Dr. MaryAnn Demchak has been a faculty member of the University of Nevada, Reno for over 30 years. Demchak is particularly well-suited for her new position as Associate Dean, as she has previously served in a variety of leadership roles at the University including the Department Chair of Educational Specialties, the Associate Dean of the College of Education, the Chair of the University Research and Grants Committee, and the Director of the Special Education Graduate Program.

The College of Education recently bifurcated their structure to include two Associate Deans. Demchak’s new role, the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Programs will focus on research, scholarship, grants, faculty development, and graduate programming.

In her new role, Demchak will work in conjunction with the Dean and Directors to provide overall leadership and vision for research within the College of Education. She will supervise graduate programs and direct faculty development efforts related to scholarship and grant production.

Demchak was recently awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award at the University’s Honor the Best Ceremony. This award honors Demchak’s commitment to excellence and exemplary performance with significant achievement in her area. This award highlighted one of her exceptional accomplishments, serving as Program Director for the Nevada Dual Sensory Impairment Project. This ongoing project has provided services to schools, teachers, and parents of students across Nevada who have impairments in both vision and hearing for almost 30 years.

Much of Demchak’s career has been dedicated to the promotion and development of research centered on improving the lives of children with severe disabilities. Demchak has over 60 peer-reviewed articles, monographs, book chapters, and numerous other publications as well as over 175 international and national presentations. She also oversees the research of a number of doctoral students in the College of Education who are examining interventions in schools and in the home to identify opportunities for teaching strategies that can be implemented with students with severe disabilities.

In addition to her active program of research, Demchak has obtained nearly $5 million in external funding for personnel preparation and outreach activities. She is also a dedicated Professor of Special Education, regularly teaching a number of courses in the area of severe disabilities.

Demchak plans to maintain her research activities and is also excited about the prospects that lie ahead in her new role as Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Programs. “I look forward to having the opportunity to build upon the existing research culture in the College of Education,” Demchak said. “Our doctoral programs are already very strong and I am excited to work with faculty to even further enhance these programs.”