Marta Meana has served in many roles during her 20-plus years at UNLV. A licensed clinical psychologist and top researcher in her field, Meana is also a respected administrator, teacher, advisor, and mentor. She was appointed acting president of UNLV in July 2018 and served until August 2020.
A professor of psychology at UNLV since 1997, Meana has also been the dean of UNLV’s Honors College and served as senior advisor to the university president.
During her tenure as acting president, the university achieved record graduation and retention rates, hit its high-mark for enrollment, and earned provisional accreditation for its new School of Medicine. UNLV also earned the nation’s highest distinctions for both research and community engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Under Meana’s leadership as dean of UNLV’s Honors College from 2012 to 2018, enrollment in the select program more than tripled. The Honors College is an interdisciplinary effort that attracts top undergraduates from Nevada nationwide.
A renowned scholar in the field of clinical psychology, Meana’s groundbreaking research has reshaped clinical approaches to women’s health and human sexuality. She has published two books and close to 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.
Meana has earned multiple university, state and national awards during her career, including a Nevada Regents Excellence in Teaching Award, Nevada Senatorial Recognition for Teaching, UNLV Distinguished Teaching and Graduate Academic Advisor awards, the James Makawa Award for outstanding contributions in psychology, and the Masters and Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Meana joined the psychology department at UNLV in 1997 after completing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at McGill University, a pre-doctoral internship at the University of California, San Diego, and a post-doctoral research fellowship in women’s health at the University of Toronto.
