Jennifer M. Collins has taken her place as the new dean of the Dedman School Of Law. Collins joined SMU July 1 after an 11-year stint as vice provost and professor of law at Wake Forest University.

A graduate of Harvard and Yale, Collins brings a wealth of knowledge of criminal, family, and gender law to the graduate programs. She served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, specializing in homicide cases.

“I am so excited to be joining SMU and find it a privilege to work closely with our remarkable faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as the larger Dallas community,” Collins said in a press release. “With the challenges facing legal education, I cannot imagine an institution in a better position to respond than Dedman School of Law.”

Collins takes over the position from John Attanasio, who served as dean from 1998 to 2013 and is now a Distinguished Fellow at NYU.

See the full press release from SMU News and Communications here.