University of Maryland Names Dawn Jourdan Dean of School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland has named Dawn Jourdan Esq., Ph.D., AICP, dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, effective August 1, 2021. As dean, Jourdan will lead the school in its mission to advance education while promoting social justice, cultural diversity, resource conservation, and economic opportunity through excellence in architectural design, urban planning, historic preservation, and real estate development.

“It is my pleasure to join the innovators at the University of Maryland,” said Jourdan. “The School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is a leader in making inclusive places that are respectful of all people. Together, we will work with communities in the region to envision a future that builds capacity and resilience in the face of the changing world.”

Jourdan currently serves as professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and executive associate dean for the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. In this role, Jourdan is tasked with initiating development programs for current faculty while broadening the talent pool and increasing the diversity of new faculty. She has also worked to expand the number of interdisciplinary grants available for faculty, and works closely with the development teams on new and existing gifts to the College.

“Dr. Jourdan’s academic background, with leadership roles in architecture along with her diverse experiences as an attorney and city planner give me the utmost confidence that she will make an immediate impact at Maryland,” said UMD’s Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Ann Wylie. “I look forward to the accomplishments to come from the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation under her leadership.”

Prior to her tenure at Texas A&M, Jourdan held academic positions at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Florida. In Florida, she filled a joint appointment in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Levin College of Law and directed the university’s Center for Building Better Communities, which conducts research and advocates for innovation in collaborative planning and citizen participation in public projects. She also held an associate position at Holland & Knight LLP, an international law firm, in its Chicago office.

Before earning a doctorate in urban and regional planning from Florida State University, Jourdan received a master’s degree in urban planning and a juris doctor degree at the University of Kansas in 2000. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts and urban affairs from Bradley University in Illinois. Jourdan currently serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Planning Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.