University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz announced the appointment of a new provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs Thursday.

Effective July 15, Ann Huff Stevens will take over her new role. She succeeds Provost Russell Moore, who announced he was stepping down from the role after 15 years of service.

“Dr. Stevens’ background and accomplishments in public higher education during the past two decades present an extraordinary fit for the role of provost at CU Boulder,” Schwartz said in a press release. “Her strong commitment to transparency, excellence in research, academic freedom, and faculty and student diversity and well-being, are aligned with the ideals of the position as lead academic officer of the university.”

Stevens is currently the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin. There she holds the David Bruton, Jr. Regents Chair in Liberal Arts.

 Her research interests include “the incidence and long-term effects of job loss, connections between economic shocks and health and poverty and safety-net dynamics,” according to the release.

Steven’s research is widely cited and has been supported by numerous grants from foundations and federal agencies, placing her in the top 4% of economists worldwide.

“I couldn’t be more honored to step into this role as provost and contribute to the future of CU Boulder,” Stevens said in the release. “My research career as an economist has been driven by my belief that research contributes to the public good. My work in interdisciplinary settings and as dean has exposed me to a large span of academic disciplines, and I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students who contribute to an even broader range of academic inquiry, learning and excellence at CU Boulder.”