Karlene Burrell-McRae will be the next dean of the undergraduate college at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, effective July 1, 2023. She is dean of the college at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Previously, Dr. Burrell-McRae was associate dean of students and executive director of the Center for Identity + Inclusion at the University of Chicago, which included the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the LGBTQ Student Life Office, and the Office of Student Support Services, which focused on first generation, lower income, and undocumented students’ experiences. She also served as the assistant dean of the college and director of the Black Cultural Center at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Dr. Burrell-McRae spent 18 years at the University of Pennsylvania, where she held numerous positions with increasing responsibility within the Division of University Life.
In announcing the appointment, Kim Cassidy, president of Bryn Mawr College said that “Karlene is a great communicator, listening to others with real respect and care. She is enthusiastic, warm, kind, and has a spirit of joy and fun that is contagious. She brings great energy, excitement, and commitment to this position.”
Dr. Burrell-McRae is a graduate of Colby College. She holds a master’s degree in education, a master of social work degree, and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.
