Harvard Law School Appoints New Dean for Administration

L. Tracee Whitley ’88 will serve as Harvard Law School’s new dean for administration, the school announced Wednesday.

The dean for administration oversees the Law School’s administrative affairs — including facilities, faculty support services, finance, human resources, and information technology.

Whitley will report directly to the Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82, aiding with “short and long-term financial and operational plans” and working alongside the University’s central administration, according to a press release.

She said in the press release that she is “incredibly proud and pleased” to take on the new role.

“The opportunity to serve faculty, students and staff at Harvard Law School is the culmination of both my educational and professional experiences in the Harvard University and Greater Boston communities, and of my business operations experience in the global legal industry,” Whitley said.

She added that she looks forward to “learning about the Harvard Law School community and to working every day to support the teaching, research and service that makes HLS the unparalleled leader in legal education.”

Whitley will take over from Matt Gruber, who will become chief financial officer and chief operating officer at private equity firm Sagamore Capital Management.

Gruber has worked at the Law School for six years, serving as dean for administration for three of them. In recent months, he served on the search committee for Harvard's next police chief and helped pilot a University-wide remote work system for staff that aimed to deter the spread of Covid-19.

Whitley previously served as the chief operating officer of law firms Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP and Bingham McCutchen LLP. She also served as an associate lawyer at Boston firms Steffensen Herman & Doggett LLC and Robinson & Cole LLP.

Manning praised Whitley’s leadership experience in the release.

“I am delighted to announce that Tracee Whitley has agreed to serve as our new dean for administration,” Manning said. “Tracee’s proven success as a leader, as an innovator, and as a creative and thoughtful administrator, combined with her deep ties to Harvard and her extensive legal background, make her the ideal candidate to oversee the School’s administration.”

“[Whitley’s] collegiality, creativity, and institutional acumen will make her a superb administrative dean,” Manning said.

—Staff writer Emmy M. Cho can be reached at emmy.cho@thecrimson.com.