SOE professor is named president-elect of the California Association of Professors of Educational Administration
Franca Dell’Olio, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and director of the SOE’s Institute of School Leadership and Administration, has been named president-elect of the California Association of Professors of Educational Administration. CAPEA is a statewide organization of professors from private and public colleges and universities dedicated to the education of school leaders within California.
CAPEA provides opportunities, services and benefits to university faculty and others involved in the training of school leaders. In addition to a clinical focus on school administrative preparation programs, the organization also emphasizes current research and trends in the field through the publication of a national journal and facilitation of statewide conferences. CAPEA further engages with the state’s educational discourse by responding to critical legislative and policy issues regarding educational administration.
While serving on CAPEA’s executive council, Dell’Olio authored a formal recommendation proposing the addition of a new position to the council that would address issues of equity and social justice. Approved by CAPEA’s state membership, the organization now has a chair of equity, diversity and achievement for social justice. This has already had an enduring impact on CAPEA and implications for the field.
Dell’Olio said that her advocacy for the equity leadership role in part stemmed from the School of Education’s mission and Conceptual Framework. “Our missions are well-aligned. It’s important to represent and bring the SOE’s keen focus on social justice to the larger context of the state and beyond,” Dell’Olio said.
In her role as president-elect, Dell’Olio will organize and lead CAPEA’s state conferences.
Dell’Olio shared that she embraces the challenges and opportunities that are present in any leadership position. When asked about her plans for when she becomes CAPEA’s President next year, Franca responded, “I look forward to helping CAPEA better frame its political advocacy agenda. I’d like to ensure that policy analysts and lawmakers consider the educated perspectives of professors of educational administration.”
