Dr. Bates is a higher education administrator with a deep background in educational best practices for quality teaching and learning experiences in collegiate courses. At UWS, Dr. Bates leads the College of Graduate Studies and provides university-wide support for research, faculty development, and online education. Prior to arriving at UWS, Dr. Bates served in various roles in higher education, including Dean of the College of Education, Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, Director of the online Masters of Arts in Teaching program, and tenured faculty. Her primary scholarly agenda includes work in mentoring and supervision of clinical experiences, with research publications and a book on supervision and mentoring. Dr. Bates is driven by her commitment to high quality, intellectual professional experiences for educators at all levels (PK-20), empowering them in their roles as educated professionals who are able to provide quality learning and assessment experiences for students.