PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Class of 2015 graduate Marguerite Joutz has been appointed to a new position in the office of Brown University President Christina Paxson. She will become chief of staff and assistant to the president, effective Feb. 1, 2019.
In the role, Joutz will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet, advise on issues and priorities, represent the president in some settings, and supervise the Office of the President staff. Her appointment marks a return to the office for Joutz, who served as a research and teaching assistant during her undergraduate years and then as assistant to the president for student affairs and special projects beginning in 2015.
Paxson said that Joutz’s experiences both at Brown and beyond make her an ideal fit for the role.
“Marguerite brings a superb knowledge of higher education, a strategic approach to her work and a firsthand understanding of Brown’s distinctive culture,” Paxson said. “She was a key contributor to academic and administrative initiatives during her earlier time on campus, and I’m excited to welcome her back as a member of the University’s leadership team.”
Since 2017, Joutz has served as confidential assistant to the editorial page editor at the New York Times. In that role, she provided administrative support to the Editorial Board, staffed weekly leadership meetings, coordinated recruiting efforts and tracked progress on department initiatives. She also wrote and edited essays for the Opinion section, contributed news stories to multiple sections and attended daily news meetings.
As assistant to the president for student affairs and special projects at Brown from 2015 to 2017, Joutz served as a liaison between the office and the University’s undergraduate, graduate and medical students. Among other accomplishments, she created a centralized funding mechanism to support student activities and launched an internship program to give students from diverse backgrounds experience in higher education administration.
Prior to her graduation in 2015, Joutz worked as a research assistant at e-Maxwell and Associates, where she contributed to an international report on digital learning and STEM education.
As an Office of the President research assistant in 2014-15, Joutz conducted a benchmarking analysis as Brown developed plans for what would become the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. She also served as a teaching assistant to Paxson, a professor of economics and international and public affairs, for a seminar on disparities in health and wealth in the U.S.
Joutz earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown in education studies: history and policy. Outside of the classroom, she played trombone in the Brown University Jazz Band, served as a Meiklejohn Peer Advisor and completed internships in the Curricular Resource Center and the Division of Advancement.
She said that returning to Brown, where she not only earned her undergraduate degree but began her career in higher education, is especially meaningful on a personal level.
“Given my experiences as both a student and staff member, I know firsthand the impact that Brown’s academic initiatives and priorities can have on teaching and learning on campus,” Joutz said. “I’m thrilled to return to help advance that work. It will be a privilege to work with President Paxson and colleagues across Brown once again, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to join her senior team.”