Dr. Butch de Castro appointed Dean of Seattle University School of Nursing

Dr. Butch de Castro

Dr. Butch de Castro, who has been our Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion since the position was created in 2017, has accepted the position of Dean at the Seattle University College of Nursing and will hold the Robert J. and Mary H. Bertch Endowed Professorship in Nursing Leadership., effective July 1, 2023.

While his expertise will be greatly missed, I am proud to see his leadership, energy, and knowledge recognized by the institution where I was Dean prior to coming to UW. This is a well-deserved promotion for an exceptionally capable administrator and scholar.

It was Dr. de Castro who led our efforts to launch a meaningful initiative to address antiracism which materialized in our creation of the country’s first center for antiracism in nursing, recently named the Manning-Spratlen Center of Anti-Racism & Equity in Nursing. Dr. de Castro has been a consistent force for understanding, empathy, compassion, communication, and improvement in the way we all see and relate to one another. He was also charged with actualizing the actions identified by the school’s first ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Action Plan. We are a better learning environment and better workplace for his efforts.

In addition to Dr. de Castro having long held a faculty appointment as professor in our Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, he has served as Co-Director (since 2020) of the Research in Nursing & Global Health training program (NIH-NINR); Director (since 2006) of the Occupational & Environmental Health Nursing graduate training program (CDC-NIOSH); and was Deputy Director of the Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety from 2012-2017.

A plan is being formulated for interim assumption of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leadership responsibilities. We will communicate more about this effort as it is put in place.

Join me in congratulating Dr. de Castro and wishing him the very best in his new position.