Deanne Horner D’Emilio, JD began her tenure as the sixth President of Gwynedd Mercy University on August 1, 2017.  Since joining Gwynedd Mercy University, D'Emilio has led the University through significant changes and milestones.

D’Emilio spearheaded the purchase and sale of a 154-acre campus property. The property, which was purchased for $12.1 million in 2018, sold for $31.5 million in 2022. The university also signed a $10 million agreement of sale and secured an additional $3 million gift from the Maguire Foundation for 15 acres of land that will allow St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to relocate to Gywnedd Valley.

A portion of the proceeds from these transactions is being used to support strategic investments that align with the university's vision of becoming the Catholic university leader in professional and healthcare education.

Through D'Emilio's leadership, GMercyU also secured a $10 million transformational gift from the Maguire Foundation to build the Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Campus. This future state-of-the-art hub of healthcare innovation will address the healthcare needs of today and tomorrow, with the goal of improving access and equity for all. Here, technological advancements will converge with a compassionate healthcare mindset, and healthcare majors will collaborate with Social Work, Psychology, Computer Information Science, and students in many other majors as they learn to advocate for the "whole" patient.

GMercyU has recently embarked on a number of improvements to existing campus facilities, including the addition of a loop road and more pedestrian walkways, renovations to the residence halls and athletic fields, and new classroom technologies.

Through D'Emilio's leadership, Gwynedd Mercy University is approaching its 75th anniversary and emerging from the pandemic with a clear vision and plan for the future.

Prior to Gwynedd Mercy University, D’Emilio served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Carlow University, another Mercy-sponsored institution.  She assumed the position in July 2014 during a period of reorganization at Carlow, which included an academic transition from six schools and divisions to three colleges.  D’Emilio led the University’s efforts to reorganize the academic structure, develop the strategic plan, strengthen programs, promote interdisciplinary approaches, implement process improvements, and optimize resources.  She has launched more than a dozen new programs, created a division of Online and Digital Learning, and forged partnerships with corporate, healthcare, and education entities to benefit students and develop an enrollment pipeline.

Before assuming the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, D’Emilio served as Dean of the School of Management and Dean of the Graduate School at Carlow, successfully leading efforts to strengthen programs, implement process improvements, and optimize resources. 

D’Emilio came to Carlow from Mount Aloysius College, where she developed and chaired the Legal Studies program and served as Associate Academic Dean and Division Chair of Humanities, Social Science, and Professional Studies, the College’s largest academic division.  Mount Aloysius is another one of the 17 Mercy-sponsored institutions in the United States.

She has been recognized with outstanding teaching and advising awards, and has presented to the Association of American Colleges and Universities on the restructuring of general education at Carlow.  D’Emilio also has served as an Arbitrator of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. 

D’Emilio graduated cum laude with a B.A. in education with a minor in religion from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Bowling Green State University, and a JD cum laude from the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and did so until 1998 when she began pursuing a career in higher education. 

She is married to Matthew D’Emilio, Director of University Contracts Office at Carnegie Mellon University, and they have two grown children and one grandchild.