Announcement: Dean of the Berkeley School of Education

May 2, 2023

Dear Campus Community,

Following a national search, we are pleased to announce that Michelle D. Young has been appointed dean of the Berkeley School of Education, with a start date of June 15, 2023.

Michelle joins us from Loyola Marymount University, where she is dean of the School of Education and professor of education leadership and policy. She also serves as executive director emeritus for the University Council for Educational Administration, an organization she led for nearly 20 years. 

Michelle has earned a national reputation as an innovative, civic-minded, ethical scholar and leader with a strong commitment to diversity and social justice. Interviewers were impressed by her thoughtful and collaborative leadership style and strong vision for how she will approach the leadership of the School of Education and its operations. She brings to Berkeley robust administrative experience leading and growing complex organizations, a significant record of scholarship, a commitment to shared governance and a proven ability to forge mutually beneficial partnerships with a wide variety of stakeholders. She has been dedicated to co-creating strong, reflective, and inclusive communities throughout her career and is committed to prioritizing the collective work for diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice at Berkeley. 

Michelle previously served as chair of the Department of Education Leadership, Foundations & Policy in the School of Education at the University of Virginia and director of public school executive leadership programs for The University of Texas at Austin.

Michelle earned her Ph.D. in educational policy, planning, and leadership and her master of education in special education with an emphasis on learning disabilities and second language learners, both from The University of Texas at Austin. Her scholarship, which focuses on how university programs, educational policies and school leaders can support equitable, high-quality experiences for all people who learn and work in schools, has been recognized by multiple scholarly and professional associations, including a lifetime achievement award from the American Educational Research Association. Throughout her more than 30 years of working in higher education, her research has been published in hundreds of peer- and non-peer-reviewed journals, publications, reports, and research briefs.

You can learn more about Michelle on the Berkeley School of Education website

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the search committee for their efforts in the search process, and Christopher F. Edley, Jr. for serving as interim dean since July 1, 2021.

Please join us in welcoming Michelle to the UC Berkeley community and in supporting her success in the Berkeley School of Education.

Sincerely,

Carol T. Christ
Chancellor

Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost