Joanna Gregson

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Provost Joanna Gregson, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at PLU. (PLU Photo / Sy Bean)

Phone: 253-535-7126

Email: gregson@plu.edu

Status:Not Teaching

  • Professional
  • Biography

Additional Titles/Roles

  • Professor of Sociology

Education

  • Ph.D., Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1998
  • B.A., Sociology, Western Washington University, 1993

Areas of Emphasis or Expertise

  • Research Methods
  • Deviance / Criminology
  • Sex and Gender
  • Family

Books

  • Culture of Teenage Mothers (State University of New York Press 2010) : View Book

Biography

As Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Joanna Gregson, Ph.D., serves as the university’s Chief Academic Officer, leading the academic division and ensuring the intellectual vitality of the PLU mission. In this role, she collaborates closely with President Allan Belton and the President’s Council to drive strategic institutional planning. Her current portfolio also includes oversight of the Office of Admission and the Division of Enrollment Management, where she aligns enrollment strategy with academic programming to meet shifting student interests.

Dr. Gregson’s leadership is defined by a commitment to institutional effectiveness and the overall health of the university. By fostering collaboration across diverse constituents—from faculty governance to enrollment management—she ensures that PLU’s strategic goals remain rooted in our academic identity. Through a synthesis of data-informed decision-making and a unified institutional narrative, she works to align university resources with our mission of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership, and care.

Dr. Gregson joined PLU’s Department of Sociology in 1998 and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 2012. Her scholarly background in qualitative research methods informs her approach to leadership, emphasizing deep listening, stakeholder engagement, and the synthesis of complex institutional data.

Before her appointment as Provost, Dr. Gregson built an extensive record of leadership and governance at PLU. She chaired the Department of Sociology and the Women’s & Gender Studies Program, and held numerous elected faculty leadership roles, including Chair of the Faculty. Her work on the Rank and Tenure and Governance committees shaped her understanding of faculty affairs and institutional policy, while her service on the Campus Life committee provided a holistic view of the student experience and the administrative structures required to support it.

Dr. Gregson earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Western Washington University and her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her commitment to the PLU community, receiving the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching (2005), the Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring (2011), and the PLU Mortar Board Society “Top Prof” award (2017).