 annalee saxenian annalee saxenian is professor and dean of uc berkeley s school of information and has a joint faculty appointment with the department of city and regional planning professor saxenian has made a career of studying regional economics and the conditions under which people ideas and geographies combine and connect into hubs of economic activity she is a member of board of advisors at the national science foundation and directorate for social and behavioral economic sciences since 2009 she served as a consultant at the center on transnational corporations of united nations in new york professor saxenian holds a phd in political science from mit a master s in regional planning from uc berkeley and a ba in economics from williams college  