Election for Committee on Committees

Since January 2019, I have been a full-time faculty member at UT, teaching in the UTeach Natural Sciences program. While not previously a member of the Committee on Committees, my three years on the C-1 Admissions and Registration Committee—including service as vice chair in 2023-24 and chair in 2024-25—have provided valuable experience in faculty governance and policy-making. Serving on the Committee on Committees would be an opportunity to support faculty representation and strengthen shared governance at UT

The Committee on Committees might sound a bit unusual as a committee name, but it plays a vital role in ensuring that the various positions on each of the 25 faculty standing committees are filled and remain filled so that committees can function properly. I've served on this committee in past years, and would be glad to serve on it again. I've also been the Faculty Council Chair 2019-2020 and served on the Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility for 14 years as well as other faculty standing committees

I have been a member of the Department of Anthropology since 1993, and my leadership experience includes directing the Humanities Institute (2009-2022) and the Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies (currently). Faculty Council is the centerpiece of shared governance at UT Austin, and the effectiveness of the Faculty Council is largely dependent on the strength of its committees. As a member of the Committee on Committees I would seek to inspire faculty representing all ranks and disciplines to serve on committees and to ensure that Faculty Council committees are being employed effectively. My previous service on CCAFR, the Faculty Advisory Committee on Budgets, the UT Press Advisory Committee, the Educational Policy Committee, and the UT Libraries Committee has prepared me well for this role.

I am a dedicated faculty member with experience in instructional, administrative and research roles, committed to fostering academic excellence and institutional growth. My teaching focuses on computer and data science, and I have actively contributed to curriculum development and student mentorship. Administratively, I have served on multiple committees at Boston University before I joined UT Austin, where I collaborated on policy-making and faculty support initiatives. I am interested in serving on the Committee on Committees to further enhance faculty governance, ensuring diverse representation and effective decision-making.