Wendell Pritchett, Ph.D.

Wendell Pritchett is the James S. Riepe Presidential Professor of Law and Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Pritchett served as Provost at Penn from July 2017 to January 2021, and from February through June of 2022 he served as Interim President of the institution. From 2009 to 2014, Pritchett served as Chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden.

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Pritchett has written two books, and his research examines the development of post-war urban policy, in particular urban renewal, housing finance, and housing discrimination. He has specialized in real estate and housing law, representing nonprofit organizations involved in the development of affordable housing.

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Pritchett holds a Ph.D. in history from Penn and is an award-winning urban historian and earned his law degree at Yale. He has held numerous leadership positions in nonprofit and government service in addition to pursuing a distinguished academic career. During the past 15 years, Pritchett has played a leadership role in numerous nonprofit organizations, including as board chair of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, member of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, president of the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, chair of the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia, member of the Pennsylvania State Planning Board, member of the Cooper University Health Care Board of Trustees, president of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, and co-chair of the World Class Greater Philadelphia Initiative of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia.