Georgia Southern names Devita Stallings inaugural associate dean for nursing and director of School of Nursing

Georgia Southern University has named Devita T. Stallings, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, the inaugural associate dean for nursing and director of the School of Nursing in the Waters College of Health Professions. Her appointment is effective Feb. 1, 2027.

Stallings joins Georgia Southern from Saint Louis University’s Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing, where she serves as associate dean of undergraduate and prelicensure nursing education and is a tenured associate professor of nursing. In her current leadership role, she oversees undergraduate and prelicensure nursing education, including the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

“Dr. Stallings brings an exceptional combination of academic leadership, commitment to student success and scholarly achievement to Georgia Southern,” said Scott E. Gordon, Ph.D., FACSM, dean of the Waters College of Health Professions. “Her experience leading nursing programs, supporting faculty and advancing innovative approaches to nursing education aligns exceptionally well with the School of Nursing’s momentum and with our priorities as a University. I am excited about the vision and leadership she will bring to this new role.”

Avinandan “Avi” Mukherjee, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, said Stallings’ appointment will strengthen both the School of Nursing and Georgia Southern’s broader academic and research advances in healthcare.

“Dr. Stallings’ record reflects the kind of leadership that advances enrollment growth, student success, academic excellence and meaningful research,” Mukherjee said. “As Georgia Southern continues to expand its impact in health professions education and build our research enterprise, her experience and vision will be tremendous assets. I look forward to the contributions she will make to our students, faculty, University and the communities we serve.”

Stallings brings more than two decades of experience in nursing education and clinical practice. At Saint Louis University, a Carnegie R1 university, she previously served as coordinator of the RN-to-BSN program from 2019 to 2024 and has held faculty appointments there since 2013. Her career also includes academic experience at Georgia State University and the University of Memphis, as well as clinical experience in emergency, intensive care and medical-surgical nursing.

Her scholarship has focused on areas including cardiovascular health, hypertension self-management, aging, health disparities and nursing education. Her research and innovation work has received support from state, federal, institutional and other external sources. Most recently, she served as principal investigator on a Missouri State Board of Nursing Nursing Education Incentive Program grant supporting expanded RN-to-BSN completion opportunities with a nurse educator focus. She has also led funded work examining hypertension self-management and health interventions.

In 2023, Stallings was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the nursing profession’s most distinguished honors. She has also held leadership and service roles with organizations including the American Heart Association and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, presentations and professional initiatives.

Stallings earned a Ph.D. in nursing from Saint Louis University, a master of science in nursing in community health nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi, and both bachelor’s and associate degrees in nursing from Mississippi University for Women.

The Georgia Southern School of Nursing prepares students for professional nursing practice and advanced roles in health care through undergraduate and graduate education, clinical experiences, scholarship and service.