Maggie Epps Reappointed to Second Term as Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Chief of Staff to the President

“Maggie is a thoughtful, strategic and creative leader who has tremendous vision and a remarkable ability to get things done,” said Price. “I have relied on her perspective and input throughout my presidency, and I know our board members also share my appreciation for her wise counsel and unparalleled commitment to the university’s mission. I look forward to continuing our work together during her second term.”

As secretary to the Board of Trustees, Epps serves as the chief liaison between the board and the administration, faculty, students and other Duke constituencies. She oversees the development of the board’s annual work plan and is responsible for planning board and standing committee meetings. She also serves as the lead administrator to the board’s Governance Committee, which is responsible for identifying, recruiting, and evaluating members of the board. In addition, Epps’ office maintains the records of the board, including minutes, bylaws and board policies.

In her role as chief of staff to the president, Epps works with the president to articulate short- and long-term strategic priorities, and identifies the appropriate mechanisms for advancing and tracking progress against those priorities. In addition, she oversees searches, transitions and administrative review processes for the president’s direct reports.

Epps was responsible for bringing to life the recommendations of the board’s 2020-21 Centennial Celebration strategic task force and provided leadership for all centralized elements of the university’s Centennial Celebration. She also led the planning for the first-ever joint meeting of the Duke Board of Trustees and The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees in December 2023.

With the president and provost, Epps created Duke’s presidential fellows program. Now in its fourth year, the program aims to support the development of faculty members with interests in administrative leadership by providing them opportunities to interact closely with and receive mentorship from the president and other senior leaders; observe leadership in action through direct participation in leadership meetings; engage in decision-making processes; and work on a special project of interest to both the fellow and the Office of the President.

During her first term, Epps also:

• Oversaw the selection process for two new trustee board chairs and recruited several new trustees.
• Collaborated with colleagues to revamp and enhance communications related to the president’s strategic vision and Duke’s institutional values.
• Provided strategic input and perspective to support and advance creative and visionary work on university priorities including the Duke Climate Commitment, the Strategic Community Impact Plan (SCIP), and Duke’s upcoming fundraising campaign.
• Led updates and enhancements to a number of university ceremonies and introduced new events to support university priorities.
• Streamlined and optimized several presidential committees.

Prior to being appointed to the secretary and chief of staff roles in 2020, Epps served as special assistant to the president and associate secretary to the board. She came to Duke in 1999 and held senior administrative roles in marketing and creative services at Duke Medicine (now Duke Health) before serving as chief of staff to former Chancellor for Health Affairs Dr. Victor Dzau.

Epps holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Georgia and is a 2016 graduate of the Duke Leadership Academy.