Office of the Chancellor

Search for the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Candidate campus visits 

The advisory search committee has identified four candidates to visit the UW Bothell campus.  

Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a campus presentation given by each candidate, where they will discuss their leadership style, their approach to the position, and their perspectives on opportunities and challenges at UW Bothell and in higher education at large. Each candidate will present for 15 minutes followed by a facilitated Q&A. Questions for these sessions must be submitted by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, April 7, 2025, by emailing uwbchlr@uw.edu. Questions submitted should be broad enough to apply equally to all candidates. 

Information about the candidates is confidential until two business days prior to their respective campus visit. At that time, the information will be linked below, accessible to users with a UW NetID. 

The scheduled campus visits and presentations are listed below. In addition to campus presentations, there are open forums for faculty and staff to engage in conversation with the candidates.

Candidate A: April 8-9, 2025 

Candidate B: April 10-11, 2025 

Candidate C: April 15-16, 2025 

Candidate D: April 17-18, 2025 

Search summary 

UW Bothell’s search for the next vice chancellor for Academic Affairs launched in November 2024. A search committee was formed and charged by Chancellor Kristin G. Esterberg (see below). UW Bothell also engaged consultants from Isaacson, Miller to work closely with the advisory search committee to recruit, screen and evaluate candidates.  

Interested candidates were invited to apply through the Interfolio job posting by submitting a CV, diversity statement, and a letter of interest. The Isaacson, Miller website for the VCAA search has additional information about the application process.  

In November and December 2024, Isaacson, Miller hosted a series of virtual listening sessions with a variety of UW constituency groups to help identify opportunities and challenges the next VCAA may face. Responses were used to develop the profile of the ideal candidate.  

Listed below are the key opportunities and challenges identified for UW Bothell’s next vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, as shared in the position profile. These also represented key areas of evaluation criteria the search committee used to recommend a slate of finalists to Chancellor Esterberg for consideration. 

  • Contribute to the development and implementation of a bold strategic plan that furthers UW Bothell’s local and regional visibility, reach, and impact. 
  • Recruit, retain, and inspire a diverse world-class faculty and staff. 
  • Manage UW Bothell’s academic budget to ensure a healthy and sustainable future. 
  • Advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts internally (within their role/org) and externally (within the industry, community, beyond). 
  • Champion the campus’ commitment to academic excellence and student success. 
  • Serve as a key contributor and member of the Chancellor’s executive leadership team. 
  • Listen and communicate effectively, demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence, and apply experience in advancing a culture of shared governance while fostering collective decision-making processes. 
  • Demonstrate understanding of research activity, research administration, and research infrastructure, as well as an awareness of funding trends and opportunities in higher education. 

Advisory Search Committee for the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 

  • Rebecca Ehrlichman Blume, Vice Chancellor, Advancement (co-chair)  
  • Tyson Marsh, Vice Chair, General Faculty Organization; Associate Professor, School of Educational Studies (co-chair)  
  • Fernanda Armas, President, Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell; undergraduate student, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences  
  • Emily Christian, Dean of Enrollment Services, Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs  
  • Mabel Ezeonwu, Professor, School of Nursing & Health Studies  
  • Claire Grant, Assistant Director of Advising, Office of Student Academic Success  
  • Samba Gueye, graduate student, School of Business  
  • Charity Lovitt, Associate Teaching Professor, School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics  
  • Simon Neame, Dean, University Libraries  
  • Ceri Nishihara, Associate Teaching Professor, School of Business  
  • Keith Nitta, Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences  
  • Grace Ryan, Associate Director of Faculty & Staff Administration, School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics  
  • Caroline Titan, Vice Chancellor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Chief Diversity Officer 

Charge letter

November 4, 2024  

Dear colleagues, 

Thank you for agreeing to serve on the advisory search committee to identify and recommend candidates for the position of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW Bothell. 

Rebecca Ehrlichman Blume, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, and Dr. Tyson Marsh, Vice Chair of the General Faculty Organization and Associate Professor in the School of Educational Studies, will co-chair this committee, with Reilly Berkshire providing administrative support. We have engaged consultants from Isaacson, Miller to support your work. The Isaacson, Miller team will be led by Joe Kralick who will work closely with you to recruit, screen and evaluate candidates.  

Our search consultants will solicit input/feedback from stakeholder groups during the remainder of autumn quarter 2024 that will inform a leadership profile. The committee will use the profile to develop an evaluation rubric that will apply throughout the search process. The search firm will also use the profile to recruit a robust candidate pool. I ask that you identify three to four highly qualified finalists for on-campus interviews and conversations with a variety of stakeholders and constituencies. Following these visits, I ask that you submit a summary of each candidate’s strengths and areas of improvement (without ranking), that represents the breadth of feedback and information gathered throughout the entirety of the search process. I will make the final decision based on collective input.  

I ask that you approach this process in a broadly inclusive manner that engages the campus community and seeks a pool of candidates that reflects UW Bothell’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

I will attend a portion of the committee’s kick-off meeting later this month to discuss my priorities and expectations for the position and the search with you. The Attorney General’s Office will provide the committee with an overview of search committee confidentiality and document retention. In addition, all committee members will be expected to participate in implicit bias training with Dr. Chad Allen, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. 

Our goal is to have the next VCAA begin in summer 2025. This will require a significant commitment from each member of this committee. I am grateful for your willingness to invest the time and energy necessary to reach a successful conclusion for this critical search. 

Sincerely, 

Kristin G. Esterberg, Ph.D. 
Chancellor and Professor 

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