Steele comes to the School of Medicine after serving as associate dean of admissions at the University of Kansas School of Medicine since October 2021. He also held the title of assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and the University of Kansas Medical Center. Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2017, Steele was at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, where he held positions in recruitment and admissions.

Steele received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from West Texas A&M University before earning both his Master of Science and Doctor of Education in higher education administration from the University of Kansas.

Steele will oversee the leadership, management and oversight of the admissions process at the School of Medicine. This will include overseeing the development and implementation of all admission policies and procedures to ensure the recruitment of a highly qualified and diverse student body.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Steele to the University of Georgia community and the School of Medicine,” said Founding Dean Shelley Nuss. “Dr. Steele will immediately make a tremendous impact on the School of Medicine’s admissions program as we look towards recruiting a talented first class of students. He has expertise in the development of pipeline programs and rural medicine, which will support the School of Medicine’s mission to bring more doctors to our state’s underserved areas.”

Steele has presented at multiple conferences across the country and currently serves on national admissions committees with the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“I am incredibly grateful, humbled, and honored to contribute to establishing the UGA School of Medicine,” said Steele. “Playing a pivotal role in shaping a new medical school at one of the nation’s top public land- and sea-grant institutions is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I look forward to leveraging my experience to help address Georgia’s physician shortage and improve health care across the state. Growing up in a family that deeply valued the outreach and impact of land-grant institutions, I’m excited to bring those values into the medical school’s admission process to meet the mission of advancing the health of our communities in Georgia and beyond.”