About President Granberg

Ellen M. Granberg, Ph.D., serves as the 19th President of the George Washington University and is the first woman to lead the institution in its more than 200-year history. Since joining GW in 2023, she has worked collaboratively with colleagues to strengthen GW’s standing as a world-class, metropolitan, R1 research institution, leveraging its location in the heart of Washington, D.C., to expand interdisciplinary collaboration, global engagement, and partnerships that address pressing societal challenges.

At GW, Granberg has led the creation and launch of a comprehensive strategic framework designed to elevate the university’s academic distinction, research prominence, and student experience. She has also championed investments in artificial intelligence and sustainability, has worked to broaden student access and success, and fostered a more welcoming and connected campus community.

Nationally recognized for her scholarship in the sociology of self, identity, and mental health, President Granberg began her career in academia as a professor of sociology. She previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology and was a tenured faculty member and senior leader at Clemson University.

A native of San Francisco, President Granberg earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of California Davis. She also holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University.

Prior to pursuing graduate studies, she spent eleven years in the telecommunications industry, leading large integrated software development teams.
 

Photo of President Granberg