WASHINGTON (March 11, 2024)— The American Council on Education (ACE) announced that Dayna Bowen Matthew has been named an ACE Fellow for the 2024-25 academic year. Dean Matthew, who was nominated for the highly competitive fellowship by President Ellen Granberg and Provost Christopher A. Bracey, is one of 26 Fellows selected this year. She will continue to serve as GW Law’s full-time Dean while participating in the fellowship program. For more information and to see the members of the 2024-2025 class of Fellows, click here.
Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,500 faculty, staff, and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive cohort-based mentorship model. More than 80 percent of the Fellows who have participated have gone on after their fellowship to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions, and deans.
Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD, is the Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. A leader in public health and civil rights law who focuses on disparities in health, health care, and the social determinants of health, Dean Matthew joined GW Law in 2020. Dean Matthew is a co-founder of the Institute for Racial, Ethnic & Socioeconomic Equity (Equity Institute) at George Washington University.
Prior to joining GW, Dean Matthew served on the faculty of the University of Virginia, where she was the Co-Founder and Inaugural Director of The Equity Center, and served on the faculty of the University of Colorado Law School. In addition to teaching, Dean Matthew has served in many public roles including co-founder of the Colorado Health Equity Project, Senior Adviser to the Director of the Office of Civil Rights for the US Environmental Protection Agency, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Residence. She is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and a member of the American Law Institute currently serving on several public health boards.
“I am grateful to President Granberg and Provost Bracey for nominating me for this exciting fellowship,” Dean Matthew said. “Their support has given me the opportunity to grow as a leader who will better help GW meet the many challenges facing higher education.”
“The ACE Fellows Program, known for its history of success, cultivates skilled and promising leaders, driving the growth of a diverse and talented higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “Through immersive learning experiences, ACE Fellows acquire fresh perspectives and develop distinctive skills to apply upon their return to their home campuses. I am excited to witness the accomplishments of this class.”
The Fellows program incorporates its signature features such as retreats, interactive and virtual learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution. All these experiences are condensed into a single year, providing the Fellows with years of on-the-job experience and skills development.
During the placement, Fellows observe and work with senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings, and focus on issues of interest that will benefit their host and nominating institutions. The year ahead will offer many opportunities for ACE Fellows to view leadership in action. Placement institutions will benefit from having an experienced leader who can lend a fresh perspective to emerging or ongoing institutional challenges.
At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home institutions with new knowledge and skills along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.
Click here for more information.
About ACE
ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, ACE represents more than 1,600 college and university presidents and related associations. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ACEducation.