Thomas More University has named three individuals to fill newly established dean positions for three new colleges. Shelby Thacker, Ph.D., Angela Crawford, Ph.D., and Kimberly Haverkos, Ph.D. are now deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, and College of Education and Health Sciences.

Thomas More’s transition to university necessitated a new organizational structure of three distinct colleges and one new Institute for Ethical Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Crawford, founding dean of the College of Business, earned her doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University, and a bachelor’s degree of business administration from the University of Cincinnati. Crawford teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the areas of strategy, innovation, marketing, and management at TMU. Her research focuses across disciplines on the topic of igniting passion within people. Within the community, she serves as a hospice volunteer for Bluegrass Care Navigators, and a WE Lead Coach for the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.

Haverkos, founding dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences, earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in biology and a Master of Education in science education from the University of Cincinnati. She joined Thomas More’s Education Department in the fall of 2012 after receiving her doctorate from Miami University, where her dissertation work explored girls’ attitudes and behaviors around “going green” and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Her areas of research and teaching continue to focus on STEM education and cultural studies. Haverkos also teaches in the graduate and undergraduate programs in the Education Department.

Thacker, founding dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, earned his doctorate in Spanish literature from the University of Kentucky. His dissertation focused on the Spanish Regenerationist Essay of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thacker is presently working on a multimodal and intertextual anthology of Spanish for American undergraduate students. He has been at Thomas More since July. Prior to arriving at TMU, he was a Spanish professor and chair of the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages at Asbury University.

“I am thrilled to welcome Crawford, Haverkos, and Thacker to the Academic Affairs leadership team,” said Acting Provost Maria Garriga, Ph.D.  “We’re looking forward to streamlined, yet robust, interactions between the colleges to better serve the students at TMU. Each dean will strengthen the curriculum, focus on student support, and contribute to community and inclusion.”

Each dean’s appointment was effective Oct. 1, 2018.