A message from Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein
Dear Faculty, Staff, Fellows, and Students,
I am pleased to provide an update on the School’s academic leadership as we prepare for a new school year. Erica Chenoweth will serve as Academic Dean for Faculty Development, Gordon Hanson will serve as Academic Dean for Strategy and Engagement, and Suzanne Cooper will continue to serve as Academic Dean for Teaching and Curriculum.
Over the past year, Erica, who is the Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment, has been our Academic Dean for Faculty Engagement and a key member of Doug’s leadership team. They led our terrific work on candid and constructive conversations and will continue to do so. Beginning August 1, and continuing through summer 2026, Erica will step into a new role as the Academic Dean for Faculty Development, providing leadership in the faculty appointments process and in broader efforts to support faculty development. Erica will chair the Appointments Committee and the Fellows Committee, work with all search and review committees, and develop future academic leaders of the Kennedy School through mentoring and engagement. Erica will continue to be a member of my leadership team and provide input and strategic advice on school-wide matters, along with the other academic deans.
Gordon, who is the Peter Wertheim Professor in Urban Policy, will join the leadership team on September 1 as Academic Dean for Strategy and Engagement. In this new role, Gordon will partner with me and lead the design, implementation, and follow-on work of building a school-wide strategy. He will also drive efforts to foster a stronger culture of community and engagement at ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, especially among faculty and professional staff. Gordon will chair the Faculty Steering Committee and be a member of my leadership team, providing input and strategic advice on school-wide matters. Gordon comes to this role having served as the area chair for Social and Urban Policy and played a critical role in the appointments process.
Suzanne, who is the Edith M. Stokey Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, has served for a number of years as Academic Dean for Teaching and Curriculum, and I am delighted that she will continue to do so. In that role she works closely with the area chairs, the degree program chairs, executive education, and a broad range of our faculty to provide academic guidance to our teaching and learning work. She leads the Academic Deans’ Office team, which supports all academic affairs at ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, and works closely with other departments to support faculty and our academic mission. She will also continue to be an indispensable part of the leadership team.
I am excited to work closely with Erica and Gordon in these new roles—as well as with Suzanne in her continuing role—and appreciate their deep commitment to ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø.
Best,
Jeremy
Jeremy M. Weinstein
Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy