Western Washington University

10/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/13/2026 18:14

Western Washington University names Samara Taber chief of staff to the provost

Western Washington University names Samara Taber chief of staff to the provost

October 13, 2026

Samara Taber

Western Washington University has hired Samara Taber as chief of staff to the provost, bringing more than a decade of senior higher education leadership experience to the university's Academic Affairs Division.

Taber joins Western from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she held several senior leadership positions, including executive director of University Advancement, acting associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management, interim chief of staff and director of Admissions.

"We are very excited to have Samara starting in this new role," said WWU Provost and Executive Vice President Brad Johnson. "As the Academic Affairs Division has undergone many changes, we took a close look at how to best utilize our resources and redesigned the former associate vice president for Academic Affairs position to create a more flexible, responsive role."

Johnson said the chief of staff will work across Academic Affairs, including Enrollment Management, Student Affairs and academic units, while supporting key institutional functions such as accreditation and communications.

"Samara brings a breadth and depth of experience across these areas, at the executive level; we are very lucky to have her in this role," Johnson said.

As a senior member of the provost's leadership team, Taber will help advance the division's strategic and operational priorities, working with vice provosts, deans, faculty leaders and administrative partners to strengthen coordination across academic and administrative units.

Her responsibilities will include overseeing special projects and institutional initiatives, supporting executive planning and communications, and providing leadership for institutional accreditation activities, including reporting, compliance and reaffirmation efforts.

At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Taber led strategic planning, organizational redesign and process improvement initiatives across enrollment, advancement and academic units. She also managed multimillion-dollar budgets and cross-functional teams through periods of institutional restructuring and financial constraint.

Taber said she was excited to be at Western and looked forward to assisting in advancing the university's mission.

"I'm grateful to join Western's talented faculty and staff. I look forward to supporting Provost Johnson and the Academic Affairs team in turning our shared priorities into results that strengthen the student experience," she said.

Taber is a certified mediator through Cornell University and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Her background also includes higher education philanthropy and information science, as well as previous positions at the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor's degree in Russian Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

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