An announcement from Chancellor Henry T. Yang on July 2, 2025
Dear Members of Our Campus Community,
In my March 5 memo, I shared with you the news that our Jules Zimmer Dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Jeffrey Milem, has decided to retire, after nine years of outstanding leadership.
The search for our next Dean is underway. I am grateful to the members of our search advisory committee, led by Professor Richard Mayer as Chair and Professors Jin Sook Lee and Shane Jimerson as Vice Chairs, for their efforts.
Following consultation with our Executive Vice Chancellor, Academic Senate Chair, administrative and faculty colleagues, and students, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Jill Sharkey has graciously agreed to serve as Interim Dean of our Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Sharkey joined our campus in 2003 and is currently Associate Dean for Research and Outreach in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education; faculty in our Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology; and a nationally certified School Psychologist. In 2022, Professor Sharkey received the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award for exemplary quality of graduate mentoring from UC Santa Barbara’s Academic Senate. She previously served as Acting Dean of the Gevirtz School.
Dr. Sharkey’s research has been funded by agencies including the California Board of State and Community Corrections, the California Department of Education, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA), and is designed to transform systems to better serve vulnerable youth. In particular, she has focused on system inequities and racial/ethnic and gender disparities in referrals, treatments, and outcomes for youth with diverse strengths and needs in Santa Barbara County. She is Executive Committee Member and Strategy Team Member of the South Coast Youth Safety Partnership (2011 to present); Elected Member of the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council of Santa Barbara County (2008 to present); and on the evaluation subcommittee of the Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force (2016 to present). In 2021, Dr. Sharkey and her research team were awarded the Community Collaboration Award by the Channel Islands YMCA Youth & Family Services Branch.
We appreciate the dedication of Professor Sharkey to our campus, and her willingness to help ensure a smooth transition for our Gevirtz School.
Please join me in extending our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Dean Milem for his dedicated leadership and many contributions to UC Santa Barbara. Please also join EVC Marshall and me in expressing our sincere thanks to Professor Sharkey for taking on this important interim role.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor