Committee Announced to Lead Search for New Dean of Students

Dear Duke Community, 

As the national search for our next Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs is underway, I am excited to share news about our search committee, interim leadership, and ways for community members – especially all students – to provide input in this important search. 

Our previous Dean of Students, John Blackshear, started his new role as Vice President at the University of Rochester this Spring. Dean Blackshear overlapped in the Fall with Interim Dean of Students Debbie Heida. Dean Heida has skillfully led the Dean of Students area and engaged with a wide array of student leaders and other campus partners since November. I am grateful for her leadership, which will continue through the end of the 2023-24 academic year. 

The Dean of Students/Associate Vice President is a critical leadership role at Duke, particularly as an advocate and support for all undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The next Dean will provide the overall vision, planning, and strategic direction that undergirds many aspects of the student experience, including our strategy to support student health and wellbeing and residential education as QuadEx continues.

I am pleased to announce the members of the Dean of Students Search Committee, which is co-chaired by Chris Simmons, Vice President for Government Relations and Shruti Desai, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Student Engagement:

  • Adrienne Jones; Ph.D. Student, Public Policy & Sociology
  • Ananya Kamath; Undergraduate Student, Class of 2026
  • Anthony Viera, M.D. Chair in Family Medicine and Community Health
  • Arinze Okafor; Ph.D. Candidate, Cell Biology
  • Ayanna Chatman; Undergraduate Student, Class of 2025
  • Heather Ryan; Deputy Director of Athletics/Student-Athlete Experience and Senior Woman Administrator
  • John Dailey; Associate Vice President, Public Safety and Chief of Police
  • Kisha Daniels; Assistant Professor of the Practice, Program in Education
  • Mohamed Noor; Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Biology
  • Rebecca Simmons; Professor of the Practice, Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Scott Huettel; Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience   

The committee will engage in a thorough process to identify finalists for the role and will hear from an array of student leaders, additional faculty, and campus partners as part of the search process. If you are interested in offering input on the search, please fill out this online community survey.

Thanks for your consideration, and thanks again to the search committee and the Dean of Students team.  I look forward to updating the community when our new leader is identified.

Go Duke,

Mary Pat McMahon

Vice Provost & Vice President for Student Affairs