Biography

John J. DeGioia is the 48th President of Georgetown University.  For nearly four decades, Dr. DeGioia has worked to define and strengthen Georgetown University as a premier institution for education and research.  

University Leadership

A graduate of Georgetown, Dr. DeGioia served as a senior administrator and as a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy before becoming president on July 1, 2001.  He continues to teach an Ignatius Seminar each fall, which is part of a program offering first year students the opportunity to encounter unique courses of study inspired by the Jesuit educational theme of cura personalis (“care for the whole person”).

As President, Dr. DeGioia is dedicated to deepening Georgetown’s tradition of academic excellence, its commitment to its Catholic and Jesuit identity, its engagement with the Washington, D.C. community, and its global mission.  Under his leadership, Georgetown has become a leader in shaping the future landscape of higher education and in 2023 launched a $3 billion campaign dedicated to enhancing the lifelong value of a Georgetown education.

Dr. DeGioia is deeply engaged in addressing broader issues in education.  He previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE) and recently chaired the Board of Directors of the Forum for the Future of Higher Education. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and was formerly a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.  He concluded his service as a member of the NCAA Board of Governors and the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors in August 2023. He has also served as the Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, as Chair of the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics and as a commissioner on the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Academic, Professional, and Personal

Dr. DeGioia earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University in 1995. 

Prior to his appointment as president in 2001, Dr. DeGioia held a variety of senior administrative positions at Georgetown, including Senior Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs.

He has been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Academia by the Sons of Italy, and the “Catholic in the Public Square Award” by Commonweal (2012).  He was honored as a “Brave Thinker” by The Atlantic (2012), and as “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine (2008).  

He has received Honorary Degrees from Miami Dade College (2008); Loyola University, Maryland (2009); Queens University, Belfast (2009); Sacred Heart University (2011); Mount Aloysius College (2015); and Seattle University (2016).  He has also received an honorary fellowship at Glyndŵr University (2010), as well as the “Esteemed Friend” award from Sophia University in Tokyo (2014), and was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010).  

Dr. DeGioia spent his early years in Orange, Connecticut, and Hanford, California. He and his wife, Theresa Miller DeGioia, a Georgetown alumna, and their son, John Thomas, live in Washington, D.C.