Dr. Karol Dean
Director
Dr. Karol Dean joined the Resilience Board in 2025.
As the Director of the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship (a project of Health & Medicine Policy Research Group), she nurtures a community service orientation among evolving health and human service professionals. The majority of her career has been focused in higher education as an educator and academic administrator at mission-centered liberal arts institutions focused on preparing non-traditional students for their lives and careers. In these positions, she ensured the quality of teaching and learning for students and for faculty, while contributing to organizational change and resiliency. Karol’s scholarly and professional focus is on reducing violence, supporting women, and building leadership. Throughout her life, she has worked with sexual assault survivor service organizations as a hotline counselor and as a Board member. She earned her Ph.D. and Masters degrees in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University.
She is currently a member of the West Suburban Giving Circle of the Chicago Foundation for Women, and Chicago Women in Philanthropy.