CA Huskies
Desert Social
Tues. March 19, 2024 3–6 p.m.
Thunderbird Country Club | 70 – 737 Country Club Dr. Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Raise a glass to the Huskies!
Gather for sips, small bites and an intimate program with Head Football Coach Jedd Fisch, Athletic Director Troy Dannen and UW President Ana Mari Cauce. Former student athlete and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor, ’94, will moderate a thoughtful discussion with UW leadership at this unprecedented and exciting time for UW athletics. Raise a glass to celebrate our bright future as we join the Big Ten Conference and be a part of the conversation about the future of Husky intercollegiate athletics and the student athlete.
Admission: $120 | UWAA Members: $95
This event is sold out.
About the speakers
Jedd Fisch, UW Head Football Coach
Jedd Fisch was named the 31st head coach of the University of Washington football program on Jan. 14, 2024.
Fisch comes to UW following three years at the University of Arizona, taking the program from one win in his first year in 2021 to ten wins in 2023, including an Alamo Bowl victory. He garnered national acclaim this season, named as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the Dodd Trophy, presented annually to the nation’s top head coach.
Prior to Arizona, Fisch served as the quarterbacks coach with the New England Patriots under Head Coach Bill Belichick. He previously served as an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach or assistant with the Los Angeles Rams, UCLA, the University of Michigan, Jacksonville Jaguars, the University of Miami, Seattle Seahawks, the University of Minnesota, the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens, and as a quality control coach with the Houston Texans. He got his start at the collegiate levels serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida under Steve Spurrier. In addition to Belichick and Spurrier, other mentors include Pete Carroll, Brian Billick and Jim Harbaugh.
Fisch is a native of Livingston, N.J. and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Criminology in 1998. He earned his Master’s degree from the University of Florida.
Read more.
Troy Dannen, UW Director of Athletics
Troy Dannen was named the University of Washington’s 16th Director of Athletics on Oct. 9, 2023.
Dannen is a leading national voice in intercollegiate athletics, currently serving his fourth year as Chair of the NCAA Football Competition Committee and as an Executive Committee member of the Football Oversight Committee.
From 2021 through 2023, Dannen served on the NCAA Constitution Committee and then the Division I Transformation Committee, as one of a small group of chancellors, presidents, Directors of Athletics, commissioners and Faculty Athletic Representatives across all three NCAA divisions tasked with charting a future path for college athletics. In 2022, Dannen was a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award, and he received the Distinguished American Award by the Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Read more.
Ana Mari Cauce, UW President
As the president of one of the world’s great public universities, Ana Mari Cauce is leading the University of Washington in advancing its mission in four key areas: providing a leading-edge student experience, conducting research and scholarship that has a global impact, upholding the UW’s dedication to its public mission and infusing the entire university with a commitment to innovation.
A member of the UW faculty since 1986, Cauce became interim president in March 2015, having previously served as provost and executive vice president, and the UW Board of Regents selected her to become the UW’s 33rd president at a special meeting Oct. 13, 2015.
Throughout her career, Cauce has championed access to higher education, including through the Husky Promise, which provides full tuition to eligible Washington students who otherwise could not attend college. As part of her strong belief in ensuring access to higher education for all, just one month into her role as interim president she engaged students in an honest discussion about race and equity, launching an effort to create a more just and diverse community.
Read more.
Ed Taylor, ’94, UW Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Edward Taylor is vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University of Washington where he oversees educational opportunities that advance and deepen the undergraduate experience. Programs in Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) connect undergraduates to the breadth and depth of opportunities at the UW so they are equipped and eager for their journey ahead as leaders in their communities and careers. Taylor has dedicated his career and service leadership to creating access to opportunities by addressing inequities and ensuring schools and universities become places of belonging.
Dr. Taylor is a professor in the UW’s College of Education. His research and teaching center on comparative education in the U.S. and South Africa, moral dimensions of education and integrative education, and leadership in education and social justice. He has written, taught and presented extensively on these topics. His co-edited books focus on race and education, race theory and race in the United States. His co-authored books include Transformative Conversations: A Guide to Mentoring Communities Among Colleagues in Higher Education and Inside the Undergraduate Teaching Experience: The University of Washington’s Growth in Faculty Teaching Study. Dr. Taylor has also authored multiple journal articles.
Read more.
More California events
This new Desert Social format is part of a dynamic series of events and activities for California Huskies throughout the month of March. In the Desert, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area, we’ll share our Husky Pride, greet new and long-time friends, and remain connected to the UW and to one another!