Sullivan named NSFA associate dean

Portrait of Susan Sullivan
Sue Sullivan

Susan Sullivan has been named associate dean for academics of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture at the University of Maine, succeeding George Criner on Aug. 1. Criner, who served as associate dean for six years, will return to his faculty position following a leave of absence.

“Dr. Sullivan has an established record as a successful administrator and academic program leader at the University of Maine,” says Mario Teisl, interim dean of the college and interim director of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station. 

“Her career here is a testament to her commitment to the foundation of our programseducation through service and real-world experience. I am immensely grateful to have someone with her experience lead the college’s undergraduate programs during such a dynamic time for higher education.”

Sullivan has been a member of the UMaine since 1998. She is currently serving her eighth year as associate director of the School of Food and Agriculture, and directed the Didactic Program in Dietetics and served as coordinator of the undergraduate food science and human nutrition program for 15 years. Sullivan teaches foundational and advanced undergraduate courses in human nutrition and dietetics. 

She holds a Doctor of Science in Nutrition from Boston University and has conducted research on vitamin D deficiency, nutrition care for organ transplant and AIDS patients, and service learning opportunities for dietetics students. Prior to coming to UMaine, Sullivan was a clinical dietitian at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Criner has been a faculty member at UMaine since 1983 and has served as associate dean since 2015. Prior to his current appointment, he was director of the School of Economics for 13 years. While at UMaine, Criner conducted research on microeconomic applications, including short-term forecasting, and cost and profitability analysis for small businesses in the dairy, waste management and maple syrup industries.