University of Utah Provost Mitzi M. Montoya is pleased to announce that Michelle M. Camacho has been named assistant provost and senior advisor for strategic initiatives. Camacho, who has served as dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science (CSBS) since 2022, will begin her new role on July 1, 2026. She will continue to hold her tenured faculty appointment in CSBS.
Montoya expressed appreciation for Camacho’s leadership and for taking on this new role, noting her many contributions to the CSBS and the broader university community. “As dean, Michelle has shown great dedication to the growth of both the teaching and research missions of CSBS, advocating for faculty and serving as a strong voice for student success. I know her expertise and enthusiasm will serve her well as she steps onto this new path,” Montoya added.
“The work of any dean is the work of an entire community of faculty, staff and students. I am grateful to have served alongside the CSBS community, and I look forward to supporting the university’s strategic initiatives in this new capacity,” Camacho said.
Since joining the U in 2022, Camacho has led CSBS through a period of significant academic expansion, research growth and community impact.
Working in partnership with faculty leaders and through extensive shared governance consultation, Camacho established the School of Public Affairs (the first of its kind in the Utah System of Higher Education). She also facilitated the creation of the School of Environment, Society, and Sustainability, bringing together faculty from geography and Environmental & Sustainability Studies to expand interdisciplinary opportunities in environmental research and education.
In partnership with faculty and staff at the College’s Behavioral Health Innovation and Dissemination Center, Camacho supported the establishment of two bilingual community mental health clinics in low-income areas of Salt Lake City. The clinics provide the university’s largest mental health graduate training program while delivering health-psychology services to Spanish-speaking community members and the unsheltered population.
Camacho is a former American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow and Fulbright Scholar. Prior to joining the University of Utah, she served at the National Science Foundation.
In her new role, she will advise the executive vice president for Academic Affairs on emerging strategic initiatives and serve as an ambassador for the University of Utah in a range of national settings and forums.
Camacho will continue to serve in her role as dean through June 30. Montoya has announced that Senior Associate Dean of Research Rebecca Utz has accepted an appointment as interim dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science. Utz will begin working in this new role on July 1, 2026, and will continue to serve until a new dean is appointed. Montoya will work with Peter Trapa, vice provost and senior dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and CSBS leadership and faculty to determine next steps and timing on a search process for a new dean.