Talya Flowers
Editor
clarion@sinclair.edu
Fresh out of high school, Dr. Lori Zakel, dean of the division of liberal arts, communication and social sciences, made the decision to attend Sinclair in 1975.
After receiving her associate’s degree in liberal arts, she transferred to the University of Wyoming where she then earned her bachelor’s degree.
She then moved back to Dayton and completed her master’s degree at Antioch University. Wanting to continue her education, she went to the University of Dayton to earn her Ph.D. in educational leadership.
She came back to Sinclair in 1982 to teach communication courses as a part-time adjunct faculty. Zakel taught in a classroom as an adjunct faculty for nine years, in which she taught small group communication, interpersonal communication and a variety of communication courses. She also created a public relations principles course.
“I came to Sinclair because they offered me a scholarship. Without scholarships, I would not have been able to afford college,” Zakel said. “It is just so rewarding to give back to the institution that gave me such a great start to my college career.”
From June 2011 to March 2012, Zakel has been the interim dean. Before she became the interim dean, Zakel was the chair of the Communication Department for 16 years.
“I am adjusting well,” Zakel said. “Being the interim dean since June that helped me transition smoothly into the role. It has been a pretty easy transition.”
Zakel said that she had to apply for the permanent position, as the search was a national one.
While Zakel has a long-standing history and experience with Sinclair, she said that during the hiring process anything could have happened.
“It was a national search, and the search resulted in my being hired for the position,” she said. “I thought I was a good candidate because of my background and experience, but there are many highly qualified applicants for the deans positions who would love to work at Sinclair. Sinclair has an exemplary national reputation for excellence.”
Her role as dean of the division of liberal arts, communication and social sciences is to foster and promote high quality teaching and learning, as well as making sure that the curriculum and programs are aligned with the educational needs of the region.
Zakel has been married to Mark Knowles for 26 years, and he is a pilot for Delta airlines. The couple has two daughters, Megan and Marissa Knowles.
Zakel and her husband both like to maintain their vegetable garden on their 27-acre farm. The couple grows tomatoes, sweet corn, popcorn, asparagus, green and hot peppers.
A run to the grocery store, Zakel said, is mostly for dairy products such as butter, cheese and milk.
“We can our produce and give them away to our friends,” Zakel said. “We can rely on our farm for a lot of our food.”
Growing up in East Dayton, she said that farming was foreign to her until she met her husband.
When she is not gardening, Zakel also likes to train and show dogs in the performance events of obedience and agility. She volunteers at 4-H, which is a youth activity where children show livestock at county fairs, and also raises chickens, cattle and sheep.
The family does “short trips” around the world and typically travel with the goal of getting to spend individual time with one another. Zakel and her oldest daughter Megan recently went to Italy together. With the youngest daughter, they traveled to Puerto Rico. And then with her husband, she took a vacation to Costa Rica.
“We do really short trips, that last for typically three days,” she said. “I get to spend individual time with one of the girls or my husband, and I think it is great for the kids to experience different cultures. I am very fortunate to be able to do that.”
Zakel officially became the dean of the division of liberal arts, communication and social sciences on March 15.
“I love my position,” she said. “My hope is to lead the division well. I want to continue the tradition of excellence that the faculty and staff in our division demonstrate every day, as they focus on student learning.”