Veteran journalist Willow Bay has been named the Dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the school announced Monday.
The former co-anchor of ABC News’ “Good Morning America/Sunday” and senior editor of Huffington Post — who is also the wife of Disney CEO Bob Iger — has served as director of the journalism school, where she launched its state-of-the-art Media Center.
Bay (above with Iger) will take on her new role as of July 1, making her the first female dean of USC Annenberg.
“Willow Bay is exactly the right person to lead USC Annenberg at this important time, given the dramatic changes in communications and journalism,” USC Provost Michael Quick said Monday on behalf of USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “USC is proud to have the foremost school of communication and journalism in the country.
“Our students, faculty and staff will greatly benefit from Willow’s expertise as they grapple with the ever-evolving world of social media, print and broadcast journalism and converged communication. We expect the school to continue on its upward trajectory under her skilled leadership.”
Bay has been the director of the USC Annenberg School for Journalism since July 2014.
See her full bio courtesy of USC below.
She launched operation of the Julie Chen/Leslie Moonves and CBS Media Center in Wallis Annenberg Hall, introduced the school’s new Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree program, welcomed the first cohort of the school’s nine-month Master of Science in Journalism program, forged partnerships with key media industry partners and created new curriculum and fellowships for master’s students.
Last fall, Bay’s work to ensure that current and future communicators are fluent on many digital platforms was recognized with the Award of Honor from the PEN Center USA.
She is an experienced journalist, author, producer, digital news editor and national broadcast and global cable television news anchor.
Bay came to USC Annenberg from her post as senior strategic advisor of The Huffington Post and special correspondent and host for Bloomberg TV. Her prominent broadcast experience includes stints as co-anchor of ABC News’ “Good Morning America/Sunday” and CNN’s “Moneyline News Hour.”
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.