New year brings promotions for Mandel School faculty and staff

A series of faculty and staff advancements at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences have accompanied the start of 2026, reflecting the school’s continued investment in academic excellence, leadership and community impact.

Effective this year and into the coming summer, several Mandel School faculty and staff members will step into new and expanded roles. These appointments and promotions recognize outstanding contributions in scholarship, teaching, research, service and administrative leadership, while positioning

the school to advance its mission in education, research and social change.

With her outstanding contributions to the Mandel School through scholarship, teaching, leadership and service, Jennifer King, PhD, has been promoted to associate professor. She serves as co-director of the Center for Trauma and Adversity and is a nationally recognized expert in trauma-informed practice, widely known for translating research into effective, community-centered interventions. 

Rob Fischer, PhD, the Grace Longwell Coyle Professor in Civil

Society, will take on the role of vice dean for academic and faculty affairs starting July 1. Fischer has been a distinguished member of the Case Western Reserve University community for 25 years and consistently demonstrates integrity, strategic leadership and a deep commitment to collaboration and shared governance. His three years of service as chair of the Mandel School’s Faculty Steering Committee, his long service as chair of the MNO program—along with his leadership on a standing committee of the University Faculty Senate—reflect both his readiness for advanced leadership and his ability to translate experiences into meaningful institutional impact. 

Liliane Windsor, PhD, a distinguished scholar and the Lillian F. Harris Professor of Social Work, will assume the role of associate dean for research, training and doctoral education on July 1 for a two-year term. She has an exceptional record of scholarly productivity, mentorship and securing federal funding. Throughout her career, Windsor has mentored students at all levels—particularly those from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds—supporting their success in publishing, securing funding, and pursuing doctoral and tenure-track faculty pathways. In her prior role as associate dean for research at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she provided extensive leadership in research development and dissemination for both students and faculty. 

Jeff Iciek begins the new year with a promotion from associate director of field education to director.

Iciek leads the department with more than eight years of experience in field education and has been involved with many core initiatives including the realignment of field courses across formats, revision of the field manual, coordinating the field placement process and the training and support of field instructors.