Top 10 Academic Deans - 2026

For Stephanie Stephens, academic leadership begins with a question beyond grades, test scores, and college admissions: What kind of person will a student become? As Academic Dean at Woodward Academy, Stephens approaches education as preparation for participation in society. Her vision places intellectual development alongside compassion, community, and judgment.

At South College’s Knoxville campus, Dr. Melanie Yerk serves as Dean of Academic and Student Services. Her work centers on student engagement, retention and support, with a student-first approach to academic decisions and the services helping learners progress toward graduation.

Dean of Academics at the U.S. Naval War College, Doyle Hodges, PhD, is a scholar of civil-military relations, maritime and defense strategy and national security ethics. A retired naval officer, he commanded a guided missile destroyer and a salvage ship.

Matt Garcia, PhD, is an Academic Dean at Red Rocks Community College, where his work includes trades and adult education. He began at the college supporting student scholarships through foundation work, then pursued education roles before returning as a dean.

With a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Kendra Brinkley serves as Dean of the School of STEM at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. She is listed among the college’s deans, connecting her engineering background with postsecondary STEM education.

Dean (Dino) Laury, Ed.D., is a higher education executive at Monroe Community College whose interests include academic and workforce strategy, career and technical education, program growth and AI innovation. His experience includes work at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.

At SKEMA Business School, Konstantin Krotov serves as an academic dean and professor. He previously led the Graduate School of Management at St. Petersburg University, where his work included developing programs. He holds a PhD in Marketing from that university.

Denise Cabrera, PhD, is Language Immersion Program Academic Dean at Largo High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She began as a Spanish immersion teacher, worked as a reading specialist and teacher, and completed a doctorate in curriculum and teaching.

James (Jim) Rabchuk, PhD, is Dean of STEM at Oakton College. A physicist, he taught physics and served as assistant dean at Western Illinois University’s Quad Cities campus. He earned his doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois Chicago.

At Trine University, Darrin Wilcox, PhD, is dean of Jannen School of Arts and Sciences and an assistant professor. Before academia, he spent 12 years policing and earned a doctorate in public policy and administration with a criminal justice emphasis.