Willow Bay

Willow Bay, a veteran broadcast journalist, mediapioneer and digital news editor, is the Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. The first female dean of USC Annenberg, Bay oversees more than 200 faculty and staff, and more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students across the fields of communication, journalism, public relations and public diplomacy. During her tenure as dean and in her previous role as director, Bay has increased scholarship opportunities, launched the state-of-the-art Annenberg Media Center, accelerated curricular innovations, and vastly expanded the school’s partnerships with key media and technology partners.

Bay’s academic and industry engagement is focused on the intersection of media, technology and business. Building on research from her first book, "Talking to Your Kids in Tough Times: How to Answer Your Child’s Questions about the World We Live In," she is the co-author of a series of global research reports on the impact of mobile technologies on teens and parents titled “The New Normal.”

Bay came to USC Annenberg from her post as senior editor and senior strategic advisor of The Huffington Post, where she managed editorial content and growth initiatives for the pioneering online news site. Her prominent broadcast experience includes reporting and anchoring for ABC News’ "Good Morning America/Sunday" and serving as a correspondent for "Good Morning America" and "World News Weekend." She was the first woman to co-anchor CNN’s flagship daily financial news program "Moneyline." At NBC, she co-hosted "NBA Inside Stuff," the NBA's weekly magazine show, and served as a correspondent for the "Today Show." In addition, she was a special correspondent for Bloomberg TV and host of "Women to Watch," a primetime program that profiled the next generation of women leaders.

Bay graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in literature and received her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.