Office of the Dean
Dean's Office Senior Leadership Team
Deborah Gorman-Smith,
Dean of the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
Executive Assistant: Heidi Nagel
Phone: 773.702.1430
hnagel@uchicago.edu
Deborah Gorman-Smith is the Emily Klein Gidwitz Professor and Dean of the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is also the Principal Investigator and director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention, one of 6 national Academic Centers of Excellence funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Her research program, grounded in a public health perspective, is focused on advancing knowledge about the development, risk, and prevention of aggression and violence, specifically focusing on minority youth living in high-burden urban communities. Gorman-Smith has been or currently is the Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on several longitudinal risk and preventive intervention studies funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), CDC-P, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the William T. Grant Foundation. She has published extensively in areas related to youth violence, including the relationship between community characteristics, family functioning, and aggression and violence, including partner violence and the impact of family-focused preventive interventions.
Gorman-Smith has served as Deputy Dean for Research and Faculty Development at The Crown Family School. She is also a member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, a current fellow, and a past Society for Prevention Research President. She has served on other national and state committees, including the Board of Scientific Counselors and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control.
Dean Gorman-Smith received her Ph.D. in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master's and bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University.
Faculty Leadership
Colleen M. Grogan is the Deputy Dean for Curriculum and the Deborah R. and Edgar D. Jannotta Professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
She is Associate Editor of Health Policy for the American Journal of Public Health and was the Editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy & Law from 2010-2016. Grogan is the Academic Director of the interdisciplinary Graduate Program on Health Administration & Policy (GPHAP) at the University of Chicago.
Colleen received her B.A. in Sociology (Concentration in Analysis and Research) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. (Health Services Research & Policy/ Minor: Political Science) from the University of Minnesota.
Click here to learn more about her expertise and research.
Julia R. Henly is the Deputy Dean of Research and Faculty Development and the Samuel Deutsch Professor and Co-Director of Employment Instability, Family Well-being, and Social Policy Network.
She is a 2018 Society for Social Work and Research Fellow, a 2016 Interdisciplinary Research Leadership Program Fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a 2016 Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation. She is also a longstanding member of the steering committee of the US/DHHS Administration for Children and Families' Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium. Before joining the University of Chicago faculty, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy and Social Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Julie received her B.A. in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.S.W. (Policy and Planning) and Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Psychology from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Click here to learn more about her expertise and research.
Office of the Dean
Catherine Sanders serves as the Chief of Staff and leads high-impact projects and initiatives, including long-range strategic planning that supports the effectiveness of the school for key priorities related to operations, collaboration, systems, and support.
She brings a wealth of experience in higher education, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Chancellor at the University of Illinois Chicago and in various student affairs and residential life roles at Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin.
Catherine earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Esty Gur serves as the Associate Dean of Administration and is the chief financial and administrative officer for the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
She leads Human Resources, overseeing faculty and staff hiring and administrative functions and Budget and Finance, Information Technology, Facilities, and sponsored activities supporting the Crown Family School’s mission, vision, and strategic growth.
She brings a wealth of financial management expertise to her role, having worked previously as a Strategy and Operations Consultant and in various senior leadership roles at the University of Chicago in the Chicago Booth School of Business, Harris School of Public Policy and Biological Sciences division and serving as a Grant and Contract Manager.
Esty earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from Rider University.
Tonishea M. Jackson serves as Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications and chief marketing officer, providing expertise and leadership in developing strategic planning regarding institutional communications, brand visibility, and reputation.
She brings over 20 years of experience in higher education, including two and four-year undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical school educational settings while holding key leadership roles at DePaul University, Purdue University- Fort Wayne, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and University of Illinois Law School (formerly the John Marshall Law School). Most recently, she served as Dean of Enrollment Marketing and Management at Kennedy-King College as a member of the President’s cabinet, leading historic enrollment growth, fundraising, and marketing efforts.
Tonishea earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois-Urbana, a Master of Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and an Educational Specialist (EdS) degree from National Louis University, where she is also completing a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership.
Emily Mullin serves as Associate Dean of Development and is responsible for major and annual gifts, alumni relations, and donor relations for the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
She brings over 20 years of experience in development, fundraising, and donor engagement in higher education and nonprofit organizations. Before joining the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, she served as Executive Director of Major Gifts at Northwestern University, Pritzker School of Law, where she contributed to closing a $265 million multi-year campaign. She served in other key development positions at Loyola University Chicago, Quinlan School of Business, and Southwest Women Working Together, a social service agency providing resources to the Englewood community in Chicago. Emily also served in Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Emily earned a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University and a Master of Management in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University.
Kristen Reid Salomon serves as Dean of Students and the chief student affairs officer overseeing Admissions, Academic Advising, and Career and leadership Development. She serves on numerous critical committees, including Co-Chair for the Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity committee.
She brings nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and student affairs and has provided her expertise at the Crown Family School since 2016. Most recently, she served as Assistant Dean of Students at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, leading academic advising, new student orientation, and graduate initiatives. Kristen brings vast experience in Student Affairs and Student Life as she has held key roles at Northwestern, DePaul, and Roosevelt University.
Kristen earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago.
Adrian Talbott serves as Associate Dean of Civic Engagement and collaborates with civic leaders, community activists, elected officials, and national policymakers to develop new strategic initiatives for the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
He began his career working on political campaigns and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, bringing vast civic experience. He co-founded and served as executive director of Generation Engage, a nonpartisan youth civic engagement initiative, and directed initiatives at the Clinton Global Initiatives program. Adrian serves on the board of Sunshine Enterprises, a local nonprofit that develops community entrepreneurs. He is active on various civic committees, including The State of Illinois Interagency Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity, the City of Chicago’s Fines, Fees and Access Collaborative, and the Chicago City Clerk’s Civic Engagement Advisory Council.
Adrian earned a Bachelor of Arts with summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors from Amherst College and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago Divinity School.