Ayana Allen-Handy has been named dean of the School of Education at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She will begin her new role on January 1.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Allen-Handy has been a faculty member at Drexel University in Philadelphia, most recently serving as a professor of urban education and chair of the department of policy, organization, and leadership in the School of Education. She also serves as the founding director of Drexel’s Justice-oriented Youth Education Lab, an intergenerational collective of youth, community residents, university faculty, and student researchers who center joy in the pursuit of educational, racial, and social justice.
As a scholar, Dr. Allen-Handy focuses her research on the social foundations and social contexts of education, urban teacher education, and youth-led and community-engaged research. Throughout her career, she has secured over $14 million in grant funding from sources such as the National Science Foundation, AmeriCorps, the National Institutes of Health, and the Spencer Foundation.
“I am thrilled to join Hofstra University and its newly established stand-alone School of Education,” said Dr. Allen-Handy. “It is an honor to serve as dean during this transformative new era, building on the school’s stellar reputation and strong legacy of producing reflective, knowledgeable teachers and educational leaders who use scholarship to inform their practice. I look forward to working in partnership with the School of Education’s distinguished faculty, staff, and students as we amplify its impact throughout Long Island, the state of New York, the region, and the nation.”
Dr. Allen-Handy earned dual bachelor’s degrees in management and society and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a master of education degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in urban education from Texas A&M University. After completing her doctorate, Dr. Allen-Handy was a postdoctoral fellow with the Urban Education Collaborative at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
