The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences welcomes 14 new leaders

A lineup of 14 new faculty administrators, including chairs, directors and a dean, have begun their tenure at The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University.

“The College is fortunate to be the home of so many incredible faculty and staff who embody our mission of educating the next generation of changemakers and lead innovative research initiatives that improve communities on a local, national and global scale,” said Kenro Kusumi, The College’s dean and senior vice provost of Arizona State University. “I look forward to seeing what our new leaders will accomplish in their various roles.”

As the academic heart of ASU, The College fosters educational excellence across 21 academic units and over 50 research centers and institutes in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences divisions.

Get to know the newest leaders for fall 2025 below.

Interim director, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Arrowsmith was recently named as the interim chair of the School of Earth and Space Exploration. He came to ASU in 1995 and teaches a range of topics, including geology, structural geology and geomorphology. He has over 35 years of experience studying subjects such as earthquake geology and is the co-founder and co-principal investigator of the OpenTopography effort — a portal to the largest collection of freely available high-resolution topography data.

Director, School of International Letters and Cultures

Beaudrie was recently named the director of the School of International Letters and Cultures. She has been at ASU for 14 years and is a professor of Spanish linguistics. She previously served as the school’s associate director of administration, director of the Spanish Heritage Language Program and the director of graduate studies. Beaudrie’s expertise surrounds subjects ranging from heritage language pedagogy and bilingualism to critical approaches to heritage language education.

Director, Center for American Civics

Carrese was named director of the Center for American Civics this past July. Previously serving as the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership’s founding director from 2016 to 2023, he teaches and studies the American founding, American constitutional and political thought, civic education and American grand strategy. His upcoming book, “Teaching America: Reflective Patriotism in Schools, College, and Culture,” is set to be released in 2026.

Dean of natural sciences, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Cox began as The College’s newest dean of natural sciences this past May. He comes from Georgia State University with a background in developmental neurogenetics and behavioral neurobiology, and has an extensive resume in advancing academic excellence and overseeing record-breaking research funding. He has held director roles at GSU’s Center for Neuromics, the Neuroscience Institute, the Second Century Initiative Neurogenomics Fellowship program and the Brains & Behavior program, among others.

His vision includes developing new graduate programs, increasing student engagement in accelerated degree programs and using professional development training to further connect students to a range of career opportunities.

Interim director, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication

Guerrero has been named the interim director of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication for the 2025–26 academic year. She joined the ASU community in 1996, and her expertise is in communication within close relationships with a focus on emotional and nonverbal communication. She has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar by the Western States Communication Association and included in Stanford University’s list of the top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide.

Director, The Asia Center

Hedberg became the director of The Asia Center this past May. Joining ASU in 2015, Hedberg has researched the literature and culture of early modern Japan, including Japanese literary relations with China, translation studies and travel literature in premodern and modern East Asia. He hopes to invite new affiliates and reach new audiences by demonstrating how the center’s research impacts conversations on a university and state level.

Interim director, School of Social Transformation

Kuo is the new interim director of the School of Social Transformation. Her research surrounds literary and cinematic studies as well as social and cultural theories. Kuo has been working on two projects, including an edited anthology on Taiwanese Americans, “Remembering the Beautiful Island: Critically Considering Transnational Taiwanese/America,” and a monograph on Asian American women and reproduction. She primarily teaches courses in the humanities and social sciences that include Asian American culture, history and experiences along with U.S. ethnic studies and literature.

Director, Spatial Analysis Research Center

Li was recently announced as the new director of the Spatial Analysis Research Center (SPARC). Li brings an extensive background in GIScience — an intersection of cyberinfrastructure, big data and geospatial artificial intelligence — to further advance the center’s initiatives. She hopes to expand SPARC’s global leadership in spatial science and drive community solutions through GeoAI and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Director, Jewish Studies

Mirvis was recently named director of ASU Jewish Studies. A professor from the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, he focuses his research on the social history of Jews in the early modern Atlantic and issues of Diasporic and Creole identity. Since joining the ASU community in 2018, he has also held the position of Harold and Jean Grossman Chair of Jewish Studies.

Director, Teotihuacan Research Laboratory

Morehart, who came to ASU in 2013, is the new director of the Teotihuacan Research Laboratory at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. He is an anthropological archaeologist who works primarily in Mesoamerica and has been the principal investigator for the Northern Basin of Mexico Historical Ecology Project, which has carried out archaeological surveys, excavations, and ecological and paleoecological research in central Mexico.

Director, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics

Russell joined ASU as the new director of the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics this fall. Previously serving in leadership roles at institutions including the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Arizona, Russell brings an expertise in adolescent development and exploring how family dynamics and broader social environments shape the way adolescents learn and grow.

Director, Center for Bioarchaeological Research

Stojanowski was named director of the Center for Bioarchaeological Research. Stojanowski is a bioarchaeologist and professor who uses information from ancient sites to reconstruct the lives of past peoples, focusing on the Holocene skeletal record of the New World and Africa. Since coming to ASU in 2005, he has worked in numerous leadership positions, including serving as the previous director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change from 2020 to 2023.

Director, Center for Evolution and Medicine

Stone was named director of the Center for Evolution and Medicine earlier this year. She is an anthropological geneticist and Regents Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and has been a core faculty member within the center. Her specialties include anthropological genetics, researching population history and understanding how humans and great apes have adapted to their environments, including their disease and dietary environments.

Interim chair, Department of Physics

Vachaspati is the new interim chair of the Department of Physics. He originally came to ASU in 2010 as a professor of physics and the director of the cosmology initiative. As a theoretical physicist, he works in particle physics, astrophysics, general relativity and cosmology. Vachaspati has also made advances in the study of cosmological inflation, black holes and magnetic monopoles, and has authored the monograph "Kinks and Domain Walls: An introduction to classical and quantum solitons.”