Deans
Guiding Our University
Our deans lead the academic experiences at our schools and colleges through strong principles and values. Diverse in personal history and unified in aspirations, our deans help determine the strategic initiatives and purpose-based goals that influence research and scholarship at our University. Their direction helps us to achieve our objectives in experiential learning, diversity and sustainability.
Meet our deans below—and visit their schools and colleges to learn about what they're doing to support our efforts on campus and in our communities.
Meet the Deans
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Vivek Choudhury, dean of the Daniels College of Business
Dean Choudhury came to the University of Denver from the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), where he had been serving most recently as associate dean for strategic initiatives and professor of information systems and technology management. Prior to GWSB, Choudhury spent more than a decade at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner School of Business. Dean Choudhury’s research interests include management of offshored/outsourced IT projects, trust in electronic commerce, and knowledge management. He is widely published and has received numerous awards for his teaching.
Choudhury earned his master’s in business administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. in Management (Information Systems) from the University of California, Los Angeles. He studied accounting as an undergraduate at India’s University of Calcutta.
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Rhonda Gonzales, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Dr. Rhonda M. Gonzales is dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of history at the University of Denver. Her areas of research and teaching expertise include African and African Diaspora history, specifically the history of East Africa and the early Atlantic slave trade to Mexico.
After completing her Ph.D. at the University of California at Los Angeles, Dr. Gonzales began her academic career at Macalester College in Minnesota before moving to the University of Texas system. She has been PI or co-PI on grants totaling more than $11 million to support student success, research and justice initiatives. She is an advocate for the advancement of women and staff professionals and is deeply committed to the success of women of color within the history profession.
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Michelle Knight-Manuel, dean of the Morgridge College of Education
Serving as the Dean of Morgridge College of Education (MCE) since July 2022, Dr. Michelle Knight-Manuel joined the DU family with a robust research agenda and two co-authored books focused on culturally relevant education, pedagogy, college access and immigrant youth's civic engagement. As a Professor of Education at Teachers' College, Columbia University, she served as Executive Editor of the nation's oldest leading journal in the field of education, Teachers College Record, and as Director of Culturally Relevant College and Career Readiness in the NYC public school system. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from UCLA and her M.S. in TESOL at Monterey Institute of International Studies.
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Andrei Kutateladze, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Dean of the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics since 2012, and with the University since 1995, Dr. Andrei Kutateladze has over 140 peer-reviewed papers and five patents to his name. Dedicated to innovation in his field, Dr. Kutateladze has been a member of sub-committee on Photochemistry of the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry since 2003. He is Distinguished Scholar and also holds DU's highest academic distinction: the John Evans Professorship. His research laboratory develops novel methods for synthesis of complex therapeutic agents tested by the National Cancer Institute.
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Michael Levine-Clark, dean of University Libraries
Michael Levine-Clark is the dean of University Libraries, where he oversees library collections, services, and spaces to ensure all DU students can access the academic resources they need. Levine-Clark supports our efforts in designing and developing knowledge to enhance our support systems and the visibility of DU research. He serves on a variety of national and international publisher and vendor library advisory boards. Levine-Clark also writes and speaks regularly on trends in academic library collection development practices.
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Lisa Reyes Mason, dean of the Graduate School of Social Work
Dr. Lisa Reyes Mason is Interim Dean and Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW). She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on climate justice and social work. At GSSW, she co-created the Ecological Justice course of study. Nationally, she co-led the Grand Challenge for Social Work to Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment for five years. Dr. Mason received her PhD and MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was a Chancellor’s Fellow for advancing diversity in the professoriate and Olin Fellow for exceptional women to become leaders in society.
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Frederick "Fritz" Mayer, dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Frederick ‘Fritz’ Mayer, Ph.D., is the dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. Dean Mayer's research interests include international trade and economic globalization and the role of storytelling in politics and collective action. He has published two single-author books, four educational publications, and numerous articles and chapters. He is affiliated with the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, and the Association of Public Policy and Management. Prior to DU, Dean Mayer served as professor of public policy, political science and environment; associate dean; director of the Center for Political Leadership, Innovation and Service; and director of the Program on Global Policy and Governance at the Terry Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
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Michael McGuire, dean of University College
Michael McGuire, dean of the University College, has been a member of the DU family since 1993. He previously served as interim dean, when he brought together a board of leaders from both within and outside the University to develop a strategic plan for University College. Under his leadership, University College has achieved national rankings in the top 50 for online programming, and has become a leader in instructional design and support. McGuire has spent two decades in the service of adult learners, and continues to advocate for educational innovation to better meet their evolving needs.
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Michelle Sabick, dean of the Daniel F. Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science
Dr. Michelle Sabick joined the University of Denver as Dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science in March 2021. She brings extensive experience from her prior role as dean of Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology at Saint Louis University. Prior to that role, she was chair of the department of Biomedical Engineering at Saint Louis University. Dean Sabick began her academic career at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, where she co-founded the Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics Research and served as chair of the department of mechanical and biomedical engineering for three years.
Dean Sabick’s research areas are orthopedic biomechanics and sports medicine. Her primary focus is on how highly ballistic human movements affect the joints of the upper extremity. She is also the past-president of the American Society of Biomechanics
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Bruce Smith, dean of the Sturm College of Law
Bruce Smith is the 20th dean of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, having served in that role since July 2016. Before entering the legal academy, he practiced in the areas of intellectual property and sports law, representing the NFL, NBA and NHL, among other clients. Dean Smith is also a renowned scholar of the history of Anglo-American criminal procedure, having published a book and numerous articles on the subject. He serves on several educational, civic and corporate boards.
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Torrey Wilson, dean of the Graduate School of Professional Psychology
Serving as the Dean of the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) since August 2022, Dr. Torrey Wilson joined the DU family with impressive experience in leadership and academic mentoring. With a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University-Chicago, Dr. Wilson's extensive areas of research and teaching expertise include the experiences of under-represented minority populations in group therapy, sexism and sexual harassment in doctoral training programs, and the experiences of black couples in counseling. In his professional career, Wilson served as the Dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and as Chair of the Doctoral Clinical Psychology Program at Adler University.