Emily Updegraff, PhD, Named Chief of Staff for The Graduate School
I am pleased to announce that Emily Updegraff, PhD, has been named chief of staff for The Graduate School (TGS) effective September 1, 2019.
In this role, Emily will provide operational leadership to all TGS staff members, coordinate communication with stakeholders across our partner schools, manage our human resources portfolio, and broadly enable our Vision 2025 strategic plan. As a member of TGS’s senior leadership team, Emily will bring her strong background of analytical and entrepreneurial skills to TGS at an important time in our history.
Emily currently serves as the assistant chair and director of operations and outreach in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University, a role she has held since 2010. In this role, Emily has broad oversight of academic, faculty, and financial affairs in the department, course scheduling, catalogue updates, student recruitment, and quarterly teaching assignments, as well as planning and forecasting of graduate student support. She is also the point of contact for internal and external outreach and facilities management for the department.
Emily holds a PhD from The University of Chicago’s Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. She has taught courses in the School of Professional Studies since 2011 and was a staff leadership fellow in the Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education program.
I am impressed by Emily’s passion for graduate education and staff development, and her strong background in operational excellence and leadership. I hope you will join me in congratulating Emily on her appointment and welcoming her to TGS.
Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD
Dean, The Graduate School and
Associate Provost for Graduate Education
Northwestern University
The Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Feinberg School of Medicine