Karen Dade named as Western’s first Administrative Leadership Program Fellow

Karen Dade, associate dean for Wooding College of Education, has been appointed by Western President Bruce Shepard as the University’s first Administrative Leadership Program Fellow.

“As the first Leadership Fellow Dr. Dade brings a wealth of experience and expertise to assist in addressing strategic priorities of the University. She will also have an opportunity to test her interests, expand her experience and develop her abilities in new areas of leadership.  I look forward to working more closely with her and seeing the program achieve its intended aim of benefitting both the professional development of the Fellow and the mission of the University,” Shepard said.

The program, in its first year, is intended to provide a Western faculty or staff member the opportunity for professional development through direct engagement in the responsibilities of the President’s Office while also allowing the president the opportunity to draw upon the added expertise in areas of strategic importance to the University.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to work closely with President Shepard. His courageous leadership is highly respected in the field of higher education, and his vision and active commitment is helping to lead the university into a new era of awareness and civility. I hope to gain as much as I can from this unique experience to help me to better serve the mission of Western Washington University.”

Dade’s appointment as a Fellow is from Sept. 15 until June 15, 2016. She will continue on a halftime basis as associate dean at Woodring College as well as halftime on a paid basis as Administrative Leadership Program Fellow. Upon completion of the fellowship, Dade will return to her fulltime duties as associate dean at Woodring College.

As a Fellow, she will attend meetings such as the President’s Cabinet, Board of Trustees and of University vice presidents, and participate with Shepard in other aspects of university leadership responsibilities such as trips to Olympia and community outreach efforts. She also will co-chair the President’s Equity, Inclusivity and Diversity Taskforce and contribute to efforts under way to develop critical consciousness dialogues.

Dade has extensive experience in the field of education. She has a doctorate of Education with an emphasis in Cultural Diversity and Curriculum Reform from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.  Dade is an active scholar-administrator. In addition to being a professor of Multicultural Education and Applied Research, she has served as an Executive System-wide Administrator in Cross Cultural Studies, and director of Education for past institutions, as well as having presented, consulted, and/or served as a visiting scholar in over 35 countries.

 In her position as the associate dean for Woodring College of Education, she serves beyond the typical duties expected in this position. For instance, she oversees the leadership in diversity initiatives such as the Diversity Teach-In, Diversity Scholars Program, and Annual Diversity Conference. She also leads the Collective Impact Bellingham Schools Partnership, and Internationalization strategic planning for Woodring College.

During her three-year tenure at Western, Dade has published and/or co-published a new book for secondary students, two book chapters, three refereed articles, three opinion editorials in the Bellingham Herald, Introduction for Infusing Multicultural Perspectives into the Curriculum at the WWU Innovative Teaching Showcase, and  a quotation for Western Reads. She continues to serve as an associate editor for the International Journal of Multicultural Education and reviewer for the Journal of Multicultural Perspectives.  Dade has made at least 10 WWU keynote addresses, and presented at more than 10 academic conferences including three international conferences. Dade has been a speaker for a variety Western classes, leadership panels, and professional development workshops.

Dade has chaired and/or served on more than a dozen committees/councils within Woodring College and university-wide, and with local, regional and state communities. These include:  the President’s Diversity Task Force, WWU Internationalization Leadership Council, WWU Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, ACE Women’s Leadership Network, Western Reads Council, WCE Equity and Diversity Committee, CFPA/WCE CREATE Program, University Library Poetry Chat Council, and the Bellingham YWCA.

As part of the Presidential Fellowship, Dade will be integrating creative strategies into the WWU critical consciousness dialogues on Creating Community. Dade is an accomplished visual and performing artist and uses the arts to promote social justice on campus and in the Bellingham community. She is one of seven female artists located in the Bay Street Studio, a member of the Bellingham Art Walk, and has exhibited in the annual WWU Employee Art show. Furthermore, Dade’s two-minute short documentary titled “Small Communities on Black Lives Matter” will debut at the Pickford Theater during this year’s Doctober Film Festival. For more information about Dade’s academic background and professional experiences, visit the President’s website for her Curriculum Vita.