Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy Maria Cancian will step down Nov. 1 to focus on family care responsibilities, Provost Robert Groves announced in an email sent to the Georgetown community Oct. 15.
According to the email, Cancian, who started in February 2019, is stepping down to focus on “urgent family care responsibilities.” She will return to McCourt as a professor of public policy in the Fall 2025 semester. McCourt Associate Dean for Faculty Thomas DeLeire will serve as interim dean until a new dean is appointed for the Fall 2025 semester.
Cancian said she was honored to lead McCourt for the past six years as the school has grown and worked towards missions of inclusivity.
“It has been an honor and a wonderful opportunity to serve as Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy,” Cancian wrote to The Hoya. “The last six years have been a period of tremendous growth and development, focused on advancing our aspiration to become the most inclusive school of public policy in the nation, advancing our mission of strengthening the pipeline of future problem solvers and advancing solutions to complex policy problems.”
In the Oct. 15 email, Groves said Cancian left an indelible mark on McCourt and the greater public policy community.
“Dean Cancian will leave a lasting legacy on the McCourt School and a strong foundation for continued growth, with an outstanding faculty and staff, deepened connections to the D.C. and policy communities and a diverse and growing set of committed partners,” Groves wrote in the email.
Cancian oversaw the launch of an undergraduate program in public policy in 2023 and the opening of the new McCourt building on the Capitol Campus earlier this year. Cancian also aided in the allocation of a $100 million donation, including $50 million designated for scholarships, from the namesake of the McCourt School, Frank H. McCourt Jr. (CAS ’75).
Camilo Enriquez Zutta (GRD ’26), a master of policy management student at McCourt, said Cancian played a crucial role in transforming McCourt.
“Dean Maria has led remarkable changes at McCourt,” Enriquez Zutta wrote to The Hoya. “She made inspiring efforts to turn the dream of the Hill campus into reality.”
“Transitions at McCourt have brought both joyful and difficult moments, as is the case in life, with its many diverse challenges,” Enriquez Zutta added.
Enriquez Zutta said Cancian’s role at McCourt illustrated her support for students.
“In my personal experience, I can say that Dean Maria has played a significant role in McCourt’s success by placing students at the center, even before they officially joined the school,” Enriquez Zutta wrote. “When I was aspiring to attend McCourt, I reached out to Dean Maria for advice. She responded, and we had a deeply inspiring conversation that helped me make the best decision for my academic career.”
DeLeire praised Cancian’s leadership, saying she helped expand McCourt’s academic programs while strengthening its faculty.
“Under Dean Cancian’s leadership, we have moved to a new home on the Capitol Campus, launched a new undergraduate major while growing and strengthening our existing academic programs and recruited impressive new faculty, who, in their research, tackle some of the toughest policy challenges,” DeLeire wrote to The Hoya.
Cancian said she was encouraged by McCourt students’ desire to address public policy challenges in the United States and the world.
“Especially at this very challenging time, it has been inspirational to work with so many students eager to engage with different points of view, to build skills drawing from diverse fields and tackle the big issues — here in D.C. and across the nation and around the globe,” Cancian wrote.
Focusing on the rest of the academic year, DeLeire added that he plans to continue McCourt’s growth and work towards building the next generation of public policy scholars.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the McCourt School as its interim dean during this transition period,” DeLeire wrote. “My goal is to keep the school on its rapid upward trajectory to becoming the most inclusive public policy school. I will continue to help build a community of scholars dedicated to addressing complex societal problems.”
DeLeire said he has been honored to work with Cancian and is excited to welcome her back next fall.
“Working with Dean Cancian has been a wonderful professional experience,” DeLeire wrote. “She is a person whom I deeply respect and admire. Dean Cancian is a model academic leader, and I look forward to her return as a member of the tenured faculty of the McCourt School next academic year.”
Enriquez Zutta said he is grateful for Cancian’s time as dean.
“Throughout my time here, her door was always open to students, including myself, particularly after we completed our first summer semester in the MPM program,” Enriquez Zutta wrote. “Moreover, she believed in our goals and aspirations and proactively accepted our support in connecting the school with international partners and stakeholders who aligned with our objectives and the school’s vision.”
