Strategic Plan 2026-2030

Gail DePuy is a distinguished academic and administrator with extensive experience in higher education leadership. Currently serving as senior vice provost at the University of Louisville, she has held a variety of key administrative roles, including interim vice provost for Engaged Learning, associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering and interim dean of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. In her tenure, DePuy has played a pivotal role in strategic planning, student engagement and academic policy development. As a special assistant to the president for strategic planning, she was instrumental in shaping institutional priorities. With a strong background in industrial engineering, she brings analytical expertise to administrative decision-making, enhancing institutional effectiveness and student success. A registered Professional Engineer in Kentucky, DePuy’s extensive administrative career is underpinned by her strong academic credentials, which includes a PhD in industrial and systems engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, authorship of more than 80 technical papers and her role as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more then $2.3 million in funded research projects.

Darrell Clark serves as the vice president for human resources at the University of Louisville. In this role, he leads all HR functions, including employee recruitment, retention, engagement, performance management, development and strategic initiatives. Prior to joining UofL, Clark was the associate vice president for people and culture at Ball State University, where he enhanced professional development and employee well-being initiatives. He also served as the chief human resources, learning and equity officer at Pasco-Hernando State College in Florida and held HR leadership positions at the Pasco County School District as well as FedEx Ground. With more than 20 years of experience in human resources, Clark is committed to fostering a thriving and collaborative workplace culture at UofL.

Cherie Dawson-Edwards serves as the vice provost for faculty affairs at the University of Louisville. She is also a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Arts & Sciences. Dawson-Edwards is a passionate educator and an exemplar of a justice-oriented scholar who focuses on the intersection of public policy and criminal justice with a specific focus on race, schools and juvenile justice. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly for institutional and community change, always striving to bring greater equity and inclusion to the policies and practices of organizations. She has worked with numerous school districts, community and governmental organizations conducting professional development trainings and consulting on racial equity, social change and restorative justice practices. Notably, Dawson-Edwards is an accomplished scholar with a variety of publications for scholarly audiences, policymakers, organizations and the community.

Jon Klein, a New Orleans native, received much of his education in Texas, attending the University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate education and receiving his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the original medical campus in the University of Texas System. He served a residency in internal medicine at Kansas University Medical Center and completed a fellowship in adult nephrology at the University of Louisville, where he subsequently earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology. He is a professor of medicine and currently holds the James Graham Brown Foundation Endowed Chair in Proteomics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Klein also serves as executive vice president for research and innovation. His laboratory has received federal research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, Veterans Administration and the Department of Energy continuously for more than 35 years. In 2013, he was appointed the vice dean for research at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He has authored more than 290 peer-reviewed papers and is known in the kidney research community for introducing proteomic analysis to kidney research and subsequently as a co-discoverer of several target antigens in autoimmune kidney disease including the PLA2 receptor in primary membranous nephropathy.

Douglas Craddock, Jr. serves as the vice president of community engagement and university relations at the University of Louisville. In this role, he is dedicated to building and expanding the university's community partnerships and enhancing the quality of life and economic opportunities for residents of west Louisville through the Signature Partnership Initiative. Craddock oversees various programs, including Cards Come Together, TRIO, Upward Bound and the Annual Engaged Scholarship Symposium. With a strong background in education and administration, Craddock has held positions such as chief of staff to the executive vice president and university provost at UofL.

Julie Dials serves as the senior associate vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement at the University of Louisville. Dials arrived at the University of Louisville in January 2019 as executive director for development. While at UofL, Dials has served in various leadership positions including assistant vice president of development and interim vice president of university advancement. Prior to the University of Louisville, Dials spent five years as the assistant vice president of development and alumni relations at Northern Kentucky University. While at NKU, she led the university fundraising and alumni relations operation while working closely with the university president and vice president of advancement to develop and launch The Further, Faster Campaign, a $75 million comprehensive campaign plan and the first comprehensive campaign in over 15 years. Dials began her higher education fundraising career at Ohio State University. Over almost a decade at OSU, Dials served in fundraising positions in Arts and Sciences and the Wexner Medical Center during a $3 billion comprehensive campaign. Her experiences included supervising fundraising staff, identifying high wealth prospects, soliciting campaign major gifts while collaborating closely with deans, board members, senior leaders and physicians. Dials, a northeast Ohio native, has a Bachelor of Communications degree from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.