Staffing Changes Announcement

Message from the Office of the Dean
January 8, 2020

Dear College of Design Faculty and Staff:

With the start of the new year, we also have some changes in the Dean’s office to share, as some move on to new professional responsibilities. Our priorities are both ensuring continuity of expertise for the College and thoughtfully building a team to provide comprehensive support for our organization.

Having worked half time for the College of Design and half time for the university over the last two years, Associate Dean for Finance and Administration Rocco Luiere has now transitioned to working full-time on budget and strategy for the Provost’s office. Rocco’s particular expertise in fiscal analysis and planning is understandably in high demand as the university grapples with complex budget challenges. The College of Design has benefitted tremendously from Rocco’s work over the past six years, through significant transformations, and we thank him for the remarkable contributions he has made.

In the interim period, we are very fortunate to have Chris Krabiel join us half-time as the Acting Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, alongside his ongoing half-time appointment as Associate Dean for Finance and Operations in the College of Education. Bringing substantial knowledge and experience from his years working in that parallel role and on many special projects for the university, Chris is very capable, already working collaboratively with the rest of the team.

The decision about a permanent hire of the next Associate Dean for Finance and Administration will be left to the next Dean.

At the same time, Assistant Dean Brooke Freed has accepted a new position with the City of Eugene as the Director of the City Manager’s office and will be leaving the university this week. Since joining the UO in 2013, Brooke has served in multiple roles in the Dean’s office and the Provost’s office, while concurrently completing a Master’s in Public Administration; her new job at the city is an exciting next opportunity in her career, and we wish her great success. Brooke has worked tirelessly for the College of Design, managing complex projects with multiple partners—most recently in facilities and communications—that have strengthened and improved the college.

We intend to rehire the Assistant Dean position, after reviewing and revising the position description to best meet our current organizational needs. In the near term, Kate Conley and Kyle Harshbarger (and Chris Krabiel) will be helping take up the slack, and as we reshape the Assistant Dean role we will be appropriately adjusting their positions to reflect the resulting responsibilities.

Finally, I want to announce the addition of Shelley Abusukheila to the Dean’s office as our new Executive Assistant. Shelley has served in a temporary capacity since October, and we are thrilled that she will be a permanent part of the team. With more than 20 years of expansive professional experience in the US and the Middle East, Shelley brings significant knowledge and nuance and will be a great asset to the Dean’s office.

My best,
Laura Vandenburgh
Interim Dean, College of Design