Leadership and innovation within the Information School are expressed in diverse ways, reflecting the variety of styles and cultures that are represented by our faculty and staff. The Information School has a culture of distributed leadership, setting an expectation of innovation for all faculty and staff. Leaders motivate and inspire others, articulate and help establish vision, and accept responsibility for achieving Information School goals and objectives.

As innovators, Information School faculty and staff demonstrate their commitment to the vision and mission of the School by leveraging existing resources in new ways and acting on creative ideas. They substantially influence the discourse of their discipline or professional field, and are the agents of useful and beneficial change.

School Leadership

Dean, Anind Dey, establishes, articulates and leads the Information School’s vision and mission; planning for the School's future development; accountable to the UW Provost for all matters relating to educational, budgetary, personnel and administrative matters of the Information School.

Associate Dean for Academics, Amy Ko, is responsible for the administration, program development, and quality assurance of academic programs, and reports to the Dean regarding the state of the School's academic enterprise in terms of needs, strengths, and achievements. Represents the School's academic programs in communication both internally and externally.

Assistant Dean for Advancement, Danna Bowers, leads the Information School in fundraising efforts, alumni relations, and external relations.

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (interim), Katie Davis, leads all aspects of planning and administration related to faculty, including faculty human resources, faculty advancement, and supports the implementation of faculty-driven change. The associate dean coordinates faculty mentorship, works closely with the Elected Faculty Council, and other deans on collaborative initiatives. The associate dean reports to the dean.

Assistant Dean for Finance & Operations, Shelly Wolf, oversees financial, human resources and facilities management operations; guides the overall administration of the School and the development and implementation of strategic and resource allocation plans.

Associate Dean for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access & Sovereignty, Nassim Parvin, is responsible for developing, implementing and reporting on a holistic diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy for the Information School and reports to the Dean regarding the state of the School’s DEI efforts in terms of needs, strengths, and achievements. Represents the School's DEI initiatives in communication both internally and externally.

Associate Dean for Research, Jevin West, is responsible for the administration, program development, and quality assurance of Information School research programs, and reports to the Dean regarding the state of the School’s research enterprise in terms of needs, strengths, and achievements. Represents the School's research programs in communication both internally and externally.

Additional individuals in the Information School have specific areas of responsibility for which they are accountable in guiding the School (and in some cases, groups of other faculty/staff) toward achieving our shared goals and objectives. Many of these individuals belong to and lead boards, committees, and formal and informal working groups.

Boards and Committees

Academics Council 

This council deliberates and implements actions to nurture, improve, plan, and maintain the intellectual rigor and professional relevancy of the curriculum and learning experiences across all academic programs. This group informs and engages the faculty in discussion relating to course content, pedagogy, and program planning. The Academics Council is composed of the program chairs and the director for academic services, and is convened by the associate dean for academics.

Elected Faculty Council (EFC)

This council advises the dean on matters of policy regarding faculty promotion and tenure, and on academic policy in general, including priorities, resource and salary allocation, and budgets (Sec. 23-45B). The EFC provides governance for the faculty of the Information School and is concerned with all domains of authority and duties of the Information School faculty and the professional and personnel issues affecting the faculty. The EFC may act on behalf of Information School faculty and is directly accountable to the faculty as a whole, from which it is elected. The EFC provides for: (1) oversight, coordination, and support of the activities of all Information School standing committees, and (2) election of the chair and members of the Elected Faculty Council and the chairs of the standing committees.

Expertise Group Leads 

These faculty members lead the review and mentoring of faculty and Ph.D. students along disciplinary lines in the Information School. They also are responsible for facilitating faculty recruitment.

Founding Board 

This board fosters closer ties between the University of Washington Information School and industry. Founding board members are a select group of business and community leaders with high capacity who are committed to promoting the academic and research enterprise of the Information School. The board offers strategic advice to the dean with a focus on building awareness and attracting resources to the School. The Founding Board leads fundraising initiatives on behalf of the School.

MLIS Advisory Board

This board fosters closer ties among the University of Washington Information School, its MLIS alumni, the community and industry. Advisory board members are a select group of individuals representing public librarianship, school librarianship, academic librarianship, governmental librarianship, corporate librarianship and law librarianship. Given their areas of expertise, they advise the MLIS program chair on matters vital to the relevance and growth of the MLIS program.

MSIM Advisory Board

This board fosters closer ties among the University of Washington Information School, its MSIM alumni and industry. Advisory board members are a select group of individuals, representing the business, government and non-profit sectors. Given their areas of expertise, they advise the MSIM program chair on matters vital to the relevance and growth of the MSIM program.

Informatics Advisory Board

This board fosters closer ties among the University of Washington Information School, its Informatics alumni and industry. Advisory board members are a select group of individuals representing some of the Puget Sound’s leading companies. Given their areas of expertise, they advise the Informatics program chair on matters vital to the strategic growth of the Informatics program.

Student Leadership Council (SLC)

This Student Leadership Council (SLC) at the UW Information School provides a communication channel between administrators and students, serves as an important collective student voice across academic programs, and promotes collaboration between Information School programs. Established in 2008 to ensure student representation across the Information School, the SLC has since advocated for student needs, taken on various projects, and sought to provide input on Information School critical issues such as budgets, communications, alumni relations, and more. As needed, the council may ask other Information School students to participate in meetings and discussions in order to get additional input.

Leadership Cabinet

The Leadership Cabinet (LC) is composed of the leaders of the various operational units of the School, our program chairs, EFC chair and Deans. This group has two primary functions related to the implementation of the strategic plan and advancing the mission of the School: advising, problem-solving and decision making; and leadership support, development, and mentoring. The LC engages in discussions related to the challenges and rewards of leadership and the effective coordination of the various functions of the Information School.