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As we look ahead to the new academic year, BCAS is pleased to announce the appointments of several colleagues who will assume new leadership roles within the College.
Dr. Heather Walter
Associate Dean for Student Success
Dean's Office
Dr. Dimitria Gatzia
Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Dr. Gary Holliday
Director, LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education
Dr. Jutta Luettmer-Strathmann
Chair, Department of Physics
Dr. Todd Gaffke
Interim Director, School of Music and School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration
Dr. Galen Karriker
Interim Associate Director, School of Music and School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration
Dr. Amber Ferris, Professor
Interim Director, School of Communication
Dr. Camelly Cruz-Martes
Interim Chair, Department of Modern Languages
Dr. Heather Walter, Professor and Director
Associate Dean for Student Success
Dr. Walter has been director of School of Communication since 2017 and has been teaching at UA since 1999. Her research interests are in organizational communication, conflict management, health communication.
Dr. Dimitria Gatzia, Professor
Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Dr. Gatzia joins the Dean’s Leadership team as its newest fellow for DEIB. She has been teaching at UA since 2007. Her area of specialization is in philosophy of mind and cognitive neuroscience.
Dr. Gary Holliday, Professor and Assistant Director
Director, LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education
Dr. Holliday has served as the School's assistant director since 2021 and had been with UA since 2011, teaching science education in the Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies.
Dr. Jutta Luettmer-Strathmann, Professor and Interim Chair
Chair, Department of Physics
Dr. Luettmer-Strathmann was named interim chair of the department in 2023. She has been with UA since 1998, with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry since 2000.
Dr. Todd Gaffke, Associate Professor
Interim Director, School of Music and School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration
Dr. Gaffke has been at UA since 2013 as an associate professor of saxophone in the School of Music. He is also a performer, appearing as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Europe.
Dr. Galen Karriker, Professor
Interim Associate Director, School of Music and School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration
Dr. Karriker serves as the Director of Bands in the School of Music and has been at UA for 25 years. Most recently he was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and is active as a guest conductor and clinician.
Dr. Amber Ferris, Associate Professor
Interim Director, School of Communication
Dr. Ferris, who joined UA in 2013, takes on the role of interim director. Her research interests are in social media and the areas of media uses and effects.
Dr. Camelly Cruz-Martes, Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair
Interim Chair, Department of Modern Languages
Dr. Cruz-Martes had been assistant chair of the department since 2023. She has been with UA since 2021 and remains the director of the department’s Advanced Spanish for Health Professions and First Responders program.