Dr. Jeanie Watson Joins the TIAA-CREF Institute

TIAA-CREF, the leading provider of retirement savings products and services in the academic, medical and cultural fields, announced today that Jeanie Watson has been named to join the TIAA-CREF Institute leadership team, reporting to Institute Executive Director Madeleine d'Ambrosio.

A former president of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Dr. Watson will serve as a critical resource on the business of higher education within TIAA-CREF, and help to develop and lead Institute initiatives focused on issues of critical importance to higher education.\

"We are extremely fortunate to welcome someone with Jeanie's experience, expertise and network of relationships in the higher education community to TIAA-CREF," said Madeleine d'Ambrosio, Executive Director of the Institute. "As someone who has experienced first-hand the complexities of leading a university, Jeanie will contribute to further developing the Institute as a value center for TIAA-CREF's institutional clients and the higher education associations that represent them. Her background and unique insights will also help inform TIAA-CREF's product and service developments and communications and marketing efforts; as well as strengthen our interactions with campus leaders, policymakers, Institute Fellows and other partners."

Dr. Jeanie Watson
Dr. Watson joins TIAA-CREF from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she served as president from 1997 - 2006. Under her leadership the university dramatically diversified their student body, attracted new student populations, opened a new satellite campus, built new residence halls, and significantly strengthened its financial position.

Prior to her presidency, Dr. Watson served in a variety of leadership positions throughout the higher education community, including serving as a dean at Tulane University and at Hamline University and associate dean at Southwestern University. She has also held numerous faculty appointments over a period of two decades. In addition to Tulane, Hamline and Southwestern, she has held appointments at Rhodes College, Marshall University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Stonehill College, and the University of Nebraska. Dr. Watson was also a post-doctoral visiting scholar at Columbia University.

Dr. Watson has an impressive history of publications, including numerous academic articles in literary journals, a book of literary criticism, and several poems. She is also editor or co-editor of a number of books of collected essays.

Dr. Watson has been an active member of several higher education associations and served on a number of boards, including the ACE Commission on Women, ACE Network Executive Board, ACE Office of Women Higher Education National Forum, CIC Board of Directors, NAICU Committee on Tax Policy, NCAA Division III Presidents Council, National Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church, and the University Senate of The United Methodist Church.

Dr. Watson is a graduate of Baylor University and holds a Ph.D. in English from Ohio University.

About TIAA-CREF
TIAA-CREF is a national financial services organization with more than $406 billion in combined assets under management (12/30/06) and is the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.  Learn more About TIAA-CREF.

About TIAA-CREF Institute
The mission of the TIAA-CREF Institute, part of TIAA-CREF, is to foster objective research, build knowledge, support thought leadership, and enhance understanding of strategic issues related to higher education and lifelong financial security. For additional information about TIAA-CREF Institute programs, please visit www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org.

Chad Peterson, Director, Corporate Media Relations
cpeterson@tiaa-cref.org, 212 916-4808 Cell: 917 715-9083