Five months after Emily Suski was named the next dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law and then subsequently pushed out before she even started for espousing a sympathetic legal opinion on the subject of transgender athletes, the institution has announced her replacement.
Katheleen Guzman, who earned both a bachelor’s degree and J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, will take over as interim dean starting in July, according to a press release from the Office of University Relations. Her two-year appointment will last through June 30, 2028, providing “leadership continuity while the university prepares a future search for the next dean.” Guzman has spent most of her career at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where she served as the school’s dean from 2019-2024.
Here’s the full release:
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas Provost Indrajeet Chaubey announced today the appointment of Katheleen Guzman to serve as School of Law Interim Dean, effective July 1.
Guzman earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and a J.D. with highest honors from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
She has been a member of the University of Oklahoma College of Law faculty since 1993 and served as OU’s law school dean from 2019-2024. Guzman has also served in several other administrative roles at Oklahoma, including associate director of the Law Center, associate dean of academics, and associate dean for research and scholarship.
“Katheleen Guzman is a highly respected legal scholar and experienced administrator,” said Provost Chaubey. “Her leadership and longstanding connection to the University of Arkansas will be valuable to our students, faculty, and staff as the School of Law continues its important work and prepares for the future.”
In addition to her leadership roles, Guzman has received multiple awards for teaching, including the 2014 Medal for Excellence Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence for Research University Teaching and the 2008 Merrick Foundation Teaching Award from the University of Oklahoma.
The OU Law student body recognized her as an outstanding law professor on numerous occasions, the OU Law Federalist Society presented her with a Benjamin Franklin Award for Diplomacy, and the Oklahoma Bar Association Women in Law Committee presented her with a Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award in recognition of her leadership.
“The education I received at the University of Arkansas was foundational to my legal career, and I am honored to return to Fayetteville to serve my alma mater during this time,” Guzman said. “My focus as interim dean will be on upholding the School of Law’s long tradition of excellence and public service, and ensuring graduates are prepared to serve communities across Arkansas and beyond.”
“I could not be more pleased about Professor Guzman’s appointment, and I am excited to work with her during her transition to Fayetteville,” said Cynthia Nance, Dean of the School of Law. “She has shown tremendous dedication to students in her over 30-year career at OU Law, and her experience as a prior dean at a top law school as well as her deep family roots at the University of Arkansas will be incredibly valuable to our entire School of Law community.”
“Katheleen Guzman is widely respected in legal academia for both her scholarship and her steady leadership,” Carol Goforth, distinguished professor and the Wylie H. Davis Centennial Professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, said. “Her experience guiding a major law school and her deep personal connections to the University of Arkansas will be valuable assets to our faculty and students alike.”
“Katheleen Guzman’s commitment to public service and legal education aligns closely with the School of Law’s mission,” said Susan Schneider, the William H. Enfield Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law and the director of the LL.M. program in Agricultural & Food Law. “She brings strong leadership experience to the position.”
Guzman is licensed to practice law in Arkansas and lectures nationally to students preparing to sit for the bar examination. She has been a visiting professor of law at Villanova University and recently completed a three-year term on the Yale Law School Association Executive Committee.
While a student at the U of A School of Law, she served as articles editor for the Arkansas Law Review and received the Outstanding Law Student Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers.
After earning an LL.M. from Yale Law School, Guzman worked as a litigation associate with the Philadelphia law firm of Dilworth Paxon.
Guzman will serve a two-year term through June 30, 2028, to provide leadership continuity while the university prepares a future search for the next dean.
University of Arkansas announces interim law school dean amid controversy
