Higher ranking- Dept. Chair or Dept. Director?

Question

In US colleges, which is the higher ranking official?

Answer 1

director

Answer 2

In the US, the chief of a department is usually called either the Chair or the Director. The nomenclature changes from one institution to another. I have never encountered a department that has both a Chair and a Director.

However, departments may have a Chair/Director and also other faculty members who are "Directors of SOMETHING SPECIFIC."

For example, in my department, I am the DGS (Director of Graduate Studies) and a colleague of mine is the DUS (Director of Undergraduate Studies), but neither of us is the Chair, and the Chair outranks us as well as everyone else. Except the Dean. :)