Michele Gillespie currently teaches in the Department of History as the Presidential Endowed Professor of Southern History. On July 1, Gillespie will take over as dean of the college, where she will oversee all academics for the undergraduate college of arts and sciences.
Gillespie received her undergraduate degree from Rice University. She went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D from Princeton University. She joined the Wake Forest faculty in 1999, after teaching at Agnes Scott College for six years. In 2003, she was named the Kahle Family Professor of History and then served as the associate provost for academic initiatives from 2007 to 2010.