C. Oliver Tacto, DSW, MPH, CHES

Dr. C. Oliver Tacto serves as the Dean of Student Wellness at Maryville University in St. Louis, where he leads institution-wide efforts advancing holistic student well-being, health promotion, belonging, and integrated wellness strategy. As the inaugural Dean of Student Wellness, he has helped position Maryville as a nationally recognized health-promoting university through innovative systems-level approaches that integrate wellness into the student experience, campus culture, and institutional operations. Nationally, Dr. Tacto currently serves as the 2026–2027 President-Elect of the American College Health Association (ACHA) and previously served as Chair of ACHA’s Health & Well-being Executive Leaders (HWEL) Section. He has also held leadership roles within NASPA and the Central College Health Association (CCHA), contributing to national conversations around student well-being, executive leadership, and the future of health promotion in higher education.

Prior to Maryville University, Dr. Tacto served in leadership roles at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Southern California (USC), where his work focused on student engagement, health promotion strategy, equity and inclusion, assessment, and institutional well-being initiatives. His professional expertise centers on systems thinking, organizational wellness strategy, trauma-informed leadership, student mental health, and building health-promoting campus cultures.

Dr. Tacto earned his Doctor of Social Work (DSW), Master of Social Work (MSW), and Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Southern California. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from California State University San Marcos and an Associate degree in Pre-Nursing from Fullerton College. His interdisciplinary background informs his collaborative and human-centered approach to leadership in higher education.

An active scholar and presenter, Dr. Tacto has contributed to national publications, keynote presentations, and conference sessions focused on college health, executive wellness leadership, student well-being strategy, and organizational change. He is a co-author of the Journal of American College Health article, “Essential Competencies of Chief Wellness Executives in Higher Education,” and continues to contribute to emerging scholarship shaping the future of health and well-being leadership on college campuses.