IRVINE — Julie A. Washington, an award-winning researcher focused on equity in education, was named dean of the University of California, Irvine’s School of Education on July 30, 2026, after serving as interim dean since April 2025.
The appointment continues the trajectory of a school founded in 2012 that ranks 18th overall and 10th among public graduate education schools in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Washington, a speech-language pathologist and UC Irvine faculty member since 2021, brings nationally recognized scholarship on literacy, language variation and poverty, along with prior leadership roles at Georgia State University and the University of Wisconsin. Chancellor Howard Gillman and Provost Hal Stern both cited her record of expanding educational opportunity as key to guiding the school’s future work in research, teaching and training the next generation of educators.
“We are fortunate to have a leader of Julie Washington’s caliber to shape the School of Education’s future. I believe her nationally recognized scholarship and strong commitment to expanding opportunity for every learner will continue the school on its path to excellence,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hal Stern.
Washington joined the UC Irvine faculty in 2021 and has served as interim dean of the School of Education since April 2025. Before arriving at UC Irvine, she was professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Georgia State University and professor and chair of the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin. She also held research faculty appointments at the University of Michigan and was a professor at Wayne State University. A speech-language pathologist, she is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The UC Irvine School of Education is a diverse, equity-centered school focused on improving educational opportunities from early childhood through higher education and beyond. It combines teaching, research, and community partnerships to prepare future educators and leaders while advancing work on equity, learning, literacy, policy, and technology in education.
It offers undergraduate, credential, master’s, and doctoral programs, including the B.A. in Education Sciences and the Master of Arts in Teaching/Credential pathway. The school also emphasizes research with local and regional impact, especially through partnerships in Orange County and Southern California, and says it has more than $120 million in active grant funding supporting its faculty and students.
UC Irvine is a large public research university in Irvine, California, founded in 1965 and known for combining academic rigor with a strong research profile. It enrolls more than 36,000 students, offers 220+ degree programs, and says it generates about $8 billion in annual economic impact in California.
The campus sits in suburban Orange County and is part of the University of California system. UC Irvine is especially recognized for its research strength, broad academic offerings across 15 schools and academic units, and a reputation for sustainability, with 22 LEED Platinum awards for campus buildings.
Photo credit: UC Irvine
