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Fall 2026 Leadership Appointments

July 06, 2026 ARHU2 | Arts for All | Classics | College of Arts and Humanities | Communication | Digital Cultures & Creativity | English | Honors Humanities | Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies | Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture | The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

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The College of Arts and Humanities announces new leadership appointments.

Dean Stephanie Shonekan is pleased to announce the following new leadership appointments within the College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU).

Lee Konstantinou is serving as chair of the Department of English, effective July 1, 2026.

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Konstantinou is an academic leader who articulated a compelling vision for excellence, creativity and equity in English. He came to Maryland in 2012 having completed a Ph.D. in English from Stanford University in 2009 and serving as a postdoctoral fellow at both Princeton and Stanford. For the past two years, Konstantinou has served as the director of undergraduate studies in English and brings a compelling scholarly record of achievement, a nascent record of academic leadership, and a clear vision for the future of the department.

Charles E. Morris III is serving as chair of the Department of Communication, effective July 1, 2026.

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Morris comes to Maryland from Syracuse University, where he taught for 13 years, serving as chair of the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies for seven years. He received his Ph.D. in 1998 from The Pennsylvania State University and taught for several years at Denison University, Vanderbilt University and Boston College before moving to Syracuse. Morris is the co-founding editor of QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking and is a National Communication Association (NCA) Distinguished Scholar—he is also a three-time recipient of NCA’s Golden Anniversary Monograph Award and was the 2021 recipient of the Douglas W. Ehninger Distinguished Rhetorical Scholar Award. Morris brings an extensive scholarly record of achievement and an established record of academic leadership to the department.

Ryan Knapp is serving as facilities administrator, effective July 27, 2026.

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Knapp is a leader who combines exceptional operational expertise with a people-centered approach. He previously served as the director of operations at UMD’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, supporting events, performances and key initiatives for 17 years. In his new role, he will work with the college’s academic and administrative leaders to plan and oversee improvements to facilities, capital projects, operational planning, compliance and safety initiatives.

 

Additional Leadership Announcements

Eric Adler has been reappointed as chair of the Department of Classics.

Neda Atanasoski has been reappointed chair of the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Neel Ahuja has been named the interim chair of the department for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Quint Gregory has been named the director of the Museum Scholarship and Material Culture (MSMC) certificate program.

Maxine Grossman has been reappointed as director of the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies.

Craig Kier has been reappointed as the executive director of the Arts for All initiative.

Carla Della Gatta has been appointed as director of Honors Humanities.

Antwon Key has been appointed director of Design Cultures & Creativity.

Please join Dean Shonekan in congratulating these new leaders in ARHU. She extends her thanks and appreciation to Amanda Bailey, who served as chair of the Department of English for 10 years, and Shawn Parry-Giles, who served as chair of the Department of Communication for 10 and a half years.