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We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ester de Jong will be moving into the position of Interim Associate Dean, Advanced Education & Doctoral Programs in the School of Education & Human Development (SEHD) in Spring 2025. Dr. de Jong and Dr. Bauer will engage in cross training this semester to execute a seamless transition of leadership responsibilities while supporting SEHD academic programs and building on SEHD’s long-term mission and vision.

Dr. de Jong has a track record of successful leadership at multiple levels,” said Dr. Marvin Lynn, Dean of the School of Education & Human Development. “She is also an outstanding scholar who brings a strong equity-centered vision to her work. I'm thrilled about working with her.”

De Jong has shown immense success in areas central to her new role. She has been the program leader for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education program and has served in multiple leadership roles in professional organizations, including serving on the Board and as president of TESOL International Association - the largest professional organization for English language teaching professionals in the world. Before joining SEHD in 2022 as a full professor, she was a K-12 administrator, moved through the academic ranks from assistant to full professor, and served for eight years as the director of the School of Teaching and Learning at the College of Education at the University of Florida. In her role at the University of Florida, she supervised more than 45 full-time faculty and staff. Her scholarly work has been published in key journals such as Bilingual Research Journal, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Language Policy, TESOL Quarterly, Peabody Journal of Education, Urban Review, and Theory into Practice. She is one of the editors of the 2024 The Handbook of Dual Language Bilingual Education (Routledge) and currently serves as co-editor of the Bilingual Research Journal. In addition, she has been extraordinarily successful in securing multimillion dollar grants and participating in CU Denver’s Faculty Affairs as the representative for SEHD.

We are incredibly thankful to Dr. Bauer for his years of leadership service as associate dean and interim dean,” said Dean Lynn. “I know he is excited to spend more time teaching and researching when he returns from his sabbatical (Jan. 2025 – Fall 2025).”

Dr. Bauer has served as professor and associate dean for advanced education & doctoral programs in SEHD since 2017. From May 2021 to June 2022, he was also co-interim dean of SEHD. Prior to joining SEHD, he was professor and director of the Education Leadership division in the College of Education & Human Development at George Mason University; program leader and member of the faculty in Education Leadership at the University of New Orleans; and research director of the School Leadership Center of Greater New Orleans. Before joining academia, Scott was senior consultant, partner, then managing partner at Organizational Analysis & Practice, Inc., a firm that specialized in conducting research, policy analysis, and professional development programs for schools and education agencies. Bauer’s teaching focuses on educational leadership, organizational behavior and development, and applied research methods. His research interests involve the application of organizational theory to the improvement of schools and colleges, and the efficacy of various strategies used to develop education leaders at all levels. His most recent publications deal with the causes and consequences of educator isolation; the development of teacher and administrative leaders; and the organizational design of collaborative leadership strategies. He is co-author with David Brazer of Using Research to Lead School Improvement: Turning Evidence into Action (Sage, 2012), and with Brazer & Bob Johnson of Leading Schools to Learn, Grow and Thrive: Using Theory to Strengthen Practice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). He publishes actively and serves as an editorial board member and frequent reviewer and contributor to peer-reviewed journals and has been an officer and active member of several learned societies.

The official search process for the permanent Associate Dean of Academic Programs in SEHD will commence in fall of 2024 and will start in July of 2025.

Questions, please reach out to Dean Marvin Lynn at marvin.lynn@ucdenver.edu.