The AERA Fellows Program honors outstanding education scholars, promotes excellence in education research as an interdisciplinary scholarship, and inspires emerging scholars to value sustained research achievements.
Click the name to jump to each fellow's citation of accomplishment and introductory video.
Roger Azevedo, University of Central Florida
Dr. Roger Azevedo is one of the world’s top scholars in self-regulated learning, metacognition, and advanced learning technologies. He is a professor at the School of Modeling Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida, where he has affiliated faculty appointments in the Departments of Computer Science and Internal Medicine and is the lead scientist for the Learning Sciences Faculty Cluster Initiative. His research has had profound implications for designing technologies that foster metacognitive and self-regulatory skills in students, including through the application of artificial intelligence. Dr. Azevedo has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, co-edited two influential books on learning technologies, and served as editor of the journal Metacognition and Learning. He was also a recipient of a prestigious Early Faculty Career Award grant from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Azevedo ’s work has transformed the way researchers capture, analyze, and interpret learning behaviors.
Aydin Bal, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Aydin Bal is known internationally for his research on the disproportionate number of racially minoritized students who are labelled as having emotional or behavioral disabilities. In this context, he examines racial disparities in school discipline. Dr. Bal is a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has developed formative intervention research on inclusionary curriculum, not only in the United States but in several countries in the Global South and Turkey. His renowned Learning Lab methodology provides guidelines for developing family-school-community partnerships to design equitable and socially-just behavioral support systems within local schools. Dr. Bal’s scholarly accomplishments include 86 publications and 15 keynote addresses. He is a recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Program Senior Scholar Award, the AERA Review of Research and Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution awards, and numerous other honors. Dr. Bal is an exceptional example of a scholar who grounds his research in the needs of local communities.
Courtney Bell, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Courtney Bell is a leading expert on teacher quality, teaching assessment, and education policy. She is director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is a professor of educational psychology and learning sciences. Dr. Bell has conducted groundbreaking studies on the use of classroom observation instruments to measure and improve teaching quality. She has also examined how professional development supports teacher learning, particularly in math and science. Dr. Bell co-edited the most recent volume of AERA’s Handbook of Research on Teaching. She has served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine panel on Equitable STEM Learning, and is incoming chair of the AERA Professional Development and Training Committee. Dr. Bell has worked with economists, psychometricians, teacher educators, policymakers, and practitioners to build a remarkable model of collaboration and of employing diverse methods to understand the complexities of teaching.
Catherine Bradshaw, University of Virginia
Dr. Catherine Bradshaw’s expansive scientific contributions have advanced school-based interventions that support emotional and behavioral development. She is a professor and the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. Dr. Bradshaw has conducted numerous large-scale randomized clinical trials and longitudinal studies evaluating interventions that target bullying, mental health, school climate, and safety issues in K-12 education. She has helped schools across the country incorporate evidence-based practices that foster students’ social-emotional learning. Her work has been supported by over $50 million in federal grant funding and has garnered her a host of awards and honors, including the Significant Research Contributions and Early Career awards from the Society for Prevention Research. She serves as editor of the journal Prevention Science. Dr. Bradshaw’s wide-ranging research is helping to strengthen school environments that support students’ success.
Erica Frankenberg, Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Erica Frankenberg is widely recognized for her research examining de facto racial segregation in public schools. As Professor of Education and Demography at The Pennsylvania State University, she has shown how population shifts, lack of court supervision, school choice policies, and charter school enrollment fuel school segregation. Her work has been cited in several recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and has influenced federal, state, and local K-12 policies aimed at expanding minoritized students’ access to diverse schools. Dr. Frankenberg has authored or co-edited five scholarly books and published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and 20 book chapters. Since 2021, she has served as co-editor of AERA’s journal Review of Educational Research. She is a recipient of the Early Career Award from AERA’s Division L, and Education Week has named her to its top 200 influential education policy faculty members each year since 2015. Dr. Frankenberg’s applied research and outreach activities represent the epitome of engaged scholarship.
Liliana M. Garces, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Liliana Garces has made an unparalleled contribution to the understanding of the impact of law on educational equity. Her scholarship has informed legal rulings and state legislative actions designed to further racial equity in higher education and society. Dr. Garces is the Ken McIntyre Professor for Excellence in School Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. She has published three edited books, 12 book chapters, and 37 peer-reviewed articles—including eight articles in the top-tier AERA journals Educational Researcher and American Educational Research Journal. Dr. Garces received the 2014 AERA Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for her article, “Understanding the impact of affirmative action bans in different graduate fields of study.” She has worked with other social scientists to address legal challenges to higher education affirmative action and K-12 school integration. Dr. Garces’ research and legal work have brought education research to bear on critical policy decisions that affect minoritized students’ access to higher education.
Louis M. Gomez, University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Louis Gomez is renowned for his insights on advancing organizational and technological improvements in school systems. He is MacArthur Chair in Digital Media and Learning in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Gomez has dedicated his career to collaborative research and development with urban communities to bring state-of-the-art instruction and support to underserved schools. His work has helped to position education leaders and teachers as equal partners in designing innovative learning technologies. Dr. Gomez and colleagues’ 2015 book Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better proposes a “network of expertise” approach involving practitioners, academics, and technical experts who adopt evidence-based processes to solve specific, practical problems in education. He was elected to the National Academy of Education, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the International Society of the Learning Sciences. Over his career, Dr. Gomez has made exceptional contributions in advancing improvement science and cultivating district-level partnerships.
Mark Anthony Gooden, Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Mark Anthony Gooden has made indispensable contributions to the study of culturally responsive school leadership. Dr. Gooden is the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Professor of Education Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, and director of the Endeavor Antiracist & Restorative Leadership Initiative, a program for school leaders in urban centers. He examines justice-oriented policies and practices that support school leaders, especially in urban schools. Dr. Gooden has produced nearly 100 publications, including 35 refereed journal articles, 22 book chapters, and six books, drawing 4,870 citations. His research has appeared in publications such as The American Educational Research Journal and the Review of Educational Research, both published by AERA. A former president of the University Council for Educational Administration, he is associate editor for the journal Urban Education and has served on the editorial boards of several other publications. Dr. Gooden has mentored countless minoritized graduate students who have gone on to promising academic careers, reflecting his dedication to nurturing the next generation of education researchers.
Kimberly Griffin, University of Maryland
Dr. Kimberly Griffin is a preeminent scholar whose research has deepened our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic institutions. Dr. Griffin is a professor and dean of the College of Education at the University of Maryland. Her expansive research has covered postgraduate career development, Black professors and their engagement in student interaction, the experiences of Black immigrant college students, diversity recruitment in graduate education, and campus racial climates. She is co-author of two books, including On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty, released in 2024, and has authored or co-authored 45 journal articles and 25 book chapters. Dr. Griffin’s work has garnered 9,550 citations. She has served as editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Her numerous awards include the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s coveted Promising Scholar/Early Career Award. Dr. Griffin has contributed enormously to the study of mentoring, Black students and faculty, and diversity in STEM fields.
Laura Hamilton, American Institutes for Research
Dr. Laura Hamilton has committed her career to advancing evidence-based policy and practice across many educational contexts, including testing and instructional reform. Hamilton is Senior Director of Education Measurement and Assessment at the American Institutes for Research and has also held research positions at the RAND Corporation and ETS. Her award-winning work has led to tremendous insights into the use of test-based accountability in teaching and learning. Dr. Hamilton has examined the use of metrics to assess teacher performance, and the inclusion of validated cognitive, social, and emotion measurements in assessments of student achievement. She has served on dozens of consensus panels and advisory committees focused on educational equity, emotional learning, and a host of other issues. Dr. Hamilton has served as an associate editor of Educational Researcher and has published approximately 70 monographs, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles in journals such as AERA Open and Review of Research in Education. Her commitment to the highest standards of inquiry is furthering advancements in educational measurement and assessment.
Joyce King, Georgia State University
Dr. Joyce King is a distinguished expert in urban education, and studies how teachers are prepared to work in increasingly diverse settings. She is recognized widely for her research and theoretical frameworks on the experiences of Black teachers and students. She is the Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership and Professor of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Dr. King coined the term Diaspora Literacy—Black people’s knowledge of their collective story and cultural dispossession. She co-edited the book We Be Lovin’ Black Children: Learning to Be Literate About the African Diaspora, which received the 2022 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award. She served as co-editor of Review of Educational Research, one of the top scientific education research journals. Dr. King served as AERA president in 2015-16, and she was recently elected to the National Academy of Education. Dr. King has helped transform urban and teacher education, shifting the ways teachers and students learn about race and culture.
Cynthia Lewis, University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Cynthia Lewis has advanced our knowledge in literacy education through influential, ground-breaking research focused on equity. She studies the social and political contexts of literacy learning, especially the role of emotions and other affective dimensions of young people’s exploration of race-, class-, and gender-based power dynamics. An Emerita Professor in the Department of Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Dr. Lewis has a long history of partnerships with schools, teachers, and community groups, working on policy changes that support educational equity. Her scholarly work includes two books, Reframing Sociocultural Research: Identity, Agency, and Power and Literary Practices as Social Acts: Power, Status, and Cultural Norms in the Classroom. Both received the esteemed Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association. Dr. Lewis is also a recipient of the AERA Division G Mentoring Award. She has shaped research on literacy education through theory and practice and played an important role in driving equity in education.
Guofang Li, University of British Columbia
Dr. Guofang Li has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing literacy education for immigrant and minority children. She developed the "pedagogy of cultural reciprocity," a framework that shifts responsibility for culturally responsive education from teachers alone to both educators and immigrant parents. She detailed this transformative concept in her award-winning book Culturally Contested Pedagogy. Dr. Li is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Transnational/Global Perspectives on Language and Literacy Education of Children and Youth at the University of British Columbia. She has authored and edited 19 books, 76 journal articles, 105 book chapters, and 18 articles for online forums and media outlets. Her work has earned her numerous speaking engagements and recognitions, including her inclusion in the 2023 and 2024 World’s Top 2 Percent Scientists Rankings by Stanford University and Elsevier. Dr. Li’s work has been instrumental in promoting inclusive educational practices that embrace cultural and linguistic diversity.
Matthew Mayhew, The Ohio State University
Dr. Matthew Mayhew is recognized internationally for investigating how colleges and universities can create equitable environments and just outcomes, particularly in the context of religion and spirituality. He is the William Ray and Marie Adamson Flesher Professor of Educational Administration at The Ohio State University. His methodologically rigorous research has illuminated how religion influences students’ experiences of marginality and privilege. Dr. Mayhew has examined how faculty involve their religious, spiritual, and secular identities in their research and teaching, and he has explored interventions that challenge students to examine their own religious commitments and develop more sophisticated worldviews. With 85 peer-reviewed research articles published and more than 8,400 citations, Dr. Mayhew is a highly prolific and cited author in higher-education research. He was lead author of How College Affects Students: 21st Century Evidence That Higher Education Works. Dr. Mayhew’s research is increasingly vital at a time of rising religious tensions on college campuses.
Ebony O. McGee, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Ebony McGee has been in the forefront of examining how structural racism undermines minoritized students’ success in STEM fields. An electrical engineer by training, she is a professor of innovation and inclusion in the STEM Ecosystem at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education and Department of Mental Health. Dr. McGee’s novel research unpacks the mental health variables and cultural influences that foster African American students’ resilience and achievement. Her latest research explores the relationship between STEM innovation and entrepreneurship. Dr. McGee is the author of Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation, a book she crafted based on 319 interviews with high-achieving STEM undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty of color. Her work has appeared in many top-tier journals, including the American Educational Research Journal and Educational Researcher. She is also a recipient of the AERA Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award. Dr. McGee has distinguished herself as a researcher who examines important problems in STEM education with substantiated recommendations for policy and practice reform.
Amanda Nickerson, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Dr. Amanda Nickerson stands as a leader in research on school violence prevention through threat assessment, bystander intervention, and other school safety issues. She is an expert in positive school climate, parent and peer relationships, and promoting the social-emotional strengths of youth. Dr. Nickerson is a professor and director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. She co-created the nationally recognized PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training, which provides school-based mental health professionals with the knowledge and skills to prevent crises; prepare for potential traumatic events; and identify, assess, and respond to youth who have been traumatized. She has more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, 59 book chapters, and eight edited books. Her scholarship has garnered over 9,000 citations. Dr. Nickerson’s work is known not only for informing the next generation of educational researchers focused on school safety, but for facilitating violence prevention and intervention planning in schools, communities, and families.
KerryAnn O'Meara, Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. KerryAnn O’Meara has made outstanding contributions to the study of faculty life in higher education. Her insightful analyses have shed light on systemic biases and inequities in academic hiring and reward systems. She is a professor of Higher Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she serves as provost, dean, and vice president for academic affairs. Dr. O’Meara has investigated a range of issues related to faculty workload, including strategies for handling increasingly complex work assignments. She also studies whether and how public service can be construed as scholarship, and thus appropriately recognized in promotion and tenure decisions. She has published 60 peer-reviewed articles in top-ranking journals—including AERA’s American Educational Research Journal—as well as 23 book chapters and two books. She served as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Dr. O’Meara’s work has greatly expanded conceptions of scholarship, offering models and tools for blending service and research.
Erika Patall, University of Southern California
Dr. Erika Patall is widely recognized for her innovative approaches to studying motivation and the environmental factors inside and outside school that affect it. Dr. Patall is a professor of education and psychology at the University of Southern California. In one of her most methodologically innovative areas of research, she found that giving students choices in homework and other study options boosts their subsequent engagement, productivity and learning. She has published 60 peer-reviewed articles in top journals, including in AERA’s Review of Educational Research. Her work has been cited over 12,000 times. Dr. Patall has served as associate editor for the Journal of Educational Psychology. Her honors include AERA’s Review of Research and Division C Outstanding Early Career Scholar awards and the American Psychological Association’s Richard E. Snow Award for Early Contributions. She is also a Fellow of APA Division 15. Dr. Patall’s work has substantial practical implications for teachers and educational policies, especially in urban and chronically underperforming school districts.
Julie Posselt, University of Southern California
Dr. Julie Posselt has dramatically improved our understanding of institutionalized inequities in higher education. She is the executive director of the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice at the University of Southern California, where she also serves as associate dean of the Graduate School. Her work reveals the practices and cultural norms that contribute to persisting inequity in admission to the most selective sectors of higher education, including graduate education and STEM fields. Her research also identifies actions that can be taken to address these forces. A recipient of the 2018 AERA Early Career Award, Dr. Posselt has published three books, 45 papers, and 12 chapters. She has served as President of the Sociology of Education Association, as an advisor to the White House Domestic Policy Council, and on the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee for the Directorate for STEM Education. Dr. Posselt has an impressive record of translating rigorous research into meaningful practice and has shown an unwavering commitment to advancing equity in higher education.
Sadhana Puntambekar, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Sadhana Puntambekar has pioneered design-based research in the learning sciences. As the Sears-Bascom Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, she studies the design and use of interactive technologies to help middle school students learn science. The technologies and curricula designed in her lab have advanced the instructional practice of scaffolding, where teachers gradually remove guidance and support as students learn and become more competent with skills and concepts. More recently, she has contributed her expertise to advance the use of artificial intelligence in middle school classrooms. Dr. Puntambekar was elected as a fellow of the International Society of the Learning Sciences and received the National Science Foundation’s Early CAREER Award. She has garnered nearly 6,950 citations and has served as co-editor of the American Educational Research Journal and as editor of the Design-based Research Strand of the Journal of the Learning Sciences. Dr. Puntambekar exemplifies the ideal of a professor who combines excellence in scholarship, research mentoring, and service to the education research community.
Kristen Renn, Michigan State University
Dr. Kristen Renn is considered one of the leading scholars on college students’ identity development. Dr. Renn is the Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University. She has provided valuable insights into how mixed-race students navigate their identities, and on the pivotal role educational institutions play in creating safety and inclusion for LGBTQ+ students. As a founder of the LGBTQ Research Symposium, she created a platform that inspires and guides emerging researchers. Her landmark research on female-only colleges has illuminated the unique value and challenges of single-sex education. Dr. Renn has 43 peer-reviewed articles, 11 books, and 41 chapters in edited volumes. She earned the Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award from AERA, served as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and chaired the board of the Journal of Higher Education. Dr. Renn’s groundbreaking work is helping to ensure that future generations benefit from a more inclusive educational environment.
Deborah Rivas-Drake, University of Michigan
Dr. Deborah Rivas-Drake’s research aims to elucidate the experiences that inform how youth make meaning of socially transmitted messages regarding race and ethnicity in their daily lives. She is the Stephanie J. Rowley Collegiate Professor of Education and Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr Rivas-Drake has greatly advanced the study of the academic, socioemotional, and civic development of racially minoritized adolescents and young adults, particularly Latinx and Black youth. She and her collaborators have demonstrated how youths’ ethnic and racial identities predict their academic beliefs, attitudes, and achievements, as well as their psychological well-being. Her work, encompassing more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, and other writings, has been cited over 11,000 times. H er expertise on race and ethnicity is sought out by organizations ranging from The Education Trust to the Sesame Workshop. Dr. Rivas-Drake’s career has been marked by a tireless commitment to equity and justice and to working at multiple levels to dismantle racism and oppression.
Lucrecia Santibañez, University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Lucrecia Santibañez has made outstanding contributions to the improvement of teaching and learning for multilingual students. She is a professor in the School of Education & Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is faculty co-director of the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Dr. Santibañez has evaluated programs and policies in Mexico to help increase learning, engagement, and school completion for Indigenous and other minoritized students. Her research has also shown the importance of specialized preparation for U.S. teachers of multilingual learners. Dr. Santibañez’s findings have appeared in top journals, including AERA’s Educational Researcher and Review of Educational Research, as well asand she has published 18 book chapters and technical reports. Her work has been cited over 6,000 times. She has served as an associate editor for the American Educational Research Journal and provides her expertise on numerous editorial boards. Dr. Santibañez’s work is timely, rigorous, and addresses critical policy issues.
William A. Smith, University of Utah
Dr. William Smith is internationally renowned for his research on the role that systemic racism in higher education plays in the mental and physical well-being of racially minoritized students and faculty. He coined the term “racial battle fatigue” to describe the physical and psychological exhaustion that BIPOC students experience due to racism and discrimination. Dr. Smith is the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair at the University of Utah. As Chief Executive Administrator for Strategic Initiatives and Mental Health Justice at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, he oversees national programs to normalize mental health care. He co-edited the seminal book The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education: Continuing Challenges for the Twenty-First Century. His research has generated more than 10,000 citations. He is a recipient of the AERA Scholars of Color Distinguished Career Contribution Award. Dr. Smith’s work is helping colleges and universities make their campuses more validating places for BIPOC students and faculty.
Arianne Teherani, University of California San Francisco
Dr. Arianne Teherani is known internationally for her contributions to research on professionalism and equity in health professions education. She is a professor of medicine and education scientist in the Center for Faculty Educators at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, where she serves as director for Program Evaluation and Education Continuous Quality Improvement. She is also founding co-director of the University of California Center for Climate Health and Equity. Dr. Teherani has led the development of evidence-based methods of clinical performance assessment that prepare medical students from all backgrounds for the complexities of healthcare practice. She has embarked on research on the effects of climate change, ecosystem alteration, and biodiversity loss on health and health equity, with a focus on sustainable solutions. And she is renowned for her seminal research on ways to identify and remediate unprofessional behaviors in medical school. Dr. Teherani has made valuable contributions to the fields of education and health in domains that are essential to the realization of human rights.
Linda Tillman, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Dr. Linda Tillman has effectively bridged theory, research, and practice to deepen and challenge our understanding of school leadership and faculty development, focusing specifically on racially minoritized faculty, students, and communities. Dr. Tillman is Professor Emerita of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She contextualizes her research in the histories of African American communities to provide a foundation for investigating and learning from lived experiences of African American educators, school leaders, and students. Her most far-reaching scholarly contribution is her Culturally Sensitive Research Framework, a qualitative research tool centered on understanding educational experiences, opportunities, and disparate outcomes among African Americans. Her research, which has appeared in AERA’s top journals and many other academic publications, has been cited nearly 5,400 times. Dr. Tillman has powerfully bridged theory, research, and practice to deepen and challenge our understanding of school leadership, faculty development, and the needs of racially minoritized educators and students.
Alina von Davier, Duolingo
Through her published works and software products, Dr. Alina von Davier has transformed educational assessment. She is chief of assessment at Duolingo following leadership positions at ETS and ACT. She also is CEO and founder of the technology company EdAstra Tech, and a senior research fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. von Davier pioneered the field of computational psychometrics, which combines data science, machine learning, and computational methods to improve psychometric assessments. In addition, she has written or co-edited five books and volumes on statistics and psychometrics, two of which were selected for the AERA Division D Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology Award. Dr. von Davier has also received prestigious awards from the Association of Test Publishers and the National Council on Measurement in Education. She served for six years on the Association of Test Publishers board of directors, including one year as chair. Dr. von Davier’s creative approaches to harnessing technology have vastly improved the quality and utility of a range of assessments.
Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Xueli Wang has helped to bring community colleges and their students into the spotlight by examining student pathways and success. Her research has also identified critical equity issues in postsecondary STEM education. Dr. Wang is the Barbara and Glenn Thompson Endowed Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her longitudinal studies of community college transfer student experiences authentically combine both quantitative and qualitative research strategies. Dr. Wang’s book On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways received the Outstanding Publication Award from AERA’s Division J. Her work has earned her a variety of other awards, including the Barbara Townsend Lecture award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education. In addition, she serves as President of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges. Dr. Wang’s work has significantly boosted attention to a historically understudied and under-resourced population—community college students.
Tara J. Yosso, University of California, Riverside
Dr. Tara Yosso has earned an international reputation for her research on educational inequality and school reform. She is Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Personnel in the University of California, Riverside, School of Education. Dr. Yosso applies the frameworks of critical race theory and critical media literacy to examine educational access and opportunity. Her methodology of counter storytelling interweaves empiricism and theory with engaging narratives that expose and analyze racism’s effects on Chicana and Chicano students. Her work has been cited more than 41,000 times. In 2023, AERA’s Division G recognized her with a Distinguished Contributions to Transforming Social Contexts of Education Research Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022, the organization Color of Change established the Tara J. Yosso Award for Excellence in Counter Storytelling in Education in her honor, naming her among its first recipients. Dr. Yosso’s scholarship exemplifies and pushes the intellectual boundaries of research on race and racism in education, as well as educational equity and access.