Kristin Esterberg Appointed Chancellor of the University of Washington-Bothell

Kristin Esterberg has been selected to serve as chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell. Her appointment is set to begin October 1.

The University of Washington-Bothell enrolls just over 5,300 undergraduate students and more than 500 graduate students, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 48 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Dr. Esterberg has been serving as president of the State University of New York at Potsdam. Prior to her term as SUNY Potsdam president, which began in 2014, Dr. Esterberg served as provost and academic vice president at Salem State University in Massachusetts and as deputy provost at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research has centered on gender and sexuality, social identities, research methodology, and social organization and change.

“I am thrilled to be joining the UW Bothell community. The campus’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, its innovative approach to cross-disciplinary and community-based teaching and scholarship, and its talented faculty, staff, and students make this an extraordinary leadership opportunity,” Dr. Esterberg said. “I am deeply honored to be selected as UW Bothell’s next chancellor, and I am looking forward to advancing the campus’s strategic priorities to strengthen diversity and equity, enhance community and campus engagement, and advance cross-disciplinary teaching and scholarship. As we emerge from the pandemic and learn from our experiences of the last year, it is a particularly exciting time to be joining UW Bothell.”

Dr. Esterberg is a graduate of Boston University, where she majored in philosophy and political science. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.