About the Provost

Patricia A. Prelock, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

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Dr. Patricia A. Prelock is the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Arizona. As the chief academic officer, Provost Prelock oversees all colleges and academic programs; faculty affairs; student affairs; libraries; Arizona International; Online Initiatives; assessment, teaching and learning; enrollment management; and student support services.

Prior to joining the U of A in May 2025, Dr. Prelock served as Interim President at the University of Vermont during the 2024-2025 academic year. Her extensive leadership experience includes over five years as Provost and Senior Vice President, ten years as Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and over seven years chairing the Communication Sciences and Disorders department.

Dr. Prelock is a highly accomplished leader, scientist, scholar, and clinical speech-language pathologist. She is a recognized expert in the nature and treatment of autism in children, interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice, and family-centered care. She has authored over 220 publications and over 600 peer-reviewed and invited presentations/keynotes in the areas of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, collaboration, IPE, leadership, and language learning disabilities. As a PI or Co-PI she has garnered more than $25 million in university, state, and federal funding to develop innovations in interdisciplinary training supporting children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, to facilitate training in speech-language pathology and to support her intervention work in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). 

Dr. Prelock received her B.S. in speech pathology & audiology and a M.A. in speech pathology from Kent State University and her Ph.D. in speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also an Emerita Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders and former Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Vermont.
 

Awards and Accolades
•    Associate Editor for Frontiers in Human Neuroscience-Speech and Language Section (2023)
•    President of the ASHFoundation (2020 and 2021)
•    Associate Editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2019)
•    Jackie M. Gribbons Leadership Award from Vermont Women in Higher Education (2018)
•    Fellow in the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in speech-language pathology (2018)
•    ASHA Honors of the Association (2017)
•    Distinguished Alumna of Cardinal Mooney High School (2017)
•    Distinguished Alumna of the University of Pittsburgh (2015)
•    President for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (2013)
•    Cecil & Ida Green Honors Professor Visiting Scholar at Texas Christian University (2011)
•    University of Vermont Scholar (2003)
•    University of Vermont’s Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award (2000)
•    ASHA Fellow (2000)
 

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