CU Boulder Executive Leadership
Justin Schwartz, Chancellor
As the 12th chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder, Justin Schwartz is committed to transforming lives through the mission of Colorado’s public flagship university.
Schwartz joined the campus July 1, 2024, from The Pennsylvania State University, where he most recently served as executive vice president and provost.
He previously served as Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Penn State's College of Engineering from 2017 to 2022 and has spent his career as a researcher, educator, entrepreneur, and academic leader in large state universities.
Schwartz holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and ASM International. Schwartz holds seven patents.
A highly visible, transparent and engaged leader, Schwartz is focused on advancing campus research and leadership in sustainability, supporting innovation and interdisciplinary education, and ensuring that all students, faculty, staff and alumni survive and thrive as valued members of an equitable and just CU Boulder community.
Ann Huff Stevens, Provost
Ann Stevens is the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. As the chief academic officer, she leads the university’s academic mission, overseeing all elements of research, teaching, and the student and faculty experience at the university. She oversees the recruitment, development, and promotion of faculty, deans, and other academic leaders, and coordinates academic planning with budget preparation and capital development needs. She works collaboratively with the deans, faculty, staff, and students in the exercise of shared governance for the Boulder campus. Her appointment as provost began in July 2025.
Her research interests include the incidence and long-term effects of job loss, connections between economic shocks and health, and poverty and safety-net dynamics. Stevens’ research has been supported by numerous grants from foundations and federal agencies and is widely cited, placing her in the top 4% of economists worldwide.
From 2019 to 2025, Stevens served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin where she held the David Bruton, Jr. Regents Chair in Liberal Arts and led a team of faculty and staff that grew sponsored research funding in the college by 50% in five years. In the undergraduate area, Stevens expanded career services and research opportunities for students and oversaw significant growth in undergraduate enrollment.
From 2003 to 2019, Stevens was a professor of economics at the University of California Davis where she also was the founding director of the Center for Poverty Research, Chair of the Department of Economics, and Interim Dean of the Graduate School of Management.
Stevens received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree in economics and political science from American University.
Ann Schmiesing, Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives
As Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives, Ann Schmiesing combines strategic oversight with high-level support to the chancellor, serving as a key advisor and liaison across CU Boulder’s executive team. Schmiesing works across internal and external constituencies to advance campus goals and ensure ongoing and consistent success. She oversees the Office of Strategic Initiatives and the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement.
At CU Boulder, Schmiesing has previously served as vice chancellor and executive vice provost for academic resource management, dean of the Graduate School, director of the Sewall Residential Academic Program, and chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She also served as interim chancellor at CU Denver in fall 2024. She received the Excellence in Leadership and Service Award from the Boulder Faculty Assembly in 2016.
A professor of German and Scandinavian Studies, Schmiesing has been a CU Boulder faculty member since 1995. She is an award-winning author who has published three books and numerous articles on fairy tales and folklore, disability studies, book illustration, and drama and dramatic criticism.
Schmiesing earned a PhD from Cambridge University (UK), an MA from the University of Washington, and a BA from Willamette University.