CGS Names Lisa A. Tedesco as 2021-2022 CGS Dean-in-Residence

Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg, CGS: (202) 461-3888 / khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has announced that Lisa Tedesco, currently vice provost for academic affairs – graduate studies and dean of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies at Emory University, has been named the CGS Dean-in-Residence for 2021-2022.  Tedesco, a long-time advocate for graduate education, has served as a member of the boards of CGS and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and as president of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Association of Graduate Schools.

CGS established the Dean-in-Residence program to incorporate a campus-based perspective across the Council’s projects and initiatives. The program offers an opportunity for graduate deans and associate or assistant deans at member institutions to spend an academic year at CGS’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Each year the CGS president selects one applicant to pursue projects aligned with the dean’s interests and the Council’s needs.

Tedesco will help the Council on projects connecting best practices for mentoring and mental health/well-being.

“Lisa has spent her academic career dedicated to building environments where students can do their best work, supporting student mental health and well-being, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary study and professional development, and ensuring equitable access to quality graduate education,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “Her expertise in health promotion and wellness will help CGS members better understand the power of high-quality mentoring, in addressing the value of wellbeing for student success.”

In accepting the appointment, Tedesco expressed her readiness to join the CGS team. “I’m so looking forward to this opportunity. Much of my academic career has focused on collaboration across teams. The dean-in-residence role will allow me to work on connecting and expanding best practices representing the commitments and values of CGS and the graduate communities served by our leadership. The Council is an essential resource for anyone interested in graduate education, and I look forward to contributing to its mission.”

Tedesco received her doctorate in educational psychology from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Before her time at Emory, she was a professor and associate dean in the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan (UM) and also served as UM’s Vice President and Secretary and as Interim Provost. She will step down from her current role at the end of August; her Dean-in-Residence position begins on Oct. 1.

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