Dear Campus Community,
We are pleased to announce that Christopher F. Edley, Jr. has agreed to serve as interim dean of the Graduate School of Education. This appointment is effective on July 1, 2021.
Chris is the Honorable William H. Orrick, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, and he is also the co-founder and president emeritus of the Opportunity Institute. He served as dean of the School of Law from 2004 through 2013.
Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Swarthmore College. He subsequently earned a Juris Doctor and Master’s in Public Policy degrees from Harvard University. He served in White House policy and budget positions under presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. He also held senior positions in five presidential campaigns, including senior policy adviser to his former student, Barack Obama. More recently, Chris co-chaired the congressionally chartered National Commission on Education Equity and Excellence, and chaired a study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine which designed a national system of educational equity indicators.
During his tenure as dean of the School of Law, Chris was instrumental in furthering initiatives to improve the school's infrastructure, grow the faculty, expand financial aid, and to create and fund research centers that would tackle society's most pressing challenges. You can learn more about Chris in this story on the Graduate School of Education website.
Chris will begin his term as interim dean of the Graduate School of Education when Prudence Carter steps down as dean at the end of June. The campus will launch a new search for a permanent dean in the spring of 2022.
Please join us in congratulating Chris on his new role and in thanking Prudence for her leadership of the school these past five years.
Sincerely,
Carol T. Christ
Chancellor
A. Paul Alivisatos
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
This message has been sent to all faculty and staff, and forwarded separately to students in the Graduate School of Education.