Dr. Kristina Ropella, Eng '85, has served as Opus Dean of the Opus College of Engineering since 2014. In this role, she leads strategic planning, creation of new academic programs, engagement with industry, government and academic partners, fundraising, and community outreach. Prior to being named Dean, she was executive associate dean (2013-2014) and chaired Marquette’s biomedical engineering faculty from (2004 to 2013).

Ropella has led creation of innovative educational programs including the Joint Functional Imaging Ph.D. program with MCW, a biocomputer engineering major, a GAANN Graduate Fellowship Program in Functional Imaging, and the Marquette and MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. She founded and is the faculty director of E-Lead, a three-year leadership development program for undergraduate students.

Ropella is lead investigator on grants from the GHR Foundation focused on research in engineering education, creation of an engineering education graduate program, and re-envisioning the Opus College curriculum to strengthen student success and alignment with industry needs. Ropella also continues to champion initiatives such as the E-Lead Program and the Engineering Student Success Center, securing significant donor support and driving strategic growth.

A recognized expert on leadership, innovation and expanding diversity in STEM fields, Ropella regularly speaks at conferences and events and in the media. She is especially passionate about accelerating women into leadership and preparing the next generation of engineers with technical and leadership skills grounded in Ignatian values.

She was named Wisconsin Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2007). Ropella received the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 (2000), Women of Influence (2008), and STEM Forward’s Engineer of the Year awards (2016); the Kern Family Foundation’s Outstanding Dean award (2016). In 2023, she received the Imprint award from Professional Dimensions and the Betty Groundbreaker award from Milwaukee Magazine.

A fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Ropella currently serves on external advisory boards for Boston College, George Washington and Texas A&M universities. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Board of Directors at Milwaukee’s St. Augustine Prep, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. She was certified as a Gallup-Strengths Coach in 2022.

Ropella received her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University and master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.