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Dr. Mary Held Named Assistant Dean for the Nashville Campus

Dr. Mary Held has been named the first Assistant Dean for the Nashville Campus beginning June 1, 2021.

In her time as faculty and then MSSW Program Director, Held has provided leadership, mentorship, and support for faculty, staff, and students in the Nashville area and will maintain and further develop the climate, culture, and infrastructure of the Nashville Campus. She will stay on as Director of the Nashville MSSW program, which is complementary to this new role.

Additionally, in the new role, Held will serve as a member of the Dean’s Leadership Team representing Nashville campus student, faculty, and staff issues/concerns, will identify needs and work to develop solutions to enhance campus climate and well-being for Nashville faculty, staff, and students, will provide information and data appropriate to the decision-making needs of the campus, and among other things, will provide day-to-day supervision to the lead campus staff member and coordinate the campus Leadership Team meetings.

“With Associate Dean Sherry Cummings retiring this summer, I knew that we would need to transition the leadership of the Nashville campus,” said Dean Lori Messinger. “I met with Nashville faculty and staff in spring, who expressed their desire for a leader located in Nashville. Based on their input, I created a position of Assistant Dean for the Nashville Campus, and after working with Sherry on the job description and conferring with both Nashville-based program directors, I am so pleased to announce that Dr. Mary Held will take on this important responsibility. I am excited to have Mary leading on the Nashville campus as we move into the next year.”