Ed Kromer, Author at The Whole U

Ed Kromer Editorial and Marketing Manager

Though not an “official” UW alum, Ed feels like he must be close to earning some kind of degree-by-association after two decades writing about the people, programs and insights of the Foster School of Business.

Born in Ohio and raised in Kentucky, he is an ardent producer—and consumer—of stories. Endowed more with curiosity than command, he’s also a chronic dabbler, with interests that run from hiking, running, soccer and travel to cooking, gardening, prose, podcasts, performing arts, music, movies and television. A lifelong learner, he feels privileged to discover and deliver useful information, convey thought-provoking ideas and introduce fascinating people of purpose across this great university community.

Ben Packard leads EarthLab’s efforts to connect UW resources to community action addressing the threats—and inequities—of climate change

Identifying the root cause of the climate crisis is simple enough. Finding solutions? Not so simple. It requires enormous creativity, commitment and collaboration, often among traditional antagonists in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. To foster these ad hoc collaborations, there is UW EarthLab, a transdisciplinary institute within the College of the Environment that is [...]

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Anita Ramasastry applies law, policy and pragmatism to fight corruption and defend human rights around the world

The curriculum vitae of Anita Ramasastry is awe-inspiring. And a bit exhausting. The Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law has compiled an impressive record of traditional academic activities and achievements, from directing the UW School of Law’s Sustainable International Development Graduate Program and serving as senior advisor to the UW’s Office of Global Affairs to [...]

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Get inspired to make every day Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day, as it has been since 1970, when it was established just a few months after congress created the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA, whose mission is to protect human health and the environment, laid the path to the several important pieces of environmental legislation, among them the Clean Air Act, Clean [...]

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Lauding UW faculty innovators, change-makers and trailblazers this Women’s History Month

Women have played a central part in the University of Washington history, from its very first faculty member (Lucia Carr) in the 1860s and first bachelor’s degree graduate (Clara McCarty) in 1876 to the remarkably diverse learning environment it has become today. Through its eras and across its varied disciplines, countless extraordinary women have defined [...]

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This Women’s History Month, celebrate champions of equity and inclusion

The roots of Women’s* History Month as a national commemoration run all the way back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions. The first Women’s Day celebration in the United States was in 1909, also in NYC. In 1911, March 8 was designated [...]

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How to take parental leave: tips from your UW Human Resources leave specialists

So, you’re expecting a new child, either through birth or adoption. Congratulations! It’s wonderful news, but also one of the biggest life events that can come along. Here are tips for taking time away from work to bond with the new member of your family. What are my leave options? Erin Rice, assistant vice president [...]

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Katie Sadler leads a botanical tour of the world inside the UW Biology Greenhouse

As she leads a tour of the diverse vegetation proliferating inside the UW Biology Greenhouse, Katie Sadler compulsively collects dead leaves, desiccated flowers and spent branches, almost without noticing, the way a mother casually fusses with her child’s hair or straightens his collar. “I wish I had my pruning shears,” she says, with a knowing [...]

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Digital payment apps: how to use them safely and securely

It’s a tough reality of living in a computer-driven world: scams will always find their way into popular technologies. Digital payment apps—such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo and Zelle—are no exception. With their use becoming increasingly a part of our everyday life, knowing the steps for safeguarding your information and maintaining control of your money [...]

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Quintard Taylor has blazed a trail to Black history of the American West—and around the world

On the day that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, Quintard Taylor was working to register Black voters in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was just 18, a junior at St. Augustine’s University endowed with idealism for the cause of racial justice through non-violent means that King espoused. But the [...]

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This Black History Month, celebrate the culture-defining contributions of African American artists

In 1958, a young photographer named Art Kane convened a dream ensemble of jazz legends for a photo that would become known as “A Great Day in Harlem.” This famous congregation of the most dynamic musicians on the planet—Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, among them—stands as a [...]

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Many hungry Huskies: food pantries fight rising food insecurity across the UW

“We have all the data,” says Ellie Green, student director of the UW Food Pantry, as she pries open a thick ring binder packed with spreadsheets, charts and graphs tracking every aspect, in minute detail, of the essential campus resource she manages. Sources of food. Volunteer hours. Donations. Food drives. Quantity distributed. But one data [...]

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Nicole Klein connects the varied past and boundless future of the historic ASUW Shell House

Nicole Klein is not ordinarily a building hugger. But not long ago, in the middle of a tour she was leading of the old ASUW Shell House, Klein found herself overcome by emotion, temporarily unable to speak and compelled to wrap her arms around its walls of rough-hewn Douglas fir for a lingering moment. “I [...]

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