From new administrators to well-known professors, here are 10 people to know on campus

With hundreds of faculty across the University and a number of newly appointed top administrators, it can be hard to keep track of who’s who. 

The Daily Pennsylvanian has gathered a list of 10 people to know, ranging from the new president of the University to Wharton’s youngest tenured and highest-rated professors.

1. Liz Magill

Magill was recently appointed as Penn’s ninth president, starting her tenure in July 2022. Magill previously served as provost and executive vice president at the University of Virginia and has also held positions as a professor and dean of Stanford Law School. Magill — an avid fly fisher in her spare time — told the DP in January that philanthropy would be a “top priority” of hers. Magill was nominated on Jan. 13 to succeed former Penn President Amy Gutmann, who is currently serving as the United States ambassador to Germany.

2. Beth Winkelstein

Beth Winkelstein is the current interim provost, who took over from former provost and former interim president Wendell Pritchett in July 2021. She was previously associate dean for undergraduate education in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and vice provost for education. Winkelstein is also a professor in both the bioengineering and neurosurgery fields, and her research focuses on musculoskeletal disorders.

3. Benoit Dubé 

Dubé is not only Penn’s first Chief Wellness Officer, but, upon his appointment in 2018, he became the first person to hold the position in the Ivy League. In the position, he oversees Student Wellness Services, including Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health Service, and the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Program Initiatives. Dubé, who described himself to the DP as a “student advocate” after being appointed to the role, also holds various other positions such as professor of Clinical Psychiatry and assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at the Perelman School of Medicine.

4. Tamara Greenfield King

Tamara Greenfield King became the interim vice provost of University Life in June 2022, after Mamta Accapadi resigned. King first came to Penn in 2019 after 20 years at Washington University, St. Louis, which culminated in a stint as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Support and Wellness. King told the DP in June 2022 that University Life wants to partner with other divisions in the future to provide students with a more well-rounded experience.

5. Marc Lo

Lo is the first executive director of the Penn First Plus Office, beginning his role in January 2019. P1P — a hub for first-generation, low-income students — aims to allow these students to form a community and become familiar with the campus resources available. Lo, who was a FGLI student at Northwestern University during his undergraduate years, has told the DP that helping students navigate financial concerns and the impact of Penn’s culture on the FGLI experience would be central objectives for P1P’s office.

6. Whitney Soule

Whitney Soule was appointed the vice provost and dean of admissions in July 2021, and recently welcomed the Class of 2026 — her first admitted class — in March. Soule was previously the senior vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin College. When she was appointed, Soule told the DP that the office “will look for and create opportunities” for applicants. 

7. Michael Mann

Michael Mann will become the first director of Penn’s new Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media and a presidential distinguished professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science on Sept. 1. Mann is currently Pennsylvania State University’s distinguished professor of Atmospheric Science and director of their Earth System Science Center, and is the first appointment made under the new Energy and Sustainability Initiative. 

8. Anne Duchene

Anne Duchene is a senior lecturer in Penn’s Economics Department and the director of the Microeconomics Principles Program. She teaches “Introduction to Micro Economics,” a class taken by hundreds of undergraduates across majors. In 2017, economics was determined to be one of the most popular majors at Penn.

9. Nakia Rimmer

Nakia Rimmer is a senior lecturer and the associate director of the undergraduate program in the Department of Mathematics. Rimmer teaches “Introduction to Calculus” and “Calculus, Part 1” — both popular courses that attract students from all majors. He first came to Penn as a graduate student in the 1990s, and has garnered a reputation as a “Quakers superfan.”

10. Adam Grant

Adam Grant is both Wharton’s youngest tenured professor and its top-rated professor — for seven straight years. An organizational psychologist, Grant teaches both undergraduate and MBA courses at Wharton in “leadership and teamwork, negotiation, and organizational behavior.”