICU. Her diverse experience extends to the development of a PACE program without walls in Vermont, as well as establishing worksite wellness centers across the United States. Dr. Shlosser also held leadership positions as the Director of Public Health and within a Home Health and Hospice organization.

Dr. Shlosser has taught and held leadership roles in higher education for over 15 years. She has developed several PMHNP Master's programs and consulted on the development and revision of FNP and DNP programs. She is passionate about trauma informed curriculum and interprofessional healthcare education.

Dr. Shlosser holds an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts from Greenfield Community College, a BSN from the Elms College, a MSN from Frontier Nursing University, a Post Master's Certificate from the University of Virginia and a Doctorate from the University of Virginia. She is currently working on Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Leadership. She is an ELAN Leadership Fellow with the American Associations of Colleges of Nursing.

Dean of the School of Sciences and Health Professions

Dr. Geisler was a certified and licensed athletic trainer from 1987-2023, gaining valuable clinical experience working in various clinical settings in 4 states. Dr. Geisler has worked as a volunteer Athletic Trainer for the 1988 McDonalds International Gymnastics Cup, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. As an early innovator in golf medicine, health and performance programs, Dr. Geisler founded the HealthSouth Sports for Golf program in Orlando, FL, rising to the National Director of HealthSouth Sports where he developed and implemented nationwide sports performance and injury prevention programs throughout the company for golf, tennis, baseball, and soccer athletes and patients.

After 20 years of varied clinical work in athletic training and sports performance, Dr. Geisler entered academia as an educator and administrator at Georgia Southern University in 1998 to lead and develop the AT education program, successfully attaining initial accreditation and building the blocks for the program that excels today, and earning his doctorate degree in education. In 2006, he moved onto Ithaca College to direct the nationally renowned AT education program where he earned tenure and professor rank while leading the program to greater heights and accomplishments, including an 11-year first time national board exam pass rate streak. He earned four faculty excellence awards from the Dean and College for his accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, service and DEI initiatives and programmatic excellence. Dr. Geisler is credited with over 180 national and international presentations and publications on a wide range of clinically and educationally based subjects in sports medicine and health professions education. In addition to numerous book chapters, Dr. Geisler has one published book with Peter Lang Publishing, and two of his original manuscripts have won awards from the publishing journals.

Dr. Geisler is a recipient of the Athletic Trainer Service Award, the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, and the Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.He has served as an Associate Editor for Sports Health and the Athletic Training Education Journal. In September of 2021, Dr. Geisler joined Simmons University as the Associate Dean of Health Sciences within the College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences, and in January of 2022, he was appointed Interim Associate Dean of Natural and Behavioral Sciences within the College. In January of 2024, Dr. Geisler was named interim Dean of the School of Sciences and Health Professions at Simmons University.

Dean of the School of Social Work

 

Michael C. LaSala, MSW, PhD is a licensed clinical social worker in three states and is currently the Dean at the School of Social Work at Simmons University. Dean LaSala began his social work career in child welfare, children’s mental health, and family therapy practice, and served in several clinical, supervisory, and agency administrative roles before attaining his Ph.D. and entering the academy. Prior to this position, Dean LaSala had served as Director of the Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) program at Rutgers University for 7 years and Director of their Masters of Social Work (MSW) Program for 6 years. He has also served on the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) task force for the Doctorate of Social Work Accreditation Standards. Dean LaSala has won several awards for innovation in teaching. He is also a recipient of the American Family Therapy Academy’s 2017 Distinguished Contribution to Social Justice Award and has been recognized by Sage Journals as One of the  Most Impactful Contributors to Social Work Journals. He has been a clinical teacher/trainer for over 35 years and has taught family therapy as well as clinical practice with LGBT families nationally as well as in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Italy, and China. His research and clinical specialties are the couple and family relationships of gay men and lesbians and the role of family influences on the sexual behaviors of gay and bisexual youth. Dean LaSala’s first book entitled: Coming Out, Coming Home (Columbia University Press) describes the findings and practice implications of a National Institute of Mental Health funded qualitative study of 65 gay and lesbian youth and their families. He is also the author of the recently published: Clinical Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups: The Power of Healing Relationships (Routledge). Other examples of Professor LaSala’s work can be found in over 30 journal articles. Dean LaSala has maintained an active presence on social media and his social work related posts can be found on Facebook:  Michael C. LaSala, Ph.D., LCSW; Twitter: @MichaelLaSala11; and Instagram: drmichaellasala. Other examples of Professor LaSala’s work can be found in his blog for Psychology Today (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gay-and-lesbian-well-being).