Marisa Anne Pagnattaro, a well-respected faculty member and administrator with a record of advancing research, graduate education and diversity, has been named vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Georgia.
Pagnattaro is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and the I.W. Cousins Professor of Business Ethics in the Terry College of Business. She has served as associate dean for research and graduate programs in the Terry College since 2015, and her appointment as vice provost for academic affairs is effective Aug. 1.
As vice provost for academic affairs, Pagnattaro will assist with all matters of academic administration, policy and planning, and acts on behalf of the provost when he is not available. The vice provost for academic affairs also chairs the UGA Arts Council.
“Throughout her career at the University of Georgia, professor Pagnattaro has demonstrated a commitment to working collaboratively with colleagues across campus to promote academic excellence,” Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu said. “She is an outstanding addition to the Provost’s Office, and I am pleased that she has accepted this key leadership position.”
As associate dean in the Terry College, Pagnattaro led strategic planning efforts related to research and graduate education. She also directed the college’s international programs and chaired its Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.
Pagnattaro’s scholarship focuses on international trade and business ethics, and she is the author or co-author of more than 30 journal articles and book chapters and numerous shorter works. She is the author of “In Defiance of the Law: From Anne Hutchinson to Toni Morrison,” which explores literary depictions of the American legal system. She is the co-author of three additional books, including a widely used business law textbook. Pagnattaro earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Colgate University and holds a J.D. from New York Law School and Ph.D. in English from UGA.
She was a 2016-2017 fellow of the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program and was an inaugural fellow in the University’s Women’s Leadership Development Program. She has been an active member of University Council, serving on its Executive Committee from 2012 to 2015 and on four additional committees from 2008 to 2017. Her additional interdisciplinary committee work includes serving on the Executive Committee of the UGA Teaching Academy and on the Faculty Advisory Board for the Center for Asian Studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
Pagnattaro’s appointment concludes an internal search that was assisted by the UGA Search Group in Human Resources and an advisory committee chaired by professor David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program.
“I began my career at UGA in 1992 and have seen a lot of incredible changes since that time,” Pagnattaro said. “I am deeply committed to the university’s mission and am grateful to have the opportunity to serve in this new role with many talented people.”
