The University Leadership Council was created by Wayne State President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D., and supported by Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo, to promote deeper connections and articulation between the work of executive and academic leaders and include and consider important shared governance perspectives.

Roles and responsibilities

• Facilitate institutional, enterprise thinking across executive and academic leadership to advance the university as a whole. 
• Provide a venue for collective consideration and vetting of important operational matters from multiple perspectives, including that of our shared governance colleagues.
• Advance process improvements through consideration of campus administrative and operational practices.
• Provide input into institutional leadership initiatives such as planning, implementation and evaluation, and disseminate information from and/or gaining input into the ongoing activities and work of the executive teams. 
• Assist in prioritizing initiatives and building consensus about overall campus needs, actions and outcomes.
• Intentionally link the work of the Council of Deans and the executive teams.

Fundamental to the council's work and undergirding our leadership efforts is our commitment to deep and broad engagement with our communities, as well as our fundamental lens and shared action to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

The council, chaired by Provost Clabo, is scheduled to meet twice a month.

Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo

Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs

Ezemenari Obasi

Vice President for Research

Amr Abdel-Azim

Interim Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Management

Ali Abolmaali

Dean, College of Engineering

Boris Baltes

Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Associate Vice President of Academic Personnel

Denise Taliaferro Baszile

Dean, College of Education

Linda Beale

President, Academic Senate

Ramona Benkert

Interim Dean, College of Nursing

Richard Bierschbach

Dean, Law School

Paul Bracke

Dean, University Libraries and the School of Information Sciences

Amanda Bryant-Friedrich

Dean, Graduate School

Brian Cummings

Dean, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Hasan Elahi

Dean, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts

Ahmad M. Ezzeddine

Vice President for Academic Student Affairs and Global Engagement

Bethany Gielczyk

Chief Financial Officer and Interim Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer

Carolyn Hafner

Associate Vice President for Human Resources

Stephanie Hartwell

Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Hayden Johnson

President, Student Senate

Virginia Franke Kleist

Dean, Mike Ilitch School of Business

Patrick O. Lindsey

Vice President for Government and Community Affairs

Julie Miller

University Secretary and Executive Officer to the Board of Governors

Donyale Padgett

Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer (Interim)

Elena Past

Acting Dean, Irvin D. Reid Honors College

Debra Patterson

Acting Dean, School of Social Work

Michael Poterala

Vice President and General Counsel

David Ripple

Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs and President, Wayne State University Foundation

Wael Sakr

Dean, School of Medicine

Mark Schweitzer

Vice President for Health Affairs

Melissa Smiley

Chief of Staff and University Relations Officer

Ned Staebler

Vice President for Economic Development

Rob Thompson

Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Computing and Information Technology

Erika Wallace

Director of Athletics