Emily Palmieri, PhD

Emily Palmieri, PhD is a higher education leader, counselor educator, and trauma-informed wellbeing professional dedicated to creating safer, more inclusive campus communities. She currently serves as the Director of the Office of Respect at Emory University, where she leads efforts focused on sexual violence prevention, crisis response, relationship harm prevention, and institutional wellbeing initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience across clinical mental health and higher education settings, Emily has built a career centered on supporting students, strengthening campus systems, and advancing cultures of care, accountability, and belonging.

Before joining Emory University, Emily served at Wake Forest University as Director of the Safe Office and Assistant Director for Specialized Services within the University Counseling Center. In this role, she oversaw advocacy and support services for students affected by gender-based violence, coordinated prevention and wellness programs, and helped integrate trauma-informed practices across campus departments. Her earlier clinical work included providing counseling services, supervising mental health professionals, supporting eating disorder prevention initiatives, and developing evidence-based approaches to promote resilience and reduce burnout among helping professionals.

Emily holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with research focused on positive emotions and burnout prevention among clinical counselors. She is recognized for her expertise in cross-functional collaboration, crisis intervention, prevention strategy, and building partnerships between healthcare, academic, and student support systems. Through initiatives such as Emory’s Culture of Respect efforts and national conversations on sexual harassment prevention, Emily continues to advocate for collective action and sustainable approaches that help students and communities thrive.