Susan Gooden ’95 MA (PSc)/’96 PhD (PSc) is the new dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Her appointment was effective April 16.

Gooden, who served as the school’s interim dean since 2018, now permanently assumes the position. She is charged with helping the Wilder School strengthen pedagogical programs while increasing research on global challenges. 

Gooden has worked at VCU since 2004, when she joined as an associate professor working on public administration and policy. She has also worked as the executive director of VCU’s Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute and the Wilder Graduate Scholars Fellowship Program. She was previously on the faculty at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech, where she served as the founding director of the Race and Social Policy Research Center. Gooden also has experience as a member of the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s national policy council. In 2016, Gooden was appointed to the board of the Virginia Community College System.

A renowned scholar in the area of social equity, Gooden has served as principal investigator for 21 grants, totaling more than $1.7 million, and has published three books and numerous chapters.

You can find more information about Gooden’s new role in this news announcement from VCU.

04/28/20