I have had the privilege to watch UWLA continue to grow and transform the lives of its students. The University has entrenched itself in the communities it serves and invites those who want the opportunities that education can provide. As I have witnessed this growth that UWLA has made, I have been able to personally watch the leaps, bounds, missteps and inflection points in this journey. Today, the mission of our university focuses on equity and educational empowerment while the vision of our University is Liberation through Educational Empowerment. To properly execute our Mission Statement while keeping this great and ambitious vision in focus, the use of strategy, planning, and foresight will be crucial.

I believe the role of Chief Strategic Officer will be a powerful tool that UWLA has utilized and will continue to utilize to execute the Mission and Vision. UWLA often uses the most organic processes and input to get results and leverages its diverse perspectives and insights to make decisions. In this role, I will focus on leading the organization, planning, and implementation of these processes creating an effective and thoughtful methodology that futher promotes what UWLA does best. It is crucial that UWLA does not let the process of strategy overtake the character of UWLA and its stakeholders. I will make sure that is not the case.

Additionally, this role will be key to keep metrics and benchmarks of the progress on the various strategic initiatives of the University. In reporting to the CEO, conversations and course corrections will be necessary, but I look forward to providing leadership and a point of contact for the University to ensure even our loftiest goals are attainable and our University reaches the potential that we all know it has.

Talon Brown, Dean, CSO