Dean's Office
Leadership
Elizabeth Spiller
Dean
Dr. Elizabeth Spiller has been serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since July 9, 2024. She has more than 10 years of experience as an academic leader, having served most recently as the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
As dean, her role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, from guiding the recruitment, development and retention of faculty and staff, to advancing the college’s research and teaching programs, as well as fostering strong relationships with the college’s alumni, friends, donors and advisory councils. In addition, Dr. Spiller works closely within the university on interdisciplinary programs, joint faculty appointments, strategic academic initiatives and advancing student success.
Dr. Spiller is experienced in boosting student access and success while managing multi-site academic programs at high-impact research institutions, facilitating interdisciplinary research partnerships and undertaking successful fundraising initiatives across the arts and sciences. As a distinguished scholar of English, her work intersects the disciplines of literature, history and science, reflecting her diverse academic interests and expertise.
Before her tenure at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Spiller spent three years as dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Davis, which like USF, is a member of the prestigious AAU. Spiller has also held leadership positions at Virginia Tech and Florida State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Amherst College and both her master's degree and doctorate in English and American language and literature from Harvard University.
Academic Leadership Team
Frank Biafora, PhD
Interim Associate Dean, St.Petersburg campus
Frank A. Biafora is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the University of South Florida. His research has been published in leading journals, including International Review of Victimology, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Law and Human Behavior, and Education, and examines a wide range of issues related to youth and adolescent development, delinquency, barriers to academic achievement, substance use, and adoption.
From 2007 to 2018, Dr. Biafora served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at USF St. Petersburg. He is honored to once again serve in an administrative role as Interim Associate Dean during the consolidation of the University of South Florida as ONE USF.
Dr. Biafora remains deeply committed to teaching and community-engaged scholarship. He has led multiple summer study abroad programs to Vietnam and Tanzania as part of long-standing international partnerships. His most recent externally funded project, in collaboration with the City of St. Petersburg, explores workforce mindsets among disengaged youth. In recognition of his global engagement and pedagogical leadership, Dr. Biafora is the recipient of the 2025 USF Excellence in Global Teaching and Learning Award (for the 2023–24 academic year).
Paul Kirchman, PhD
Associate Dean, Sarasota-Manatee campus
Dr. Kirchman is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Prior to his appointment at University of South Florida, he was a founding member of Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and for 10 years served as the Chair of Science and Mathematics.
In his 17 years of experience, he helped build the Wilkes Honors College to more than 400 students, initiated a combined BA/MD program with Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine, and launched several internship programs at hospitals and research centers along the East Coast, including the Scripps Florida Research Institute and Max Planck Florida Institute.
His research interests include aging, mitochondrial metabolism, and cross-kingdom symbiosis. Dr. Kirchman received his PhD in Molecular Biology from Emory University and his BS in Biology from Eckerd College.
Allison Cleveland-Roberts, PhD
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Allison Cleveland-Roberts has oversight for curricular processes, student academic affairs, course planning, academic assessment, program review and advising. She has a PhD in Behavioral and Evolutionary Biology and more than 20 years of experience in public higher education leadership.
Kirk England
Director Strategic Planning & Finance
Kirk serves as Director of Strategic Planning and Finance for the College of Arts and Sciences, partnering with college leadership to set strategic direction, oversee fiscal operations, and guide implementation of the College’s strategic goals. Working closely with the Dean and senior leaders, he helps prioritize initiatives, develop and execute strategies, and monitor progress and financial performance, while also overseeing key operational functions across CAS technology, facilities, and communications and marketing. Previously, Kirk was Assistant Vice Provost and Chief Academic Budget Officer at California State University Channel Islands, leading the division of Academic Affairs budgeting, resource allocation, and academic and research space planning, and spent nearly 13 years at Western Washington University in progressively responsible roles focused on institution wide budgeting, policy analysis, and strategic planning.
Valerie (Jody) Harwood, PhD
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
Dr. Jody Harwood’s research on environmental microbiology has led the way to development of forensic, DNA-based methods for assessing water quality at beaches and other water bodies. She has mentored 10 master’s and 20 PhD students to degrees at USF. She was chair of the Department of Integrative Biology for eight years and is currently a Distinguished University Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Randy Larsen, PhD
Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship
Dr. Randy Larsen earned his BS and PhD in chemistry from the University of New Mexico, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology and is now Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in the University of South Florida College of Arts & Sciences, where he has been a full professor since 2005 and previously served two terms as Chair. His research spans biophysical chemistry and functional materials, addressing topics from the molecular basis of disease to sustainable energy and bio-inspired materials. He has published 129 peer-reviewed papers and 10 book chapters in leading journals and has received funding from major agencies including the NSF, DoD, American Cancer Society and American Heart Association.
Phyllis Leuci
Sr. Director of Development
As the Senior Director of Development, Phyllis collaborates with the Dean, a team of four development staff, alumni, faculty, as well as Tampa Bay community members in creating strategic partnerships that advance the College of Arts and Sciences’ goals, while supporting all constituencies in achieving their philanthropic goals. Prior to her arrival, Phyllis was Director of Development for six years at Binghamton University in upstate New York and held sales and marketing positions prior to her roles in higher education.
Tangela Serls, PhD
Special Advisor to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean
The Special Advisor to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean, Dr. Tangela Serls provides strategic support for dean’s office initiatives including, but not limited to, communications, faculty governance, student success, access, and community. She has mentored several undergraduate and graduate students and has served on 10 thesis and dissertation committees.
Toru Shimizu, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Dr. Toru Shimizu has served as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs since 2020, following seven years as Chair of the Psychology Department. A specialist in comparative neuroscience, he joined USF after earning his PhD from the University of Maryland and completing postdoctoral training at UC San Diego. His scientific contributions have been recognized with election as a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Psychological Science.