When former University Vice President and Secretary Lisa Tedesco assumes her new role at Emory University this spring, the University will lose one of its most innovative and committed leaders, faculty and administrators said.

On May 1, Tedesco will begin her tenure as dean of Emory's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as well as vice provost for academic affairs.

"It was a great honor to be invited," Tedesco said.

Tedesco said leaving the University was a difficult decision.

"Michigan will remain with me in positive and meaningful ways," said Tedesco, who is currently a dentistry professor.

Tedesco will work with other faculty to ensure graduate programs at Emory are high-quality and competitive, said Emory Provost Earl Lewis, who announced the appointment.

Tedesco will also hold professorships in the Rollins School of Public Health and in Emory College's Division of Educational Studies.

Lewis, a former Rackham dean at the University of Michigan, said Tedesco will bring both experience and background as a social scientist to new position at Emory.

"I worked with Lisa during my 15 years on the Michigan faculty," Lewis said. "Her energy, drive, values, style and leadership skills will be a great asset in her new job. We all anxiously await her arrival."

Marilyn Woolfolk, an assistant dean in the University's School of Dentistry, said the students and faculty at Emory will gain an educator with the essential skills necessary to connect and communicate with people.

"Lisa has the ability to get people of varying perspectives to work collectively for the good of the organization," Woolfolk said. "We will miss her energy and enthusiasm and genuine concern for people. But that's what she'll take to Emory and be a tremendous leader for the graduate school."

Tedesco, who joined the University in 1992 as associate dean of Academic Affairs in the dentistry school, has been part of several significant administrative transitions.

In 1998, Tedesco was named vice president and secretary of the University, a position she relinquished last year to take a fellowship at Columbia University's Center for Community Health Partnerships. She also served as interim provost in 2001 after former provost Nancy Cantor accepted the chancellorship position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said Tedesco is well known for her commitment to diversity. She acted as an investigator of the University's Health Occupations Partners in Education project, which provided academic preparation to minority youth for careers in health and medicine. She has also been involved in University policy decisions concerning affirmative action and efforts to increase the number of women in scientific fields, Peterson said.

As associate dean at the School of Dentistry, Tedesco was also involved in the development and implementation of numerous changes at the dental school, such as the creation of the University's a dual-degree program composed of dentistry and research training in clinical experiences as well as coursework.

"(Tedesco) has been a prominent faculty member on this campus and has contributed greatly through her scholarship and service," Peterson said. "But we are always proud when other universities tap Michigan faculty and administrators for leadership positions. It is a testament to the quality of the faculty here."