Elizabeth Parmalee

Elizabeth Parmelee, Ph.D., is the associate vice president of Undergraduate Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of expertise include democracy, human rights, voter engagement, civic education, public education and leadership.

Parmalee currently oversees the university’s academic and co-curricular programs for Undergraduate Studies that work to deeply engage students in their education journey and help them achieve their full potential as diverse undergraduate scholars.

She has centered her professional and academic career around international relations with interest areas in social capital, human rights, international economics and development. Parmalee has been involved in many committees addressing leadership in higher education, global affairs and civic engagement. She currently serves as member and Chair-Elect of the National Steering Committee for the American Democracy Project under the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, she was the Executive Director of the Colorado Partnership for Educational Renewal, a nonprofit consortium of higher education institutions and public-school districts founded on the principle that public schools must educate youth to participate in an equitable and democratic society.

Parmalee earned her bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from Swarthmore College and both her master’s and doctorate’s degrees from the Korbel School for International Studies at the University of Denver.