UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Denise Bortree has been named interim dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, effective June 15.
Bortree is currently the associate dean of academic affairs and a professor in the Bellisario College. She will take over for Marie Hardin, who was named the 10th president of Quinnipiac University on Jan. 30, after 22 years (11 as dean) at the Bellisario College. Juliet Pinto, an associate professor of journalism, will become acting associate dean for academic affairs beginning June 15.
“We are fortunate to have Denise in this role during the leadership transition,” said Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost. “As the current associate dean and director of the Page Center, Denise is an accomplished leader and possesses the skills and experience needed to lead the college. I am thankful to her for stepping into this important position as interim dean, and I know she will be a strong champion for the Bellisario College.”
A faculty member since 2007, Bortree’s research focuses on nonprofit organizational communication and sustainability. She was named an associate dean of the Bellisario College in 2020. Bortree has been the director of the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, a research center in the Bellisario College, since 2014.
“Denise has been an outstanding associate dean while taking the Arthur W. Page Center to new prominence,” Hardin said. “She knows the college well and is the right person for this critical role. She will continue to foster the relationships and reputation that are so important for the college.”
As associate dean, Bortree is a key contributor to the Bellisario College’s academic and administrative leadership. As interim dean, Bortree will continue to advance the Bellisario College’s commitment to communication education and research. This includes strategic direction, academic oversight, and support of facilities and programming.
“From student experience to faculty research to alumni networking, the Bellisario College is a leader in so many areas that affect our everyday lives and our society,” Bortree said. “Marie will leave a rock-solid foundation for us to build on and to continue preparing students for the future. I’m honored to take on that mantle.”
Bortree will continue her role as Page Center director where, over the past 10 years, she has led significant growth in key areas of research, education and outreach targeting ethics and responsibility in public communication.
Externally, Bortree sits on the boards for the International Public Relations Research Conference and the Commission for Public Relations Education. She has held other prominent leadership positions in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, including chair of the organization's professional freedom and responsibility committee and head of the public relations division.
In addition, Bortree is a past chair for the association/nonprofit division of the Public Relations Society of America. She also sits on two academic journal boards, the Journal of Public Relations Research and the Journal of Public Interest Communication, and is a member of Page, an association for distinguished executives and experts in the field of corporate communications.
Bortree has co-edited two books, has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and presented more than 70 conference papers at national and international conferences where she has won numerous top paper awards. She was selected for the Big Ten Academic Leadership Program in 2019-20, and she received the 2020 Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching for her mentorship and instruction. Bortree has earned Deans’ Excellence Awards for integrated scholarship (2016), and for research and creative accomplishments (2010).
Bortree received her doctorate from the University of Florida, where she also earned a master's degree in mass communication and a master's of education in educational psychology.