Suzanne Reynolds, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Law who has served as interim dean for the past year, is getting a promotion. University leaders this week named her dean, effective on July 1. She is the school's first woman dean.

“As executive associate dean and interim dean, Suzanne Reynolds has proven herself to be well qualified to lead Wake Forest School of Law,” university President Nathan Hatch said in a written statement. “She is a wonderful mentor and model for our law students, exemplifying the blend of research and practice that distinguishes the school. She has the vision and experience to ensure Wake Forest will continue to set the highest standards in legal education.”

Reynolds joined the law faculty in 1981 and served as executive associate dean for academic affairs for four years before becoming interim dean. She replaced Blake Morant, who left the Winston-Salem law school last summer to become dean of George Washington University Law School.