C+ V Community Leadership Conversation with Dean Gonzales and Dean Sabick

At DU, we believe in the power of human connection and creating space to grow together. We also recognize that our fast-paced world does not always allow us time to slow down and engage in meaningful ways. To that end, we invite you to take a break in your day and join us in getting to know some incredible new leaders in the DU community.  

In C+V’s upcoming Community Leadership Conversation, Provost Mary Clark will moderate a conversation with Dr. Rhonda M. Gonzales, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Dr. Michelle Sabick, dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science. They will share their passions, their journey to the University of Denver, and what makes them who they are.

Watch this recording for an authentic conversation with some incredible leaders and catalysts for change on DU's campus!

Featuring DU Community Panelists:

Dr. Rhonda M. Gonzales (she/ella)
Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Dean Rhonda M. Gonzales leads the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. Dr. Gonzales’ areas of research and teaching expertise include African and African diaspora history, specifically the history of East Africa and the early Atlantic slave trade to Mexico. She has been PI or co-PI on grants totaling more than $11 million to support student success, research and justice initiatives. She is an advocate for the advancement of women and staff professionals and is deeply committed to the success of women of color within the history profession and beyond.

Dr. Michelle Sabick
Dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, Wife, and Mom of two

Dr. Michelle Sabick assumed the role of Dean of the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver in March of 2021. Dr. Sabick earned a BSE degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and MS and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa. Before moving to academia, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic and worked as an upper extremity biomechanics researcher at the Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation in Vail, CO.
   
Throughout her career, Sabick has been passionate about improving undergraduate engineering education. She is highly involved in efforts to transform STEM teaching practices through mentoring faculty members as they adopt high-impact instructional practices in their courses. Dr. Sabick’s research areas are orthopedic biomechanics and sports medicine. Her primary focus is on how highly ballistic human movements affect the joints of the upper extremity. She has published extensively on the biomechanics of baseball pitching. She is a Past-President of the American Society of Biomechanics and co-chairs the Undergraduate Experience Committee of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE).