Deanna Kennedy Named the New Dean of Western’s College of Business and Economics
BELLINGHAM, WA — Deanna Kennedy has been chosen as the next dean of Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics (CBE), WWU Provost Brad Johnson announced today.
Kennedy comes to Western from the University of Washington at Bothell, where she was the Associate Dean for Academics in the School of Business. She will officially start her new role at Western on Sept. 18.
“I am excited to have Deanna join the Western community as the dean of CBE. She brings to Western a wealth of experience that will certainly contribute to the college, but also to the broader University community,” said Johnson.
Johnson thanked outgoing CBE Dean Scott Young for his service to the university, its students, and its mission. Young will remain at Western as a professor, and will continue to positively impact the lives of CBE students in that role.
“I am grateful to Scott for his years of service, and I have enjoyed working with him as a dean colleague and as provost. I wish him all best as he returns to the classroom,” he said.
Johnson said Kennedy brings a breadth and depth of leadership and administrative expertise to the position of dean of CBE, as well as significant knowledge of the regional higher-ed landscape.
“Deanna brings to Western a rich background of student advocacy, scholarship, experience with accreditation, and work with a broad and diverse set of community groups and organizations,” he said. “I look forward to her contributions and to working with her and the college.”
Kennedy earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California at Davis, her MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management from Golden Gate University, and a doctorate in Management Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Before joining the faculty at UW Bothell, she held a visiting professorship at Texas A&M University.
Kennedy said she was looking forward to the challenge of leading the college.
“I am excited to join the WWU College of Business and Economics as its dean, and am inspired by our focus on our students and to have a core mission rooted in sustainability,” she said. “I look forward to working together with colleagues, students, and the Western community to advance our institutional mission.”
To learn more about Western’s College of Business and Economics, go to https://cbe.wwu.edu/.
About Western Washington University
Western Washington University offers more than 200 academic programs on its main campus located in Bellingham, and at additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, from being named the top master’s-granting institution in the Pacific Northwest for 23 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report, which also named WWU as the of the best public schools in the West for veterans, to its recognition as one of the most sustainable, green campuses in the nation by the Sierra Club. Western is also known for being a top producer of prestigious National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hollings Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and Peace Corps volunteers, and nationally ranked for graduates who go on to earn research doctorates. The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Academic Workplace report named Western as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, winning honors in two categories: teaching environment and tenure clarity and process.