I am so honoured to have joined the Faculty of Education as Dean in July 2017. As a proud alumna of the University of Alberta (BEd ’94, PhD ’04), returning after 13 years at the University of Regina represents an opportunity for me to give back to a faculty and, indeed, an institution that profoundly shaped me as a teacher, researcher and scholar.

Our faculty is known for its transformative and innovative teaching, research, scholarship and community engagement, and it was here while a student that I was invited to think more deeply about issues of injustice that continue to shape the lives of children and youth, and to engage in pedagogical practices that challenge inequity. My own commitments to anti-oppressive education were formed in this place as I learned from and was mentored by incredible and dedicated faculty members.

I am very excited about this 75th year of the Faculty of Education as we celebrate our past and consider our future. I hope that you will stay connected with us throughout the year as we undertake a process of strategic planning, establishing a vision and goals for our collective work. I look forward to a productive year ahead alongside faculty, staff, students, community partners and alumni, as we imagine together how we might build on the strengths of the Faculty of Education so that it can be the very best that it can be.