Meet the deans, greet the deans

Seven new deans joined VCU between July 2020 and April 2023. They include a gamer, a former ballerina, a thespian and two amateur bakers. All answered our nosy questions, giving us a glimpse into who they are beyond their CVs.

Naomi Boyd, Ph.D., School of Business

What’s your hidden talent?

Pirouettes! I have a B.F.A. in dance from the University of Texas at Austin and spent my first career as a ballerina.

What do most people not know about you?

I was born in Guatemala and lived there until I was almost 3.

What’s the top item on your bucket list?

Taking my son on a mom-son trip to Ireland. We had planned to go in 2020 before he started high school and were unable to because of COVID. It’s important to both of us to make sure he has the experience before he leaves for college.

What’s your favorite Richmond restaurant?

Lunch.Supper! in Scott’s Addition — great cocktails and great brunch!

What book character do you identify with?

Laura Ingalls from “Little House on the Prairie.”

K.C. Ogbonna, Pharm.D. (M.S.H.A.’17), School of Pharmacy

What motto guides you?

My parents came over from Nigeria with very little other than the expectation that education could transform their lives and the lives of their family. Their central mantra is that limits are set by those who lack imagination.

What’s your hidden talent?

My wife is going to disagree with this, but I would say singing.

What’s your favorite Richmond restaurant?

Demi’s Mediterranean Kitchen. People talk about Stella’s first, but Demi’s is right up there. Triple Crossing is my favorite brewery. I’m an IPA guy.

Lyndon Cooper, D.D.S., Ph.D., School of Dentistry

What’s the top item on your bucket list?

I’d like to see parts of the world where civilization(s) emerged.

What was your favorite subject in school?

I was a history major in college and really enjoyed the history of science. The characters are both interesting and inspiring. Isaac Newton is a very complex individual, sitting on the cusp of modern science. While contributing greatly to our understanding of calculus, astronomy and gravity, he also embraced alchemy. The complexity of his genius is difficult for me to fully appreciate.

What’s your superpower?

Convincing my lovely wife to be married to me. I’ve been married for 35 years. Sometimes you just get lucky!

Irene Herold, Ph.D., VCU Libraries

What’s your hidden talent?

Baking.

What’s something most people don’t know about you

I sang with the Bainbridge Light Opera Company while in high school and as an adult performed in community theater in the United States and Germany. Favorite roles were Adelaide in “Guy and Dolls,” and Lucy in a production of “Snoopy.”

What book character do you most identify with?

Lessa from the “Dragonriders of Pern” series.

What’s your favorite way to unwind?

Knitting while watching movies. Going for walks along the James River, where one has nature in the heart of the city.

Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., School of Medicine

What was your favorite subject in school?

Math. It’s fascinating that we try to understand the infinite set of numbers while forgetting that an equally interesting complexity exists between any two whole digits.

What’s the top item on your bucket list?

Visiting Antarctica!

What book character do you most identify with?

I am intrigued by Ram Mohammad Thomas, in the book “Q & A” by Vikas Swarup [later a movie, “Slumdog Millionaire”] — a good man who has to explain how life has taught him the most important lessons around kindness, interpersonal relationships and success.

Scott Breuninger, Ph.D., Honors College

What’s your superpower?

Baking cakes.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I only ski in the Swiss Alps. (Since I have only gone skiing once. And it was in the Swiss Alps.)

What’s your hidden talent?

Telling bad dad jokes.

What book character do you identify with?

Samwise Gamgee, the unsung hero of “Lord of the Rings.” Through his actions and dedication, other characters are able to achieve their goals and dreams.

Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D., School of the Arts

What was your favorite subject in school?

Chemistry. I liked the certainty of the math but also the wonder of what could be arrived at when mixing things together. I guess I enjoyed that balance of the rational and the unexpected.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I have a black belt in taekwondo.

What’s your favorite way to unwind?

It’s a tie between reading and gaming on the PS5. I am pretty busy nowadays, so I spend my time finishing games I started quite a while ago: the latest “Assassin’s Creed,” “Miles Morales: Spider-Man.” (Sadly, I’m not that great at first-person shooters like “Call of Duty,” and those players are crazy intense!) I also am revisiting games I used to play in the arcade back in the day, like “Galaga.” That one is still addictive and frustrating.