Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Elizabeth Kronk Warner, who is considered a national expert in the intersection of environmental and tribal law, has been named the next dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Kronk Warner is associate dean of academic affairs, professor and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center at the University of Kansas School of Law.
Dan Reed, the U.'s senior vice president for academic affairs, announced Monday that Kronk Warner had accepted the U.'s offer to lead the law college. She is the first woman to serve in the role.
“Kronk Warner is highly regarded as a natural leader and consensus builder who engages deeply, prioritizes both faculty scholarship and student success, and is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion,” Reed said.
Kronk Warner, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, serves as an appellate judge for the tribe and as a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe.
She is expected to begin her new position on July 1.
Kronk Warner said she was impressed with the U. college of law's "strong reputation for scholarly excellence, commitment to students and record of community engagement.”
She earned her juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School; she received her undergraduate degree in communications from Cornell University and studied at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Kronk Warner joined the University of Kansas as director of its Tribal Law and Government Center in 2012.. She was appointed associate dean in 2015, overseeing operational issues and coordinating on admissions, career services and administration of 12 joint degree and eight certificate programs.
“Kronk Warner is highly regarded as a natural leader and consensus builder who engages deeply, prioritizes both faculty scholarship and student success, and is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion." - Dan Reed, U of U
Kronk Warner currently is responsible for academic compliance and student affair. She served as acting dean for a four-month period in 2016.
She also chairs the school’s faculty and staff diversity and inclusion committee, is an ex officio member of the student Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council and is president of the university’s Native Faculty and Staff Council.
Kronk Warner previously was an active member of the Federal Bar Association, serving on its national board of directors. She is currently active in the American Bar Association, where she co-chairs the Native American Resources Committee.
She has taught courses in property, tribal, environmental and natural resources law and supervises the school’s Tribal Judicial Support Clinic. Kronk Warner has received several teaching excellence awards, co-authored several books on environmental issues and Native Americans, and has 40 articles and book chapters to her credit.
Kronk Warner worked in private practice for several years before entering academia. Prior to joining the University of Kansas, Kronk Warner was a law professor at the University of Montana and Texas Tech.
