Leadership Announcements

Dear Emory Faculty and Staff,

I hope you are enjoying the summer and finding time to visit friends and family, take a well-earned vacation, and recharge after an academic year that was both inspiring and challenging.

Today, I’m writing to share important leadership changes at Emory.

Office of the General Counsel

Stephen Sencer, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, will move on from his longtime leadership role, effective August 31. Steve will maintain a strong connection with Emory and continue to work with Emory Innovations, Inc. and Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE). 

Steve arrived at Emory in 2001 and has made extraordinary contributions to our university, particularly as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, a role he assumed in 2010. He has worked closely with academic and health care leaders, positioning Emory to expand its reach and thrive across all aspects of our mission. As part of the team that envisioned and founded DRIVE, Steve helped set a new standard for what is possible in academic health care—blending startup agility and ambition with the expertise of researchers and scientists at a major research university. He co-founded the Emory-South Africa Drug Discovery Training Program and GAP BioSciences, among many other accomplishments.

On a personal level, Steve has been invaluable as a colleague and collaborator during my first two years at Emory. His knowledge and skill were called upon time and again, especially during the hardest moments of the pandemic. He is candid and thoughtful, but above all else, he has the heart and compassion that are such essential elements of the Emory spirit. I know that many of you have gotten to know and work closely with Steve, and I encourage you to wish him well as he starts this next chapter in his career. 

Amy Adelman, an Emory Deputy General Counsel who has served the university at a high level for nearly 20 years, will become interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel starting September 1. As president, I’ve seen Amy’s institutional knowledge and strategic thinking on display. I know she will lead the Office of the General Counsel forward in this new role during a time of transition.

Emory Healthcare and Woodruff Health Sciences Center

In May, I wrote that I'll be working closely with the Emory University Board of Trustees and Emory Healthcare Board to clarify how they will collaborate with the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs in the future. As this effort has continued, Dr. Jonathan Lewin, who has been EVPHA since 2016, agreed to extend his leadership of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Emory Healthcare through the end of August. He has gone above and beyond for Emory.

I’m pleased to announce that David Stephens, M.D., will become interim Executive Vice President for Health Affairs beginning September 1. Dr. Stephens is an outstanding leader who has served as Vice President for Research at the WHSC since 2007 and chair of the Department of Medicine in the Emory University School of Medicine since 2013. He was also interim dean of the School of Medicine from 2016 to 2017. As interim EVPHA, he will be the senior executive for WHSC and oversee the EHC system strategy. Dr. Stephens deeply understands the WHSC and Emory Healthcare mission, and he will bring his expertise in research, education, clinical care, and leadership to his new role.

As previously announced, Dane Peterson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Emory Healthcare, will become interim CEO of Emory Healthcare starting September 1. He will report to Dr. Stephens and will be responsible for the overall performance of the EHC enterprise.

Communications and Marketing

Luke Anderson will be Emory’s next Vice President of Communications and Marketing, starting August 15.

Luke is the Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications & Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Florida Foundation. At UF, Luke made many key contributions in public relations, communications, and marketing that helped build momentum as the university rose to become a Top-five public institution. At UF, and previously at the University of Virginia, Luke was deeply involved in shaping communications and marketing to support branding, crisis communications, fundraising campaigns, and much more. He is also a Co-Chair for the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. His years of experience in higher education coupled with his team-oriented approach to leadership will help us take our communications and marketing accomplishments to new heights at Emory.

I am very thankful to Cameron Taylor for stepping up as interim Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the past year, while also continuing her role as Vice President of Government and Community Affairs. She had two demanding jobs during a challenging year, and because of her talent in both roles, we are well positioned for the future.

I know that there has been a lot of change at Emory in recent weeks. Deans Michael Elliott and Douglas Hicks are taking once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to become presidents of their alma maters, and I am thrilled for them. Kenneth Carter, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology at Oxford and an Oxford alum, will serve as interim dean of Oxford starting August 1. During the coming weeks, we will announce an interim dean for the Emory College of Arts and Sciences.

Change is a part of the life of a great university. And change creates an opportunity to grow, evolve, and embrace fresh ideas and perspectives. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead, and I’m ready to see our new leaders excel.

Sincerely,

Gregory L. Fenves
President