Meet the Dean

An accomplished leader, educator and health behaviors researcher, Susan Kelly-Weeder, Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, joined the GW School of Nursing as its fourth dean in July 2023. Dr. Kelly-Weeder was previously the associate dean for graduate programs at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. In this role and utilizing a student-centered approach, she redesigned the graduate nursing curriculum. To advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), she led the development of a required graduate-level diversity course and implemented a holistic admission process that increased diversity among incoming graduate students.

“We were extremely impressed by Dr. Kelly-Weeder’s collaborative spirit, commitment to academic excellence and work enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the nursing profession,” said Provost Christopher Alan Bracey. “Combined with her considerable experience in the field, the classroom and as a leader, she is well-positioned to direct the School of Nursing to new heights and a bright future.”

Dr. Kelly-Weeder is the immediate past president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), the leading organization specifically devoted to promoting high-quality nurse practitioner (NP) education at both the national and international levels. In this capacity, she led a major strategic planning initiative, advanced academic-practice partnerships to develop models for NP clinical education and enhanced NP faculty development.  

“I am honored and truly humbled to be the next dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing,” said Kelly-Weeder. “I look forward to working with the School of Nursing’s outstanding faculty, students and staff to further advance the school and nursing profession.”

Dr. Kelly-Weeder earned her B.S. in nursing from Simmons College and her M.S. and Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She maintains a clinical practice in family and college health as a board-certified family nurse practitioner. An NIH-funded researcher, her work has focused on motivational interventions to reduce binge drinking and disordered eating behaviors in college students, and she is widely published in the areas of high-risk health behaviors and nurse practitioner education.  A long-time educator, Kelly-Weeder has taught across undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. programs.