Wall Named School of Government Dean

Posted on Feb. 20, 2023

Aimee Wall ’97 (JD, ’98 MPH), senior associate dean and professor of public law and government at the School of Government, has been named dean of the school. She will begin her new role on Feb. 27. She replaces Mike Smith ’78 (JD), who retired last year after serving more than three decades.

As senior associate dean, Wall helps oversee the school’s administration, finances and strategic direction. She joined the School of Government faculty in 2001, and her expertise in human services law and policy and legislative training and support has made her a trusted adviser to officials statewide.

Wall has worked closely with legislators, state and county officials and others to study the state human services systems and explore opportunities for change, according to a message sent Friday by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost and Chief Academic Officer Christopher Clemens. She also spent a decade as the faculty lead for the Legislative Reporting Service, a 90-year partnership with the N.C. General Assembly.

“I’m both thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to lead the School of Government,” Wall said. “The public officials and students we serve are intensely committed to leading and working in their communities. It’s inspirational, and I look forward to learning how we — the faculty and staff at the school — can respond to the needs and goals of this state and beyond. ”

Prior to joining the Carolina faculty, Wall worked in health care law with Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy in Washington, D.C., and served as a health policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is a member of the N.C. State Bar and the District of Columbia State Bar. Wall earned her bachelor’s in English from The Ohio State University.

Martin Brinkley, dean of the School of Law and William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor chaired the search committee.

“Aimee will lead the School of Government as it celebrates more than 90 years of embracing critical values including neutrality, responsiveness and nonpartisanship,” Guskiewicz and Clemens wrote to the campus community. “These core principles enable the school to provide training and knowledge to thousands of public officials across North Carolina and develop the next generation of public leaders.”