Dr. Carla Panzella is the Vice Provost for Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and holds a secondary appointment in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy .
Dr. Panzella brings over 20 years of student affairs experience to this role. Her deep commitment to holistic student well-being guides the division of student affairs in supporting students in achieving their personal and academic goals. She believes it is vitally important for public universities to advance and promote inclusive excellence and to be student-ready institutions that anticipate and meet students’ needs.
She joined Pitt in fall 2022 as dean of students and was promoted to associate vice provost and dean of students in 2023. In those roles, Dr. Panzella was integral in implementing a division-wide reorganization for Student Affairs to create departments, programs and services meeting the needs of a new generation of students and in collaborating with the Office of the Provost on data-driven academic initiatives. Student-centered work is at the forefront of her portfolio.
Dr. Panzella holds a PhD in higher education from Seton Hall University, where she completed her dissertation research on “Postsecondary Pathways: A Study of Low-income Black and Latino Students.” She holds an MA in organizational psychology and leadership from the Teachers College of Columbia University and a BS in psychology from Saint Peter’s University.