Elizabeth Chacko, the associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as the inaugural associate provost for special programs and the Mount Vernon academic experience, according to a University release Wednesday.

Chacko will officially take on the new position on July 1. In the role, she will oversee the university honors and women’s leadership programs and multiple living and learning communities on the campus, including two new groups focused on sustainability and global connections, according to the release.

The provost’s office launched an internal search for the new position late last semester. Chacko will have a hand in the search for the next director of the University Honors Program after Maria Frawley stepped down from her post last semester.

“In this new role, I am especially interested in working across disciplines and schools, academic programs and the residential life experience to make the Mount Vernon Campus an even more energetic place, and an intellectual hub, for students, faculty and staff,” Chacko said in the release.

Chacko, who boasts two decades of experience at GW, previously served as a professor, the chair of the geography department and the director of CCAS’ Dean’s Scholars in Globalization program. She will step down from her current post in CCAS at the end of June, according to the release.

In the new position, Chacko will also help roll out the new Mount Vernon Society of Fellows program, an initiative that allows post-doctoral students to teach on campus and interact with living and learning communities for two years.

“We want to fully realize the potential of the Mount Vernon Campus, which combines a small, liberal arts college feel with the resources and opportunities of a large, urban research university,” Terry Murphy, the deputy provost for academic affairs, said in the release. “Elizabeth will bring great energy and focus to the Mount Vernon Campus’s innovative academic offerings and create a truly unique learning environment for our students.”