Dr. Amanda Fales-Williams, professor in veterinary pathology, was named the interim chair of the Department of Veterinary Pathology. The previous department chair, Dr. Joe Haynes, stepped down from the position he had occupied since 2011.

“I have a lot of loyalty to this department, this has been my academic home since I came here as a brand new veterinarian, this is where I got my [doctorate], this is where I did my residency, this is where I started as a faculty,” Fales-Williams said. “So I’m willing and very eager to try and provide leadership as needed to this department, I figure I owe them that much after they’ve basically raised me and put up with me.”

Fales-Williams teaches in both the first and fourth year of the veterinarian curriculum. In her other time, she also reads biopsies and performs necropsies.

Fales-Wiliams said her job is split between 40 percent teaching, 35 percent professional practice and a 15 percent research component. When her position as the interim chair begins Monday, she will be adding her first administrative role to her schedule.

Outside of her role as a professor and her professional practice, Fales-Williams is also part of two committees, the governance council and the student awards committee.

As interim chair of the department of veterinary pathology, Fales-Williams will be in charge of making sure everyone has the resources they need to do their jobs. She will also be the only female chair in the department.

Fales-Williams said she will be responsible for overseeing the faculty’s success and making sure faculty are setting themselves up to reach tenure. She will also manage the resources and make sure the money coming in is being used appropriately while making sure the department is filling the mission they have set for themselves.

“I hope I can be transparent in using our resources to their fullest and distribute them most fairly so that everybody thrives, that’s my goal,” Fales-Williams said.