CLEVELAND, Ohio (November 9, 2023) — Cleveland State University is thrilled to announce that Jill A. Gordon, Ph.D. will be appointed the next dean of the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education following ratification by the CSU Board of Trustees at their next meeting, effective January 2, 2024.

Dr. Gordon comes to CSU from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where she has most recently served as a professor and assistant vice provost for faculty affairs.

“The Levin College prepares students to address societal challenges as they build and sustain complex urban systems,” said Nigamanth Sridhar, Ph.D., Cleveland State University’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “I am confident that Dr. Gordon will champion the success of our diverse and inclusive student body to ensure the Levin College is a place where all have a sense of belonging and an opportunity to thrive.”

The Levin College encompasses CSU’s School of Communication; Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs; Department of Counseling, Administration, Supervision and Adult Learning; Department of Criminology and Sociology; Department of Educational Studies, Research and Technology; and Department of Teacher Education. As dean, Dr. Gordon will articulate and execute a vision for the future of these areas.

“I am very much looking forward to enhancing the Levin College’s footprint in the region and beyond, as well as serving at another public institution that values access, urban transformation and community engagement,” said Dr. Gordon. “And as an Ohio native, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to re-discover the city of Cleveland.”

Before her most recent roles at VCU, Dr. Gordon was also its interim senior vice provost for faculty affairs. In the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, she served as the senior associate dean of faculty and academic affairs, interim associate dean for research, interim director of graduate student service and advising, and chair of the criminal justice program. Her research interests center on correctional employees’ attitudes toward work environment and culture, correctional program effectiveness and correctional staff workforce perceptions.

Dr. Gordon has experience in evaluation research covering both community and institutional corrections with most of this work being supported by federal, state or local funding. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University.