The long search for a founding dean at the planned College of Health has ended with the hiring of MayKao Y. Hang, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

The announcement was made Tuesday by the university, which has been searching for a dean for more than a year. The College of Health will function immediately, the school said.

“In researching this college’s potential to address existing health care disparities, we see an acute demand for non-MD health care practitioners who have technical skills and cultural competencies,” St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan said in a press release. “Dr. Hang is the perfect fit to lead this college because she is a champion of addressing disparities, passionate about the well-being of underserved communities, and a values-based leader.”

Hang’s title will be vice president and dean. The college will be comprised of the School of Social Work as well as the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and in the future, a School of Nursing.

Christopher Vye, co-chair of the search committee, said Hang’s experience fits well with the university’s vision for the new college.

“There have been many initiatives at Wilder that she has overseen during her tenure there that really fall in line with our vision for the College of Health,” he said.

Hang comes from outside the academy, according to Vye. “We felt that her experience at Wilder (and) her vision in the organization as well as all of its moving parts really prepare her well for this endeavor,” he said.

Hang will begin her full-time duties at the College of Health on Nov. 4.

Samantha HoangLong, Owen Landrud and Mae MacFarlane contributed to this report.