Rovy Branon is the vice provost for University of Washington Continuum College. In this role, he oversees all UW Professional & Continuing Education programs and staff.

Previously Branon was the associate dean for online learning and the executive director of the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Madison.

Prior to his work in higher education, he led an instructional design team at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. He has more than 20 years of instructional media and learning technology development experience in corporate, higher education and not-for-profit settings.

Branon holds a Master of Education in Instructional Systems Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology, and a minor in human-computer interaction, from Indiana University.

Rovy Branon

Vice Provost, Continuum College

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SANDRA JANUSCH

Assistant Vice Provost, International & Academic Programs

Sandra Janusch, a California native, has lived internationally for most of her professional career, teaching and coordinating programs in China, Vietnam, Canada, the Netherlands, France and Indonesia. An expert teacher herself, her experience includes training teachers of English as a second/foreign language. Janusch came to the UW from the University of Montana, Missoula, where she was director of the English Language Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in education from the University of Calgary; her master’s of education in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Holy Names University; and a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Erik Bansleben

Senior Director, Program Development

Erik Bansleben leads a team of directors, assistant directors and program managers who guide a wide range of programs — from degrees and credit certificates to a large portfolio of noncredit offerings as well as UW Summer Quarter and UW in the High School. Prior to joining the University, he was a database consultant focusing on the public sector and also taught hundreds of workshops and courses for Duke University Continuing Studies. Bansleben holds a master’s in information technology as well as a master’s and Ph.D. in Germanics, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

MARLON BUCHANAN

Senior Director of Technology & Data Services

Marlon Buchanan has over 20 years of combined experience as an IT director, software developer, analyst and college instructor. In his current role, he leads the IT and project management office teams to deliver key technology solutions, services and support for UW Continuum College staff and students. Prior to joining UWC², he spent 13 years at Casey Family Programs, most recently as director of business solutions. While there, he led the replacement of the organization’s HR and payroll system, general ledger system, case management system and its nationwide foster care data and reporting system. He has a bachelor’s in computer science and engineering from MIT and master’s degrees in business administration and software engineering from Seattle University.

Jennifer Buck

Senior Director, Administrative Services

Jennifer Buck is a senior certified professional through the Society for Human Resources Management. She leads employee relations and works closely with UW Continuum College’s finance team. Her specialties include employment law, legal and policy compliance, conflict resolution and professional development. Buck previously led human resources for Pharmacy OneSource. She has higher education experience from roles at Butler University, Indiana University — Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of Texas. Buck earned her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Butler University.

Risa De Gorgue

Senior Director, Marketing & Enrollment Services

Risa de Gorgue is a veteran marketing leader who has introduced and managed successful product lines, led integrated marketing campaigns and built brands for multinational corporations, including Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser and 3M. Over the past 10 years at the UW, she’s led an experienced team of professionals with expertise in UW branding, web development, digital marketing, marketing analytics, design and storytelling. Today, through the combined efforts of this team, the UWPCE website receives over a million visitors and over 10,000 leads per year and is the single largest referral site to most UW fee-based degrees. In 2016, she formed the new enrollment services team to guide working adults in selecting the optimal certificate program for their career development. 

Karen Dowdall-Sandford

Senior Director, Academic Excellence

Karen Dowdall-Sandford’s background blends professional experience in higher education and corporate learning, entrepreneurial business management, technology and international business. She previously led learning, training and development for Safeco Insurance and was dean of Safeco University. She was also dean of the College of Business, Arts and Humanities at City University in London, worked at Click2Learn.com and retired as founder of an international export-import startup. Dowdall-Sandford earned her MBA in marketing from the New York University Stern School of Business and graduated from Wellesley College with designation as a Wellesley scholar.

Andrew Hoover

Senior Director, Program Strategy

Andrew Hoover leads strategic initiatives to expand UW Continuum College’s certificate and degree programs, serving more than 10,000 students each year. Serving in various program management roles, Hoover has partnered with campus leaders, community practitioners and UWC²  team members to initiate, develop and launch dozens of educational programs. In 2004, Hoover left Microsoft, where he was a senior director, to join the UW, bringing with him a decade of experience in strategy and program management. A global traveler, Hoover holds a Chinese language certificate. He also has an MBA from the UW Foster School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in art from Macalester College.

Bethany Staelens

Executive Assistant

Bethany Staelens is executive assistant to the vice provost and assistant vice provosts, helping all three stay organized and on track from behind the scenes. She’s also the lead for UW Continuum College’s internal communications, helping develop and disseminate messaging to keep staff informed and connected. As part of this, she launched and manages the UWC² blog, The Continuum Connection, the primary outlet for sharing news and updates across the organization. She has a CEB Internal Communications Black Belt, a BA from the University of Alabama and a web design certificate from UW Professional & Continuing Education.