By Joanie Harmon
Annamarie Francois (Ed.D, Educational Leadership Program; B.A., History) has been appointed associate dean of public engagement of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, effective Nov. 1, 2022. In this role, she will develop opportunities for collaboration between its centers and projects, as well as become the public-facing representative of Ed&IS for engagement at the local, state, and national levels.
Francois will seek ways for UCLA Ed&IS to broaden its impact across all UCLA schools and University of California campuses. Her long history of leading education innovation initiatives demonstrates her role as an active contributor to national, state, and local networks, developing models for equity-driven, student-centered, antiracist practices within education. Her public scholarship, teaching, and service contribute significantly to educator development, educational leadership and supervision, critical pedagogies and culturally responsive literacies, as well as authentic, transformative community–school–university collaboration.
Francois is looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate across Ed&IS and beyond, and underscores the importance of listening, and of “getting to know everyone’s work in deeper ways and being a good thought partner about how to make a greater public impact.”
“UCLA Ed&IS faculty and staff are among the most brilliant scholars and practitioners in the country,” Francois says. “They don’t need me to help them do what they are already doing so well.”
Wasserman Dean Christina (Tina) Christie is excited that Francois’s new role will allow her to highlight her highly cultivated partnerships on local and state levels.