Laura Dunn Jolly has been named the new dean and Dean’s Chair of the College of Human Sciences, Iowa State announced Tuesday morning.

Jolly, currently a professor of textiles, merchandising and interiors at the University of Georgia in Athens, was one of three finalists who visited campus to replace retiring dean Pam White.

“Laura is an accomplished leader with outstanding experience in teaching, research and extension and outreach,” said ISU President Steven Leath in a statement. “I am confident she will build upon Iowa State’s excellent reputation in the human sciences, broaden the range of interdisciplinary experiences available to our students and faculty, and expand the college’s impact in every corner of the state and beyond.”

Jolly joined the University of Georgia in 2007, serving for three years as dean and associate director of cooperative extension and experiment station in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and five years as vice president for instruction.

Jolly served six years as chair of interior design, merchandising and textiles at the University of Kentucky. Her academic career also includes appointments at Texas Tech University, Lubbock; Oklahoma State; the University of Kentucky, Lexington; and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“I am honored to serve as dean of the College of Human Sciences,” Jolly said. “It’s a great and diverse college with an exceptional history and a bright future. I look forward to working with faculty, staff and alumni to help our programs reach new heights, and equip our 5,000 students with the skills and cultural literacy necessary to improve the human condition.”

Jolly holds master’s and doctoral degrees in clothing, textiles and merchandising from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

The College of Human Sciences includes the departments of apparel, events and hospitality management; food science and human nutrition; human development and family studies; kinesiology; and the School of Education.

The college Jolly will oversee also serves Iowans in all 99 counties through Human Sciences Extension and Outreach, and operates several clinics and research centers, as well as a Child Development Laboratory School on the ISU campus.

Jolly will begin her new position July 5. White, the outgoing dean who has been at Iowa State since 1975, will be honored at a retirement reception at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first floor atrium of Beardshear Hall.