Willow Bay to Head up J-School

In a move that surprised more than a few people.

USC named Willow Bay, a former news anchor at CNN, ABC and Bloomberg TV, has been named the next director of the school of journalism at the University.

The AP writes that USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Dean Ernest J. Wilson III announced the appointment Wednesday of the 50-year-old Bay, who is currently a senior editor at the Huffington Post.

Bay’s television background is a shift after two previous directors whose experience was primarily in newspapers and online journalism.

She was once a co-anchor on ABC’s Good Morning America/Sunday and CNN’s Moneyline News Hour and a substitute anchor on NBC’s Early Today and other shows on NBC and MSNBC.

Bay is married to Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Robert Iger.