Frances Valdovinos has been named Assistant Dean and Director of Teacher Education program at UCR’s School of Education (SOE). Valdovinos joined SOE in 2016 as a student academic advisor and was recently appointed assistant dean and director of teacher education, a role she served as interim for a year. 

Valdovinos is first-generation college student and alumna of SOE. She earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Policy at UC Riverside and her doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, San Bernardino. She has extensive experience working both locally and statewide on issues related to the teacher shortage and has established initiatives to build pathways and pipelines with local communities and districts. 

In this role, Valdovinos oversees the Teacher Education Program and has created partnerships such as the BuILT (Building Infrastructure Leading To) BILA Award with Fontana Unified School District, and the IMPACT (Influencing and Mentoring by Partnering Academics and Cooperative Teaching) Collaborative with Riverside Unified School District. She works closely with leadership and district representatives to establish strategic and thoughtful strategies to ensure the Inland Empire communities are served. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Valdovinos in this important role. Her career and years in education have prepared her to lead the teacher education program in alignment of state and commission goals, and her knowledge of UCR and the region will be invaluable as SOE continues to grow and expand our partnerships,” said Interim Dean Eddie Comeaux.
 

To learn more about the teacher education program at UCR School of Education visit here.