Announcing new dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Dear Colleagues,

I am excited to announce that Greg Van Tatenhove has accepted the offer to serve as the dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, effective July 1, 2026, pending approval of the Board of Trustees.

Greg is currently serving as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky, a role he has held since 2006. Previously, he served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ron Lewis and an Honors Program trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In each of these roles, Greg has demonstrated broad and substantive senior-level leadership, managing complex multidisciplinary teams, overseeing substantial budgets and adjudicating complex legal and public policy issues. 

He has served as chair of various organizational committees, including the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management, the Sixth Circuit Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, leading strategic planning initiatives and developing and implementing policies and procedures.

Greg has also been an adjunct instructor in the Rosenberg College of Law since 2017, teaching “Crime and Punishment: Sentencing Policy and Procedure.” He is a judge and lecturer in the Trial Advocacy Program for Assistant United States Attorneys, a part of the National Advocacy Center at the University of South Carolina, and judge of the Vincent S. Dalsimer Moot Court Competition at Pepperdine University.

With his leadership and guidance, I am confident that the J. David Rosenberg College of Law will continue its upward trajectory as a premier law college in the nation, with a faculty and staff body committed to both its students and to advancing the legal profession. Greg’s experience advancing strategic goals and engaging with broad groups of internal and external stakeholders will allow him to work closely with faculty, staff and students to further the Rosenberg College of Law’s mission of providing first-class law education and preparing students to be leaders and scholars.

I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Jim Duff for serving as interim dean for the last year and helping the Rosenberg College of Law build upon its reputation of excellence in scholarship and service. Please join me in thanking Jim for his service.

Please also join me in congratulating Greg as he steps into this vital leadership role for our campus.

Thank you for all you do to advance Kentucky and our communities.

Robert DiPaola 
Provost