Kaye Husbands Fealing Named Dean of Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

Posted February 27, 2020

Kaye Husbands Fealing, professor and chair of the School of Public Policy, has been named the next dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech, effective June 1.

“I am delighted that Kaye Husbands Fealing will be the next dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “In her time as school chair, she has proven herself time and time again to be a trusted and accomplished leader, administrator, and scholar. Her wealth of experience will be instrumental in ushering in what I know will be an exciting next chapter for the College.”

Husbands Fealing came to Tech in 2014 from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Before that, she served as a study director at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.  Her career began at Williams College, where she started as assistant professor in the Economics Department and left after 20 years as the William Brough Professor of Economics.

Additionally, she held visiting professorships at Smith College and Colgate University, a research associate position at MIT, and served in several different capacities with the National Science Foundation (NSF) — including program director and science advisor for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy Program, and program liaison with the European Science Foundation.

“I am grateful to be appointed Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and I look forward to working with students, staff and faculty as we continue to position ourselves at the forefront of humanities and social sciences in a technology-driven world,” she said

Husbands Fealing brings to the position decades of research expertise in science and innovation policy, the public value of research expenditures, and underrepresentation among underserved groups in STEM fields and jobs.

She also brings decades of service, and is currently a member of the NSF’s Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering and its Education and Human Resources Advisory Committee, as well as working groups within the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

“The changing face of the world that we live in means that to remain relevant, the university must have a broad strategic vision that addresses the needs of all the communities that we serve from the local level to the national and then more broadly to our global footprint,” Husbands Fealing said. “Ivan Allen College stands ready to put our talents and treasure to work for the public good.”

Husbands Fealing was one of three finalists in the dean’s search. The search committee was chaired by Bonnie Ferri, vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development. Michael Toney, director of Academic Administration, and Mary Thomas, program manager in the Office of the Provost, provided administrative leadership for the search.

Among her many professional accolades, Husbands Fealing received the 2017 Trailblazer Award from the National Medical Association Council on Concerns of Women Physicians, and has been recognized for outstanding teaching both at Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota. She is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she also serves on the executive board.

She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Leadership in times of transition can be difficult and requires a collected and steady leader. I’d like to extend my gratitude to Interim Dean John Tone, for his leadership during the last year,” said President Ángel Cabrera. “Thank you, too, to Bonnie Ferri and the search committee for a job well done. I very much look forward to working with Dean Husbands Fealing in finding new ways to deliver on our mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.”