Mary Ellen Poole

Mary Ellen Poole serves as the Stanley and Marcia Gumberg Dean of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), while maintaining a faculty appointment as Professor of Music. She joined CMU in August 2021 after leading the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin since 2014, where she held the Florence Thelma Hall Centennial Chair in Musicology. Previously, she served as dean of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a decade, overseeing significant facility expansions and enrollment growth.

Her research focuses on fin-de-siècle Paris, examining cabaret chansons, music as political propaganda during the Radical Republic, and music education for the working class. Under her leadership at UT Austin, the Butler School strengthened its faculty, expanded donor networks, and prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She has consistently advocated for student ensemble performance opportunities throughout her career.

As CFA dean, Poole emphasizes the role of artists as societal connectors, aiming to amplify their impact on creating a more humane and just world. Her administrative efforts have included facility modernization and strategic recruitment of faculty talent.