Dolores Delgado Bernal, Ph.D., professor of educational leadership and co-director of LMU School of Education’s doctoral program in educational leadership for social justice, was named a member of the National Academy of Education (NAEd).
Membership in the NAEd is the highest national honor in the field of education—reserved for prominent scholars whose body of work has had a broad and sustained impact on education globally. Delgado Bernal was one of 22 such scholars to be named to the Academy in 2025. Together they represent a broad range of expertise in education research and policy.
Delgado Bernal, whose expertise lies at the intersection of education, Chicanx studies, and ethnic studies, is renowned for her critical examination of educational equity and access, particularly for Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x communities. Her research challenges deficit perspectives by highlighting asset-based concepts like “funds of knowledge” and “community cultural wealth,” emphasizing the rich intellectual and cultural resources students bring from their communities. Her work also frequently utilizes and advocates for qualitative methodologies to center the lived experiences and voices of students and communities of color. She has published over 40 articles and chapters, and has co-authored or co-edited four books.
“Dr. Delgado Bernal’s pioneering work and mentorship have inspired countless other scholars—including me—to model their research on her methodology,” says Estela Zarate, dean of LMU School of Education. “We are honored to call her our colleague, and she has fully earned the distinction of membership in the National Academy of Education.”
Delgado Bernal joined LMU in 2022 after five and a half years at Cal State LA, where she was chair of the Department of Chicanx and Latinx Studies and later Associate Dean for the College of Ethnic Studies. Prior to her time at Cal State LA, she served on the faculty at the University of Utah for 17 years.
She is the first faculty member to be named to the NAEd in LMU’s history.
The first-generation student and former elementary school teacher earned her Ph.D. from UCLA, her M.P.A. from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and her bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University.
