In a message to the University on June 30, Aaron Dominguez, executive vice president and provost for The Catholic University of America, announced new dean appointments, vice provost changes, and new directors for the University’s Cornerstone and Honors programs.
Deans: Schools of Theology and Engineering, Physics, and Computing
J. Steven Brown is now the permanent dean of the College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing after serving for one year as interim dean. An MIT-trained engineer, Brown previously served as senior vice provost for academic administration, dean of graduate studies, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and associate dean for the School of Engineering.
Bradley Gregory, associate professor of Biblical Studies, associate dean for graduate studies, and The Katharine Drexel Chair in Religious Studies, has been named the interim dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies (TRS).
A member of Catholic University’s theology faculty since 2014, Gregory is a well-regarded expert in the Old Testament. He holds a doctorate in Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism from the University of Notre Dame. Gregory also has taught at the University of Scranton, University of Notre Dame, and St. John’s School of Theology.
An international search for a permanent dean for TRS is underway.
Lynn Mayer, Jenny Paxton Take on New Roles in Provost’s Office
University alumna Lynn Mayer, Ph.D. 2003, is moving from a role that she has held for 10 years, vice provost for teaching and dean of undergraduate studies, to become senior vice provost for academic administration and dean of graduate studies.
Jenny Paxton, an associate professor of history who has led Catholic University’s Honors Program for 10 years, will take Mayer’s place, with Global Studies added to her undergraduate studies portfolio. Paxton is an expert in medieval England, Ireland, and monasticism.
Jenny’s “transformational work with the Honors Program has been key to our undergraduate success in enrollment and retention,” Dominguez said in an email to the campus.
New Leadership for Honors and Cornerstone Programs
Taryn Okuma, a member of the University’s faculty since 2009, is succeeding Paxton as the director of the Honors Program. A clinical ordinary professor whose expertise includes modern and contemporary British literature and culture, she directed the University’s Cornerstone Program until her new appointment.
The innovative and interdisciplinary Cornerstone program deeply integrates the humanities into the Catholic University education for student leaders accepted into the program.
Okuma also proposed, helped create, and is faculty editor of Inventio, an undergraduate research journal at Catholic University, and also the founding faculty editor of Vermilion, an online magazine of literature and the arts. She created the University’s first peer-tutoring program in the University Writing Center, where she trains these tutors and mentors them in various research projects.
Justin Litke, B.A. 2006, is taking Okuma’s place as the director of the Cornerstone Program. An assistant professor of politics, he served as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Politics and as director of the Carroll Forum for Citizenship and Public Life. He also is a fellow of the Center for the Study of Statesmanship.
