Over the past few months, the University has announced a series of new appointments to fill key leadership roles. Here’s a look at some:
Mark F. Dingfield began as Penn’s executive vice president in August, succeeding Craig Carnaroli W’85, who had served in the role since 2004 [“Gazetteer,” this issue].
Dingfield had been Penn’s vice president for finance and treasurer since 2022, leading efforts to strengthen the University’s financial position and modernize core business operations. Among his contributions, he recently led the launch of the Quaker Commitment financial aid program to support middle-income students and families [“Gazetteer,” May|Jun 2025].
As executive vice president, Dingfield will oversee Penn’s business and administrative operations. Penn President J. Larry Jameson called Dingfield, who first came to Penn in 2017 as associate provost for finance and planning, “a principled, dynamic leader who brings intellectual rigor, financial acumen, and an instinct for collaboration.”
David Meaney GEng’88 Gr’91 was named vice provost for research, replacing Dawn Bonnell in the role on August 1.
The senior associate dean for faculty development and strategic initiatives as well as the inaugural Solomon R. Pollock Professor of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), Meaney began teaching at Penn in 1993 and “is a dynamic and deeply experienced leader, who is engaged in every aspect of research at Penn, from cross-campus partnerships, to space and capital planning, to initiatives in technology and entrepreneurship,” Provost John L. Jackson Jr. said in making the announcement.
Russell Composto and Kelly Jordan-Sciutto were named the vice provost for undergraduate education and the vice provost for graduate education, respectively. Both began on July 1 in these two new positions, which will assume many of the administrative and oversight roles of the deputy provost and what had been the vice provost for education.
Composto has been at Penn since 1990, serving from 2015 to 2023 as the associate dean for undergraduate education of SEAS, where he’s currently a professor of materials science and engineering.
Jordan-Sciutto has been at Penn since 2001, serving since 2017 as associate dean for graduate education and director of biomedical graduate studies in the Perelman School of Medicine and since 2022 as associate dean for organizational effectiveness in the School of Dental Medicine.
Both Composto and Jordan-Sciutto were first-generation college students and are “two of our most dynamic and innovative educators,” Jackson said.
Mark Trodden began his tenure as dean of the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) on June 1.
A faculty member at Penn since 2009, Trodden is also the Thomas S. Gates Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy. He most recently served as associate dean for the natural sciences in SAS, where he oversaw seven departments and 15 centers and institutes, and he previously chaired the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 2014 to 2022.
“Dr. Trodden is a distinguished physicist, accomplished academic leader, and deeply respected member of the Penn community, and brings extraordinary breadth and depth of experience to one of the University’s most vital academic enterprises,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said.
Stephen Fluharty C’79 Gr’81 had been the longest-serving dean in SAS history, before stepping down at the end of 2024 after 12 years.
