Please see the full announcement from Vice Provost Carla Panzella to all Student Affairs staff below, sent on August 11, 2026.
Dear Division of Student Affairs staff,
I am delighted to announce that, following a national search, Dr. Ashlee Wolfgang has been named Executive Director of the University Counseling Center (UCC), effective Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
Dr. Wolfgang has trained and worked in university counseling for more than 16 years, including at Bowling Green State University, Carnegie Mellon University, The Ohio State University, and, since 2019, here at Pitt. She joined the UCC as a Staff Psychologist in 2019 and has since served in a range of clinical and leadership roles, including Interim Assistant Director of Clinical Services, Acting Executive Director (2022–2023), and Associate Director of Clinical Services since 2021. She has served as our Interim Executive Director since July 2025.
Among her many contributions, Dr. Wolfgang helped lead the development and implementation of our Higher Education Assessment and Response Team (HEART), a co-response crisis team that partners with university police to support students in crisis — one of the first three programs of its kind in the nation. She also developed and oversees Next STEP, a bridging program that provides intensive care to students as they transition to their next level of treatment in the community. Dr. Wolfgang leads our Campus Crisis Support Team (CCST), a team of trained volunteers who respond to large-scale crises affecting our students.
Ashlee recently completed a year-long leadership training series through Pitt's Office of Human Resources, culminating in a capstone project this past May. She also serves as adjunct faculty in the Psychology Department and at Carlow University, and is an active contributor to numerous UCC and campus committees, including the Multicultural Care Team, Trauma Care Team, and the HEART Advisory Committee.
Dr. Wolfgang holds a PsyD in Counseling Psychology from Carlow University, an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Bowling Green State University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Hiram College. She is a Licensed Psychologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is Board Certified in Telemental Health.
Those who have worked with Ashlee know her as a thoughtful, team-oriented leader — someone who listens carefully, builds trust, and leads with steadiness and humility. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountains and spending time with her feisty chihuahua, Rezzy!
I am confident she will continue to build on the UCC's strong foundation of clinical excellence and collaborative culture as she steps into this role. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Wolfgang on this well-deserved appointment!
Sincerely,
Carla Panzella, PhD (she/her)
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
VPStudentAffairs@pitt.edu