Gregory Van Tatenhove

Dean

Gregory F. Van Tatenhove became Dean of the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law on July 20, 2026, after serving as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky for more than 20 years. Before becoming a federal judge, he served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

In each of these roles, Van Tatenhove demonstrated broad and substantive senior-level leadership, managing complex multidisciplinary teams, overseeing substantial budgets, and adjudicating complex legal and public policy issues.

For the judiciary, Van Tatenhove was appointed chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management by United States Chief Justice John Roberts. In this role, he led a talented group of judges in reaching consensus on the most prominent issues facing the judiciary. As chair, he was part of a small group of judges responsible for the federal judiciary’s five-year strategic plan. Van Tatenhove also previously chaired the Sixth Circuit Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee.

As U.S. Attorney, Van Tatenhove was a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, and he chaired the AGAC’s Budget Subcommittee. The AGAC is a select group that advises the U.S. Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the offices of U.S. Attorneys.

Van Tatenhove also chaired the Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, which works to enhance and coordinate drug enforcement efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in designated areas by pursuing the disruption and dismantlement of drug trafficking organizations. He also structured and led successful strategic planning as U.S. Attorney.

In addition, Van Tatenhove’s career includes positions as a federal judicial law clerk and Department of Justice Trial Attorney (Honors Program). He previously worked as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and as a research assistant, press secretary, chief of staff, and legal counsel to members of the United States House of Representatives.

Van Tatenhove taught “Crime and Punishment: Sentencing Policy and Procedure” as an adjunct instructor at the UK Rosenberg College of Law for many years and served as a member of the college’s Visiting Committee before he became Dean. Van Tatenhove also previously held the roles of judge and lecturer in the Trial Advocacy Program for Assistant United States Attorneys, a part of the National Advocacy Center at the University of South Carolina.

He has delivered numerous presentations on rule of law, anti-money laundering, human trafficking, and other issues to judges and legal professionals across the United States and throughout Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Van Tatenhove is a graduate of Asbury University and the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.