Following Patrick Gallagher’s announcement in April 2022 of his plan to step down as chancellor, the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees announced a search for the19th leader of one of the nation’s premier public institutions. Pitt is a member of the Association of American Universities of leading research universities and home to more than 34,000 students across five campuses in Western Pennsylvania.
In September 2022, Board of Trustees Chair Doug Browning announced the members of the search committee, to be chaired by former board chair Eva Tansky Blum, as well as the search firm Storbeck Search. The University community provided feedback during the search process to inform the position profile. On April 3, 2023, Pitt’s Board of Trustees announced that Joan T.A. Gabel will become the University of Pittsburgh’s 19th chancellor. Gabel will be the first woman in Pitt’s 236-year history to hold its highest office.