Frances Contreras Named Dean of Education at University of California, Irvine
Frances Contreras, who is widely acclaimed for her research on academic diversity and access from preschool to the Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the...
Frances Contreras, who is widely acclaimed for her research on academic diversity and access from preschool to the Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, following a nationwide search.
Contreras had been associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as professor of education studies, at the University of California, San Diego. In this position, she provided leadership to support a positive campus climate, including faculty recruitment and retention. Contreras had more than 15 years of administrative experience at UCSD and the University of Washington’s College of Education, where she directed the higher education program.
A first-generation college student, she will be the first Chicana/Latina dean to head a school of education in the University of California system.
“In only its ninth year of existence, our School of Education has grown into one of the nation’s finest, and Frances Contreras is the right leader to continue moving us forward,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman. “Her scholarly and administrative achievements are perfectly aligned with the strengths, accomplishments and far-reaching impact of the school.”
“I’m excited to be joining UCI as dean of the School of Education,” Contreras said. “My vision is to lead the school by placing equity, diversity and racial justice at the center of its priorities and build on the impressive record the School of Education possesses on campus and with its community partners and schools. I plan to work with my fellow faculty to increase teacher diversity, support educational innovation, develop degree programs in higher education, and foster our collective research to benefit the Orange County region, state and nation.”
WittKieffer’s Zach Smith, Ph.D. and Alejandra Gillette-Teran led this search.
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