Katherine Reeves Named as Dean of the Graduate School & Senior Vice Provost for Graduate Education

News
Photograph of UMass Amherst campus, Goodell Hall and its front lawn.

The Graduate School is proud to officially announce that Katherine Reeves has been named as the new Senior Vice Provost for Graduate Education, and the new Graduate School Dean. We are incredibly grateful to add Katherine's leadership to our team, and we look forward to introducing a new chapter in UMass graduate education this Fall.

Professional photograph of Katherine Reeves.

Katherine is currently the Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies and Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. She has been a member of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology since 2008 and has been consistently recognized for outstanding teaching. She has served as a Faculty Ambassador in Teaching for Inclusiveness, Diversity, and Equity and contributed to the development of the For the Common Good strategic plan as a member of the EDUCATE working group where she advocated for graduate students. Her research in cancer epidemiology, women’s health, and aging addresses the impact of environmental chemicals on human health and is regularly supported by grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

In her new role, Katherine will serve as the senior academic official responsible for the advancement and administration of graduate education at UMass Amherst. She will work to enhance graduate student recruitment, support, and professional development opportunities as we work together as a campus to drive continuous improvement in our more than 90 graduate programs and ensure an exceptional graduate student experience.

We are very grateful to all who participated in the search to fill this position, particularly the members of the search advisory committee: 

  • Co-Chair Mike Fox, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences
  • Co-Chair Wilmore Webley, Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion
  • Maria José Botelho, Professor of Education and Graduate Council member
  • Lisa Green, Professor of Linguistics and Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Student Success in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts
  • Jill Hoover, Associate Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Chair of Graduate Council
  • Shana Passonno, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School and Director of the Office of Professional Development
  • Memnun Seven, Associate Professor of Nursing and Graduate Council member
  • Russell Tessier, Department Head and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Omogbolahan Belo, Doctoral Student in the Department of Political Science and Graduate Student Representative

Please join us in sharing this congratulations with Katherine, and consider attending one of our fall programs, whether it is the upcoming graduate orientation, or our graduate program leadership series, to officially meet with the new Graduate School Dean.

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