Dr. Andrew Wall, dean of the School of Education at the University of Redlands, was named an Impact Academy fellow, joining a cohort of leaders chosen for their commitment to improving educator preparation. Wall is one of 13 fellows in the academy’s third cohort since its launch in summer 2016.

“I’m interested in working collaboratively across institutions to create and sustain meaningful change in educator preparation. Through the Impact Academy fellowship, I will become part of a community that aims to have a collective impact on the field while continuing my own personal evolution as a leader,” Wall said.

During a time when many colleges report declining interest among faculty in administrative positions, Deans for Impact aims to fill this need through its year-long Impact Academy fellowship, which empowers a new generation of transformative leaders with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to help solve the complicated problems they’re facing.

The Impact Academy fellowship combines intensive in-person sessions with ongoing support, mentoring, and individual learning. Fellows will kick off the year with a rigorous four-day academy in July 2018, and then extend their learning over the course of the fellowship through individual modules and ongoing leadership coaching from Deans for Impact member deans.  

“We believe that transformative leadership is the cornerstone of an educator-preparation program that embraces an improvement mentality and prioritizes candidate learning above all else,” said Benjamin Riley, founder and executive director of Deans for Impact.

In this and former roles, Wall has been a key player in school leadership strategy. His curriculum and educational innovations helped to build robust and thriving academic programs and were instrumental in more than doubling enrollment in the school’s higher education program. A skilled relationship-builder, Wall has developed a department community of scholars and a student-focused culture. Additionally, he has cultivated strong links within the local and national K-12 and higher education communities.

Wall assumed his leadership role at Redlands in July 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in education, organization, and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; an M.A. in academic and student affairs from Ball State University; and a B.A. in sociology and political science from the University of Iowa.