Carole Roan Gresenz, a public health scholar, will serve as dean of the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy starting Aug. 1, interim university President Robert M. Groves announced in a May 8 email to community members.
Gresenz, who is a professor of health and public policy, joined the university in 2012 and currently holds joint appointments with McCourt and the School of Health (SOH). Her appointment comes after former Dean Maria Cancian stepped down Nov. 1, citing “urgent family care responsibilities.”
Gresenz said in a press release that she hopes to foster collective success and collaboration during her tenure as McCourt dean.
“I believe strongly in the mission that anchors our work in McCourt,” Gresenz said in a press release. “I will do all that I can to foster the success of our faculty, our students and our community so that we can best meet that mission.”
Gresenz previously served as the interim dean of the School of Nursing & Health Studies, which split into the SOH and School of Nursing in 2022, from 2019 to 2021 and helped to guide the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research includes Alzheimer’s detection and the impacts of gun policy on public health in the United States.
Groves said Gresenz’s leadership experience makes her an ideal dean for McCourt.
“Carole is an excellent choice for the next dean of the McCourt School,” Groves said in the press release. “She has years of leadership experience in research and higher education administration. She is committed to nurturing our junior scholars and students. With her deanship, we are fully optimistic about the McCourt School’s continued growth on the Capitol Campus.”
Gresenz said she wants to continue overseeing the growth of the Capitol Campus, which houses McCourt, as it provides a unique location for the school’s programs.
“We are building from a strong foundation and with an exceptional new home on Georgetown’s Capitol Campus,” Gresenz said. “I am grateful for the extraordinary work of our former dean and many faculty and staff and steadfast philanthropic support from Frank McCourt that have together brought the school to where it stands today.”
Prior to joining Georgetown, Gresenz worked for over 20 years at the RAND Corporation, a non-profit global policy research firm, in a variety of leadership and research positions.
Gresenz said she joined Georgetown’s faculty because of the university’s Jesuit mission and she looks forward to advancing public policy focusing on the common good at McCourt.
“I’ve always been interested in work that serves the public interest,” Gresenz said. “McCourt’s mission is grounded in tackling the complex issues of today, empowering and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow, building bridges between our work and communities, and creating opportunities for critical dialogue. My values align closely with these priorities.”