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Michelle Rinehart, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Outreach in Georgia Tech’s College of Design, has been appointed interim dean of the College, effective Aug. 1. Dean Steve French, who has served since 2013, will return to the faculty in the School of City and Regional Planning.

Rinehart joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 2013. In her role as associate dean, she oversees a broad range of College programs, including academic affairs and curriculum, admissions and outreach, faculty affairs and development, and assessment and accreditation. Rinehart also serves as a member of the teaching faculty in the School of Architecture, coordinating the first-year design studio sequence and teaching the History of Architecture, among others. She is the faculty leader of the Exploring Architecture and Design summer track for incoming students, and a faculty advisor to the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society (Rho Chapter) and several other student organizations. Rinehart also continues to serve as part of the Academic Steering Committee of the Institutional Response to Covid-19 team.

“Many thanks to Michelle Rinehart for serving as interim dean of the College of Design,” said Steven W. McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Michelle is a skilled administrator and leader who invests incredible energy in her colleagues, students, and the Institute overall. We are grateful for her leadership through this transition.”

Rinehart has nearly 30 years of experience in higher education. Her varying leadership and administrative roles have also included experience in enrollment management, student services, academic advising, and budgets and finance. She holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University.

Rinehart will serve until a new dean is named. The work of the search committee, chaired by Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, is well underway, with assistance from search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.