Dr. Branden Grimmett
Specializing in inclusive leadership and personal career development, Branden’s expertise in DEI and employability has been highlighted by The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Marketplace, The Chronicle for Higher Education, and the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Branden joined Emory University in 2022 as the inaugural vice provost for career and professional development and associate dean in Emory College of Arts and Sciences. In this role, he oversees the newly created Pathways Center, an initiative that provides resources and experiences to Emory College students and alumni to help them reach their full potential. The Center encompasses: Career Services; Undergraduate Research; National Scholarships and Fellowships; Pre-Health Advising; and Experiential Learning. The Center also serves as a single hub for recruiting Emory talent, attracting top employers in every industry locally, nationally, and globally.
Prior to Emory, Branden served as a faculty member and in senior career services roles at several universities. As the associate provost at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, he led the LMU Career and Professional Development team and served as the co-lead of the President’s Black Leadership Advisory Council and as a Council member of the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Network. Branden also taught career development theory and process to master’s level students at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.
Branden was the founding director of the Piper Center for Vocation and Career at St. Olaf College, charged by the president to transform the career center into an innovative, results-oriented operation. Prior to St. Olaf, Branden served as associate director of career services at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, working with employers such as NATO, the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, Capitol Hill, and the Intelligence Community to support graduate student career pathways in defense, energy, intelligence, politics, think tanks, and trade. Branden has held positions at Harvard University, Brill Neumann Associates, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and WorldTeach.
Branden received his Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Southern California, and his dissertation researched how Black, Latino/a, and Asian American presidents and provosts at predominantly white institutions navigated their universities in the era of #BlackLivesMatter. He received his M.T.S. from Harvard University in theological studies, and his B.A. in music and religion from St. Olaf College. He is a classically trained pianist and organist and TONY®-nominated Broadway producer (The Piano Lesson; New York, New York).
Branden is a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the Council on Undergraduate Research, the National Association of Fellowships Advisors, the National Association of Advisors of Health Professions, the Association for Experiential Education, the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, and LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education.