University of Washington names Ana Mari Cauce as next president

SEATTLE (AP) — The University of Washington Board of Regents has chosen Ana Mari Cauce to be the school's next president.

Cauce has been interim president since March after Michael Young announced he was leaving UW for Texas A&M University.

She is the first woman to hold the permanent job at the Seattle university.

Cauce joined the UW faculty in 1986 as an assistant professor of psychology and rose to become the university's provost and executive vice president before being named interim president.

The 59-year-old was born in Cuba. She left the country with her family during the revolution when she was 3 years old. Her father had been minister of education in Cuba.

She has spent nearly her whole professional career at UW and has held numerous leadership positions.

“Congratulations to Ana Mari Cauce on her appointment to serve as the University of Washington’s new president," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. "Dr. Cauce is an outstanding choice – a longtime Husky with a deep commitment to UW, its mission, and its students. As interim president, she demonstrated strong leadership and a vision for strengthening UW academics and the university’s role as a key economic driver in our state. She isn’t a traditional choice, but she’s the right one. I appreciate the work of the UW regents for their work in finding the right person for this important leadership position.”