Dr. Janet Powell, a higher education leader with a background in education and health professions, will join The University of Toledo to serve as interim dean of the College of Nursing.
Powell’s appointment is effective July 3. She succeeds Dr. Linda Lewandowski who announced in May her decision to move on from her position as dean.
Powell
“Linda has been an advocate for the College of Nursing since she joined UToledo in 2017 and I appreciate her leadership of not only our nursing programs, but also UToledo’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and wellness initiatives on our campuses,” said Risa Dickson, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I also want to welcome Dr. Powell to UToledo and look forward to the perspective she will bring to our campus from her years of experience throughout her distinguished career.”
Powell retired in 2018 after an accomplished nearly 28-year career at California State University San Marcos serving as dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services, associate vice president for faculty affairs and professor.
During her five years as dean, she led the School of Education, School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences and Human Services, which housed the departments of Kinesiology, Human Development, Speech/Language Pathology and Social Work.
“I look forward to working with the faculty and staff in the College of Nursing during the upcoming transitional year,” Powell said. “In the six years of working with nursing programs, I have learned how much these dedicated and compassionate professionals share my passion for student success. I hope to be an effective advocate for the college internally and externally.”
After she retired, Powell served one year as interim dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at York College of Pennsylvania.
Earlier in her career, Powell was a professor at Ball State University and an elementary education teacher.
She has three degrees from Indiana University: a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, master’s degree in language education and a doctorate in language education.
