George Washington University Provost Forrest Maltzman announced Thursday that Christopher A. Bracey, vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of law, will be the interim dean of GW Law.
“Chris Bracey is a well-suited selection to lead the law school during this period of transition,” Dr. Maltzman said. “He is an accomplished leader in his field. He has been a dedicated member of the GW faculty for more than 10 years and is a very talented administrator. I am grateful that he has accepted the role of interim dean and confident that he will provide excellent leadership at GW Law.”
Mr. Bracey is an expert in U.S. race relations, individual rights and criminal procedure. He joined the GW Law faculty in 2008, where he has taught and researched in the areas of constitutional law, criminal procedure, civil procedure and civil rights. He previously served for four years as the law school’s senior associate dean for academic affairs.
Since 2016, Mr. Bracey has also served as GW’s vice provost of faculty affairs. As leader of the Office of Faculty Affairs, he has worked to support faculty productivity at all stages of the academic lifecycle and to facilitate faculty participation in university policy making on a variety of issues.
GW Law Dean Blake D. Morant announced in February that he would be stepping down from the position at the end of the current academic year after five years in the role. He will join the law school faculty after a sabbatical leave.
Mr. Bracey said he will not be a candidate for the permanent GW Law dean position. The search for the next dean has begun, and the search committee is being chaired by GW Law professor Ralph Steinhardt with the assistance of the executive search firm Isaacson Miller. Christy Hallam DeSanctis, GW Law professor and director of its legal research and writing program, is the vice chair of the search committee. (See the full list of the search committee below.)
“I am honored to lead GW Law as its interim dean,” Mr. Bracey said. “In my current role as vice provost for faculty affairs, I have had the opportunity to work with and to empower faculty from across the university. I am delighted to have the opportunity to now work more closely with my faculty and staff colleagues in the law school to build upon the strong foundation created by Dean Morant. I also very much look forward to serving our amazing community of students and alumni.”
Mr. Bracey is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Harvard Law School, where he was the supervising editor of the Harvard Law Review. He clerked for Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and taught at Northwestern University School of Law and Washington University School of Law before coming to GW.
The search committee consists of GW Law faculty members Emily Hammond, Laird Kirkpatrick, Scott B. Pagel, Stephen A. Saltzburg and Jessica K. Steinberg as well as GW Board of Trustees members Grace Speights, J.D. ‘82, and Avram Tucker, B.B.A. ’77.
Three advisory committees made up of students, staff and alumni also will act as non-voting members of the committee.
The committee soon will involve students attending GW Law in the search.
