Dear USF Community,
Following an extensive national search, we are delighted to announce Karin Cotterman EdD and Noriko Lim-Tepper ’07, MA ’11, EdD as the senior co-directors of the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good. Karin, who has served as the interim director of the McCarthy Center since August 2025, will step into the role of senior co-director of programs in public service, community-engaged learning, and civic education, effective June 1, 2026. Noriko will join USF as senior co-director of stewardship, impact, and external relations and as a special adviser to the president on public affairs, effective June 22, 2026. Both leaders bring deep experience, extensive networks, and a robust vision of advancing ethical public service and the common good. The co-directorship of Karin and Noriko will bring strong and inspiring leadership to the McCarthy Center as it celebrates its 25-year anniversary. Their collaboration will bolster the center’s resources and amplify our ability to tell the story of the university’s contributions at the city, state, and national levels.
We are grateful to the members of the search committee and Chair Stephanie Sears, who conducted a national search that identified such talented leaders.
Karin is a seasoned community engagement leader. She has 15 years of experience at USF and more than 25 years of experience leading teams focused on community engagement and public service. She is the founding director of Engage San Francisco, USF’s long-term partnership with the Fillmore neighborhood, and her scholarship and teaching include preparing faculty and students for thoughtful, ethical community engagement. Karin is a nationally recognized content expert in community-engaged learning and university-community place-based initiatives, with active participation in national networks and conferences. Her work is grounded in a strong connection to the Jesuit mission and the center’s justice-oriented community engagement.
Noriko has most recently served as chief strategic partnership and advocacy officer at the San Francisco Marin Food Bank, developing and managing community engagement strategies, building relationships with stakeholders and community leaders, and advocating for local, state, and national policies that support food security. Previously, she served as chief public affairs officer and chief of staff to the president of San Francisco State University, advising on government engagement strategies, policy solutions, and university relations. Noriko is a talented communicator who brings strategic acumen, political fluency, deep ties to the city of San Francisco, and a vision rooted in justice and systems change. She is a native San Franciscan and a double Don, with a student- and faculty-centered orientation, a demonstrated track record of partnering across sectors, and a commitment to advancing a compelling, public-facing vision for the center and the broader university in justice-oriented civic conversations locally and nationally.
The center is one of the most powerful expressions of USF’s mission, and the need for programs in ethical public service and the common good is needed now more than ever. We look forward to supporting Karin’s and Noriko’s vision as they lead the McCarthy Center into its next chapter. Please join us in congratulating them both and welcoming Noriko back to our community.
Sincerely,
Eileen Chia-Ching Fung
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Anastasia Vrachnos
Vice Provost, Global Education, Immersions, and Strategic Initiatives