Introducing our 2022 Impact Academy fellows!

We are excited to announce the 2022 cohort of Impact Academy fellows, a group of 20 outstanding leaders of educator-preparation programs (EPP) committed to making pedagogy a priority within their programs and advocating for more equitable systems of teaching and learning.

This newest cohort includes 20 fellows, representing:

• Public, private, and non-traditional programs
• Geographically diverse contexts spanning more than 15 states across the U.S.
• 35% Minority-Serving Institutions

Collectively, these leaders come from institutions collectively serving more than 10,000 future teachers, 46% of whom identify as people of color.

“We’re excited to welcome this new cohort of 20 fellows committed to grounding their educator-preparation programs in equity and improving the field of education more broadly,” said Valerie Sakimura, vice president of program at Deans for Impact (DFI). “As we continue to support outstanding educator-preparation leaders to drive transformative change, DFI aims to realize our long-term vision of building a national collective of leaders who are creating and sustaining conditions for teachers to create rigorous, equitable, and inclusive classrooms where all students thrive.”

Including the 2022 cohort, the Impact Academy has now brought together 115 EPP leaders since the first cohort in 2016. The fellowship is distinct from other education leadership programs in that it homes in on instructional improvement grounded in equity and learning science. In the past, fellows have focused on topics such as:

• Centering diversity, equity, and inclusion in programmatic content and instruction
• Uniting faculty across a range of academic disciplines
• Leading teams through the transformative, multi-year change of redesigning coursework and clinical experiences

The year-long programming includes collaborative learning sessions, case studies, and personalized coaching. Impact Academy alumni and coach Christy Harris, Dean of Relay Graduate School of Education in Atlanta, recently shared: “What Impact Academy offered me, I was really excited about being able to offer to others. The people I coach are really smart people, intelligent people, people who have been doing this job for even longer than I have, and it’s like being able to give them the canvas to do their painting. You are the expert, you are the artist here, you are the phenomenal leader; how do I give you the canvas to paint this leadership picture for yourself?”

The newest Impact Academy fellowship cohort kicked off on June 22, 2022, immediately following a national convening of former Impact Academy fellows and facilitators. As part of our effort to build a national movement of leaders to drive catalytic change in educator preparation, DFI plans to increase programmatic offerings and opportunities to a growing network of EPP leaders beginning in the upcoming academic year. 

2022-23 Impact Academy Fellows:

Jason Barr, Rider University
Hansel Burley, University of New Mexico
Sara DeLano, Dallas College
Pervis Evans, Odessa College
April L. Fleming, Florida SouthWestern State College
William (Bill) Gaudelli, Lehigh University
Amy Ginsberg, William Paterson University
Afra Hersi, Loyola University Maryland
Jerell Hill, Pacific Oaks College
Christopher Joyce, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators
Pete Kelly, University of Mary Washington
Jeffrey L. Kirk, Texas A&M University – Central Texas
Joan Y. Pedro, University of Houston – Clear Lake
Gary Ritter, Saint Louis University
Eleanor Rodríguez, Relay Graduate School of Education
Brenda Sabey, Utah Tech University
Janna Scarborough, East Tennessee State University
Diana Turk, New York University
Judi Wilson, Augusta University
Ryan Wise, Drake University