Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce two important new appointments to my senior leadership team that will take effect on August 16.
Dr. Wanda Ward will be appointed as the new Executive Associate Chancellor for Public Engagement and Dr. Christopher Span will be appointed as Chief of Staff and Associate Chancellor for Administration and PreK-12 Initiatives. Both appointments are subject to approval by the Board of Trustees. While Dr. Span’s appointment is pending Board approval, his title will be Interim Chief of Staff and Associate Chancellor for Administration and PreK-12 Initiatives.
Dr. Ward joined my leadership team in 2018 as the Executive Associate Chancellor for Administration and University Relations after serving for more than two decades as a senior administrator in the National Science Foundation. During her tenure in my office, she has led a resurgence and a reinvigoration of our university’s efforts to develop a strategic, sustainable community and public engagement framework that leverages the vast talent, resources and knowledge of our faculty, staff and students to improve our surrounding communities and to play a critical role in the economic and social development throughout our state, with a strong emphasis in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. This is a strategic priority of our university as outlined in The Next 150 and with rapid growth of programs such as our STEM Illinois Initiative and the Campus Community Compact, I have asked Dr. Ward to take on this new role and these responsibilities at this critical point to ensure the success of our public and community engagement efforts.
Dr. Span joined the faculty of our College of Education in 2001 and has served as the college’s Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the past decade. He is a widely respected educational historian and scholar, and a proven university administrator who has also been a leading voice in our university’s shared governance as a long-time member of the Senate. In addition to serving as Chief of Staff and overseeing our central administrative operations and the associated staff, Dr. Span will serve as my direct liaison with the Office of the Board of Trustees and our Academic Senate. And with Dr. Span’s extensive academic and professional experience in educational policy and practice, I have also asked him to lead our university development of major PreK-12 Initiatives that will lead to increased educational outcomes and college readiness for families in our state.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Ward and Dr. Span on these new leadership roles for our university.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor