Denise Bortree has been appointed the interim dean of the Bellisario College of Communications, starting June 15.

Bortree serves as a professor within the college and has been the associate dean of academic affairs since 2020. She has been a faculty member since 2007, focusing on nonprofit organizational communication and sustainability. Since 2014, Bortree has served as the director of the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication.

“We are fortunate to have Denise in this role during the leadership transition,” interim Executive Vice President and Provost Tracy Langkilde said in a release. “As the current associate dean and director of the Page Center, Denise is an accomplished leader and possesses the skills and experience needed to lead the college. I am thankful to her for stepping into this important position as interim dean, and I know she will be a strong champion for the Bellisario College.”

In her new role, Bortree will lead Bellisario College’s academics and administration as well as continue to advance its communication education and research, including strategic direction, academic oversight, and support facilities and programming.

Bortree will continue to serve as Page Center director, where she has been leading significant growth in research, education, and outreach targeting ethics within public communication for the past 10 years.

In addition to her campus leadership positions, Bortree sits on the boards of the Internal Public Relations Research Conference and the Commission for Public Relations Education and served as a past chair for the association and nonprofit division of the Public Relations Society of America.

In her career, Bortree has co-edited two books, authored 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and presented more than 70 conference papers at national and international conferences, winning several top paper awards. She has several awards for her educational achievements, including the Big Ten Academic Leadership Program for 2019 and 2020.

Before coming to Penn State, Bortree received her doctorate and master’s degree in mass communication and a master’s of education in educational psychology from the University of Florida.

“From student experience to faculty research to alumni networking, the Bellisario College is a leader in so many areas that affect our everyday lives and our society,” Bortree said in a release. “Marie will leave a rock-solid foundation for us to build on and to continue preparing students for the future. I’m honored to take on that mantle.”