Penn is home to some of the world’s most talented and influential scholars, coaches, and industry experts — here are 10 that every student should know.
Larry Jameson
Larry Jameson was named Penn’s 10th president in March 2025, following a 15-month interim tenure. Jameson assumed the position following former Penn President Liz Magill’s resignation amid backlash surrounding campus antisemitism controversies.
Before serving as president, Jameson was the executive vice president of Penn Medicine and had served as dean of the Perelman School of Medicine since 2011.
Since taking his position, Jameson has navigated Penn through its adoption of institutional neutrality, funding freezes due to federal government pushback against higher education, and a rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Michael Mann
Michael Mann has served as the inaugural vice provost for climate science, policy, and action since November 2024.
Known for his “Hockey Stick” graph that depicts rising global temperatures, Mann has been recognized globally for his work on climate policy and action. He has also authored several award-winning books on the climate crisis and serves as the director of Penn’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media.
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Amy Gutmann
Amy Gutmann, the longest-serving University president, will resume teaching for this academic year as the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science and as a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication.
Gutmann served as the University’s president from 2004 to 2022. Her 18-year presidency is widely considered one of the most transformative in Penn’s history. After her tenure, she became the first woman to serve as the United States Ambassador to Germany.
David Eisenhower
David Eisenhower is a lecturer in the Annenberg School and serves as the director of the Institute for Public Service. Eisenhower also helped develop the Institute for Public Service — which focuses on political science, public policy, and journalism.
Eisenhower, the grandson of former United States President Dwight Eisenhower, is one of Penn’s most sought-after professors. His most well-known course, “Communication and the Presidency,” gives students the chance to travel to a presidential library of their choice as part of a semester-long research paper.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Kathleen Hall Jamieson serves as the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication and the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. She co-founded FactCheck.org, a website dedicated to correcting misinformation and combating conspiracy theories.
Jamieson is renowned for her research on political and campaign communication, misinformation, and science communication. She is an accomplished author, having written 18 books and won 12 political science and communication book awards.
Gilly Lane
Gilly Lane, a 2007 College graduate, is the head coach of Penn men’s squash, a position he has held since 2016.
A former Penn player himself, Lane has helped revitalize the Penn squash programs. The team secured its second national championship this past spring with a 5-2 victory over Yale and was undefeated all season. Prior to being head coach, Lane worked as the associate head coach for both the men and the women’s squash teams from 2015 to 2016.
The Daily Pennsylvanian anointed Lane the “Coach of the Year” for the 2024-25 season, citing his two national championships and undeniable hand in bringing Penn to national prominence on the squash stage.
Erika James
Erika James has served as dean of the Wharton School since 2020 and is one of the leading, influential voices on organizational psychology.
James — the first woman and first Black dean of Wharton — has written several books about leadership in the workplace. She is also often featured on news television programs and serves on the board of various organizations, including Save the Children, Morgan Stanley, and The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Kimmel Center, Inc.
Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery, a 1982 Wharton graduate, was named as the head coach of Penn men’s basketball in March and will lead his first season with the Quakers this fall.
McCaffery brings 15 years of Big Ten experience, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances — the most of any Ivy League coach at the time of hiring — and a career that includes head coaching stints at Lehigh, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and Siena, where he won three MAAC titles.
Emily Wilson
Emily Wilson is the Classical Studies Department chair and College for Women Class of 1963 Term Professor in the Humanities. She is known for her work in Greek and Roman literature, specializing in the translation of such texts.
Wilson is most known for her translation of the Homer epic, “The Odyssey,” which she translated back in 2018. Her translation received global recognition, making Wilson the first woman to render the classic into English.
Wilson teaches various classes in Classical Studies, available to undergraduates and graduates.
Ezekiel Emanuel
Ezekiel Emanuel is the vice provost for global initiatives, a Diane v.S. Levy & Robert M. Levy Professor, and the co-director of Penn’s Healthcare Transformation Institute.
Emanuel is a world-renowned bioethicist and an expert in health policy, having worked in several prominent positions in the field before beginning his tenure at Penn. Emanuel was appointed to former U.S. President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board in 2020, serving as one of 13 experts for the White House.
Emanuel served as the founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and as a special advisor on health policy to the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the National Economic Council, where he worked on crafting the Affordable Care Act.
