Dr. Debra Friedman became UW Tacoma as chancellor and professor of urban studies on July 1, 2011.  She is guiding UW Tacoma’s development into one of the premier urban-serving universities in the country by promoting access for the diverse students of the region, strong partnerships throughout the community, and research to advance the common good.  She will accelerate UW Tacoma’s growth in order to achieve these ends. 

 Prior to joining UW Tacoma, Friedman served as vice president at Arizona State University at the Downtown Phoenix campus and dean of the ASU College of Public Programs where she was also professor of public affairs.  She has taught at the Universities of Iowa and Arizona, and held a variety of administrative positions at the University of Washington Seattle including associate provost for academic planning and associate dean for undergraduate education. 

 Friedman’s scholarly interests are in the areas of institutional change and design, higher education, and social change.  She has published a book and numerous scholarly articles, and has been a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation (NYC), the Hoover Institution at Stanford, and the Australian National University.