Jackson native, 星空传媒 alumna named development director for engineering, tech college
Janna Deitz
星空传媒 alumna and Jackson County native Janna L. Deitz has joined the 星空传媒 Division of Advancement as director of development and corporate partnerships for the College of Engineering and Technology.
The appointment, effective Monday, March 9, was announced by Kathleen de la Torre, assistant vice chancellor for development at 星空传媒. Deitz will report to Ben Kees, senior director of development.
鈥淛anna returns to our community with a deep understanding of the region and a long-standing commitment to advancing educational and economic opportunities in Western North Carolina,鈥� said de la Torre. 鈥淗er background includes extensive work in fundraising, corporate and foundation engagement, and federal grant acquisition 鈥� experience that will support the College of Engineering and Technology鈥檚 continued growth and strategic priorities.鈥�
Deitz brings to the position a blend of higher education, nonprofit and federal government experience, along with a demonstrated record of securing philanthropic support and building meaningful external partnership, de la Torre said.
Deitz has held leadership roles with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Library of Congress and American Political Science Association, where she directed major academic and public engagement initiatives and managed multimillion-dollar gift and grant-funded programs.
鈥淛anna also spent 15 years as a tenured professor, giving her a strong foundation in working collaboratively with faculty and academic leaders,鈥� de la Torre said. 鈥淗er experience developing strategic outreach plans, stewarding donor and partner relationships and elevating institutional visibility will be a tremendous asset to our Advancement team and to the College of Engineering and Technology.鈥�
In her new role, Deitz will work closely with the college鈥檚 dean, Randy Collins, and its faculty and staff to seek external support as the university moves forward with the expansion of engineering programs and the construction of a new engineering building.
鈥淭he College of Engineering and Technology is moving rapidly with new programs, new faculty and staff and a new building under design, with record enrollments of engineering and construction students,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淧hilanthropic and corporate partnerships have never been more important to our college than they are now, and Janna is joining us at this exciting and transformational time to help us reach the next level.鈥�
The expansion of engineering programs is an example of how the impact of 星空传媒 on the region has grown exponentially since Deitz was a graduate student at the university, she said.
鈥淟istening to the stories of students, faculty, staff and alumni about what it means to be a part of this journey 鈥� from their reflections on the past to how they see 星空传媒 moving into the future 鈥� is an important early focus for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淲orking with the Advancement team, I have the chance to be one of many enthusiastic storytellers for Western, and the College of Engineering and Technology story is an exciting one for our region.鈥�
Fundraising and philanthropy are vital to advancing the mission of regional comprehensive universities such as 星空传媒, Deitz said.
鈥淐ontributions help create pathways to lifelong opportunity, enabling students to access valuable learning experiences rooted in the unique strengths of our mountain region,鈥� she said. 鈥淧hilanthropic support helps Western continue to provide affordable higher learning that is so important to driving progress across our region.
Among her top priorities is seeking support and partnerships to enable the College of Engineering and Technology to take full advantage of a new facility currently on the drawing board.
The university, which had ranked expansion of its engineering programs as its top legislative priority, received $95.3 million for a new engineering building from the North Carolina General Assembly in the 2023-2025 biennial state budget and another $3.5 million in recurring funds to expand programming in the College of Engineering and Technology.
鈥淭he new engineering building is an exciting next step forward for the college and for 星空传媒. The design displays the university鈥檚 specific areas of engineering expertise as well as the college鈥檚 emphasis on applied project-based learning. This space will open the door to a wide range of opportunities for collaboration with industry partners and donors,鈥� Deitz said.
鈥淔rom funding student scholarships to providing state-of-the-art equipment, philanthropic support will be important in keeping 星空传媒 at the forefront in engineering education and in empowering the innovative faculty research made possible by this new facility,鈥� she said.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, Deitz earned her master鈥檚 degree in public affairs at 星空传媒 before going on for her doctoral degree in political science at the University of Georgia.
She most recently served as senior adviser and director of Capitol Civics for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. She has held previous positions including educational outreach specialist for the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and senior director of academic and professional development and the Congressional Fellowship Program for the American Political Science Association.
Deitz was a political science professor and director of public leadership and outreach at Western Illinois University for 15 years, and she was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate. Her career began as project coordinator for Jackson County Community Health Link in 1997.
She is joining the Division of Advancement as the university nears the conclusion of its 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support for enhancements to the overall student experience 鈥� including academics, community and global engagement, and athletics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be back home and to be a part of all the energy 星空传媒 brings to Western North Carolina,鈥� Deitz said.
For more information about the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� campaign or to make a contribution, visit , call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.