CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Lisa Reyes Mason will be the next dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. The appointment takes effect Aug. 1.
At Illinois, she will hold an appointment at the rank of professor of social work. Reyes Mason currently is a professor of social work at the University of Denver where she also served as interim dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and as associate dean for academic affairs. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to social work values, interdisciplinary collaboration, applied research and social justice.
“Professor Reyes Mason’s clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing social work education and her thoughtful vision for the future of the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign positions her well to be the school’s next leader,” said Provost John Coleman. “I congratulate the faculty, staff and students of the School of Social Work and look forward to the important work they will continue to accomplish with Professor Reyes Mason as dean.”
Reyes Mason earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her master’s and doctorate in social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
As interim dean at the University of Denver, Reyes Mason led a school with a $50 million annual budget, more than 50 full-time faculty, approximately 200 adjunct faculty, 100 staff members and 1,200 master’s and doctoral students. She provided stable and strategic leadership during a period of fiscal constraint, with particular attention to organizational culture, morale, enrollment and revenue stability, and institutional advocacy.
She brings substantial experience in academic innovation and student-centered leadership. Reyes Mason has overseen in-person and online programming, led curriculum revision efforts, strengthened student support coordination and co-created new academic concentrations, including a Master of Social Work Ecological Justice concentration.
