Suzanne Ortega became the 6^th President of the Council of Graduate Schools on July 1, 2014. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as the University of North Carolina (UNC) Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (2011–14) and her previous appointments include serving as the Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of New Mexico; Vice Provost and Graduate Dean at the University of Washington; and various positions at the University of Missouri. Dr. Ortega’s masters and doctoral degrees in sociology were completed at Vanderbilt University.

With primary research interests in mental health epidemiology, health services, and race and ethnic relations, Dr. Ortega is the author or co-author of numerous journal articles, book chapters, and an introductory sociology text, now in its 9^th edition. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Ortega has also served on a number of review panels for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Health and has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on grants totaling more than nine million dollars in private foundation and federal funds.

Dr. Ortega also serves or has served on a number of professional association boards and committees, including the boards of the Council of Graduate Schools, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the National Academies, the NSF, the North Carolina E-learning Commission, and the UNC Press. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the American University in the Emirates.