Melissa Haswell holds a B.S. in biology and has completed two master’s degrees in

Health Promotion and Ecology/Conservation Biology. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in biology education and higher education administration. She has 19 years of experience in STEM education that emphasizes case-based teaching, course-based undergraduate research experiences, and inclusive teaching practices.  From 2008-2021, she was an associate professor in the science department at Davenport University, where she took various biology courses and studied the genetic literacy of nursing students.  Currently she is the Associate Dean of Science and Mathematics at Delta College. Her primary responsibilities as Associate Dean include faculty mentoring and evaluation; ensuring student success in degree completion and transfer; and program development and evaluation.  As Associate Dean, Melissa works with faculty to incorporate course-based undergraduate research and civic engagement into biology, chemistry, and geology courses.