Estela Zarate, a nationally known higher education leader, has been named the next dean of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education, it was announced Tuesday.
Zarate, a senior faculty fellow at the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success at the University of Texas, El Paso, spent nearly two decades as an academic leader and scholar at California State University, Fullerton, UC Irvine, and other institutions of higher education. Her appointment is effective July 8.
“Dean Zarate’s wealth of experience and dedication to supporting underrepresented students demonstrates her understanding of the cura personalis — care for the whole person — and her resonance with our Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount values,” Thomas Poon, LMU’s executive vice president and provost, said in a statement.
Zarate has served in leadership roles that include vice provost of Academic Affairs and coordinator of the Master of Science in education administration and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential programs in Cal State Fullerton’s Department of Educational Leadership, according to the school.
Her scholarship addresses the trajectory of immigrant students in U.S. schools, including the connections between schools and families and the experiences of multilingual learners, the university said.
She co-edited a volume on educational interventions for migrant students and has written about and developed professional learning opportunities to improve teaching for first-generation college students, according to the school.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with faculty who are committed to a vision of equitable and anti-racist education and mental health systems,” Zarate stated. “LMU School of Education is preparing the leaders that the world needs: compassionate, critical, and ethical educators and mental health professionals who see potential for excellence and ignite a brighter world.”