Staff - Office of the Dean of the Faculty

Interim Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Biology

Deborah Eastman, Professor of Biology at Connecticut College, is Interim Dean of the Faculty and Chief Academic Officer. The highest-ranking officer after the president, the Dean of the Faculty is responsible for providing academic leadership for the College and its faculty.

daeas@conncoll.edu Phone: (860) 439-2445

Faculty Profile

Interim Associate Dean of the Faculty for Faculty Affairs, Dayton Professor of Dance

The Associate Dean of the Faculty for Faculty Affairs (ADoFA) focuses on the roles of the faculty as teacher-scholars and community members.  They hire, onboard and support visiting and adjunct faculty, oversee the organization and work of departments, programs and centers, coordinate faculty development and mentoring programs, liaise with the Athletics Department on Head Coach promotions, and manage sharing of faculty accolades.  They manage internal and external funding opportunities, liaise with the Committee on Faculty Compensation on internal competitive funding and sabbatical requests and faculty awards, and collaborate with the Office of Retention and Success on programming and actions that support cultures of learning and reflexivity across academic departments. 

A member of the Connecticut College faculty since 2007,  Professor Roberts, the Dayton Professor of Dance, is a dance studies scholar, dance practitioner, and social psychologist.  She blends history, dance, and theater to conduct social psychological and anthropological investigations of Afro-diasporic dance as embodiments of difference, knowledge, and resistive power. Her 2022 book, 'Baring Unbearable Sensualities:  Hip Hop Dance, Bodies, Race and Power’' was a finalist for two awards from the Dance Studies Association: the De la Torre Bueno book award and the Oscar G. Brockett research award.  This past year she published a chapter, Remembering and Dancing with/in the Presence of Ghosts in Black Social Dance: Geographies of Freedom, and restaged Liberation Yearnings, for the Fall '25 Dance Department Show.  Professor Roberts has been a certified faculty development workshop facilitator and individual coach for the NCFDD for more than 10 years, and was recognized this past year with the 2025 NCFDD Coach Excellence Award. She also served as the Dance Studies Association President for two years. Professor Roberts teaches Afro-Diasporic dance techniques and traditions, dance history, and Hip Hop theory and performance. 

rrobert1@conncoll.edu Phone: (860) 439-2388

Faculty Profile

Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs, Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies

The ADoAA focuses on supporting faculty work related to the curriculum. They coordinate and monitor course schedules, teaching loads, and course enrollments as well as the Connections general education program and Summer Courses program. They collaborate with the Office of Institutional Research on annual curricular assessment, and oversee department, program and center self-studies and visiting committees. The ADoAA chairs the academic calendar committee, serves as the DoF representative on the Academic and Administrative Procedures Committee, the Commencement Committee and serves as a participating member of the Educational Planning Committee. The ADoAA liaises with the Academic Resource Center and Office of Admissions regarding prospective student programming.

Professor Jones studies how plants colonize new areas. He has studied plant colonization following a broad array of disturbances ranging from volcanic eruptions and the retreat of glaciers to gopher mounds in mountain meadows. His current work focuses on understanding why some forests have more invasive plants than others, and how the age and land-use history of forests impact invasion patterns. A second major professional interest relates to holistic sustainability - understanding how environmental issues and solutions are interwoven with social justice and economics. 

Chad teaches courses in environmental studies, plant systematics, plant ecology, sustainability, and ecological restoration.

cjones8@conncoll.edu Phone: (860) 439-2304

Faculty Profile

Director of Faculty Operations and Secretary to the Faculty

Amanda provides executive level administrative support to the Dean of the Faculty.  She supports the Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure (CAPT) and the Committee on Academic Affairs of the Board of Trustees.  She manages endowed chair appointments with the Dean of the Faculty and CAPT, and she supports the Dean of the Faculty on Department Chair, Center Director, and Program Director appointments.  Amanda executes special projects for the Dean of the Faculty and provides administrative office support to the Associate Deans of the Faculty on projects including faculty office assignments and academic assistant searches and hiring. She works as a liaison between the department academic assistants (FASTeam) and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. 

As Secretary to the Faculty, Amanda provides administrative support for faculty governance to faculty committees, including the Faculty Steering and Conference Committee (FSCC).  She organizes and staffs faculty meetings and faculty-staff meetings, in addition to other faculty committee meetings; she records legislative and curricular changes in IFF: Information for Faculty, Administrators and Trustees, maintains the “pink sheet”, and she manages the committee roster and membership on and distribution to the faculty lists/listservs.

abarnes@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2870

Budget Manager and Academic Grant Liaison

Deb oversees all aspects of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty operations budget, restricted funds, endowed chair funds, start-up funds, research funds, faculty and staff salary budgets, and institutional grants that fall under the purview of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty division. She works closely with all areas of the Dean of the Faculty division on budget management for operating and restricted fund use. She approves PCard and CTW OneSource transactions on behalf of the Dean of the Faculty and supports the Associate Dean of the Faculty and the Committee on Faculty Compensation (CFC) on review and approvals for Research Matters, RF Johnson, and Faculty Student Engagement funds. Deb will also be providing budget management support for institutional academic grants.

ddupuis@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2013

Faculty Hiring Specialist

LaRonda serves as our dedicated Human Resources Specialist and primary liaison to both the Human Resources and Payroll departments. She plays a vital role in supporting our department’s personnel processes, ensuring compliance with university policies and procedures. She oversees all aspects of faculty hiring and onboarding, working closely with new and returning faculty to facilitate a smooth and timely integration into the department. She also manages faculty stipends and coordinates with Payroll to ensure accurate and timely compensation. In her role, LaRonda provides guidance on HR-related matters, including job postings, contract processing, personnel records, and policy interpretation. Her expertise ensures that our department maintains operational efficiency and supports the well-being of our faculty and staff.

levans3@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2080

Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty

Lexa manages calendars for the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Faculty Affairs and the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Affairs.  Lexa provides general administrative support to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty as well as support with special projects.  She leads project management initiatives and coordinates events including Endowed Chair dinners, Faculty@Work, the annual Faculty Recognition event, and the retiree reception.  Lexa also supports Visiting Committee logistics, provides office reception and makes a mean latte.

areinhart@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2030