Dispatches from the Interim Director: Understanding Leadership Transitions
07 September 2023
Dear Campus Community:
First, as I reflect on my first year as a member of the faculty at the University of Washington, I appreciate your grace, your patience, and your support during my transition. Second, I write to you today to provide you some clarity and updates on my new roles and how to get questions answered. Third, please know you can reach out to me using the following email addresses:
| Title | Website | |
| Associate Dean (Interim) | sondei@uw.edu | Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) |
| Center Director (Interim) | carn@uw.edu | MPS CARE in Nursing |
| Faculty (please note mclemore is not me) | mclemor@uw.edu |
You can also find me @mclemoremr on all social media channels.
Why Interim Roles?
As I have stated publicly, I believe all leadership roles should be rotated, which is why I accept interim positions. This allows for flexibility in ideas, acclimating people with change, and nimbleness in decision-making. Interim roles have no bearing on my commitment to the work or the stability of the school! In fact, just the opposite, by stabilizing the roles of Center Director and Associate Dean, the permanent occupant(s) of those roles should have a solid foundation from which to build during their tenure.
What Should We Expect?
I plan to participate in all activities that Dr. Butch de Castro participated in – specific to new student orientation, existing meetings, student reporting (including bias reporting), as well as department and school wide meetings, particularly the DEI committee and student groups. I will also be rolling out new programming, expanding faculty development, and improving/streamlining bias reporting. A visual conceptualization of how we plan to complete our work for this academic year is below. When in doubt, if you have questions, just send an email.
What are Immediate Actions?
- Update Office of DEI website
- Develop Social media channels and develop an audience.
- Share roadmap from EDI RETREAT (scheduled on 8/7/2023)
- Acquire an office space and host ribbon cutting/barn raising for the MPS CARE in Nursing
- Hiring of staff person
How Do I Provide Input and/or Feedback?
The Center has set up a consultation form, as well as a feedback form, so we can track requests and receive feedback about our work. Please use the form as often as you need to!
As always, we welcome your comments, feedback, questions and suggestions.
Monica R. McLemore RN, MPH, PhD (Dr/She/Her/Hers)
Professor, Child, Family and Population Health Department
Interim Director, Manning Price-Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism and Equity (MPS-CARE) in Nursing
Interim Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (AD/EDI)
University of Washington, School of Nursing
Adjunct Professor, Department of Health Systems and Population Health
University of Washington, School of Public Health