Diane Gayeski has been named dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications. A longtime member of the school’s faculty, she has served for the past year as interim dean. She is an internationally recognized innovator in the field of organizational learning and communication, business performance improvement, and educational technologies.
“Diane Gayeski brings a rich portfolio of teaching and scholarship to the position of dean,” said Kathleen Rountree, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “She is respected by faculty and students for her record of innovation in teaching and her effective leadership in various administrative roles. I am confident that she will utilize her unique combination of experience, expertise and vision in leadership for a very bright future for the Park School.”
Last May, Gayeski was named the school’s interim dean while a search was conducted for the successor to Dianne Lynch, who had been chosen as president of Stephens College. During the previous year, Gayeski had served as interim dean of the Division of Graduate and Professional Studies. A professor of strategic communication, she has also served in the Park School as associate dean of faculty, department chair, chair of the graduate program, and director of online certificate programs in strategic communication management and performance improvement management.
Gayeski is a 1974 graduate of the school’s Department of Television-Radio. She returned to teach at her alma mater in 1979 after earning master’s and doctoral degrees in educational technology from the University of Maryland.
“For the past 31 years, I’ve found a professional home at Ithaca College where my passion for innovation and dedication to communications education have been nurtured and valued,” said Gayeski. “I am honored to accept the leadership role in the Park School. Building on the core values that have made my own undergraduate degree and alumni network from here valuable and timeless, I will dedicate myself to ensuring that our past, current and future Park students can carry on our tradition of excellence, creativity and social responsibility.”
Through her consulting firm, Gayeski Analytics, she works with organizations to help them assess and adopt new methods of communication and training. Recent clients include the U.S. Navy Fleet and Family Readiness Training Branch, TAP Pharmaceuticals, MetLife, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Tompkins Financial. She has written scores of articles and more than a dozen books, including “Managing the Communication Function: A Blueprint for Organizational Success,” “Managing Learning and Communication as Business Assets” and “Learning Unplugged: Using Mobile Technologies for Training and Performance Improvement.”
Gayeski has been quoted in articles appearing in the “Wall Street Journal,” “Business Week” and “ComputerWorld,” among other publications. Her honors include the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from the International Society for Performance Improvement and both the Faculty Leadership Award and Excellence in Scholarship Award from Ithaca College.
