Catherine West (she/her) is the Director of Communications in the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI) at the University of Virginia. In this role, Catherine is responsible for driving and implementing the strategic communications functions of the division, including the creation and dissemination of informational materials, placement of news articles, and organization of events; providing oversight of content for web and social media; and publication of the division's external communications. Catherine also works closely with communicators across the University to ensure the maximum reach of accessible communications deliverables.
Before joining UVA’s DDEI team in 2021, Catherine managed communications at the Association for Psychological Science and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. Most recently, Catherine was the Director of Communications at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), where she worked with faculty, scientific staff, and leadership to communicate the impact of ISR’s research, education programs, initiatives, and goals. In this capacity, Catherine also served as the communications lead for the institute’s DEI strategic plan and as co-lead of the DEI staff working group.
A native of Newport News, VA, Catherine graduated from American University (B.A. Psychology). Catherine now lives in Charlottesville with her three children and enjoys all things craft beer and live music.