Dr. Joi Spencer will become the next dean of UC Riverside’s School of Education.
Dr. Joi Spencer
Spencer is currently a professor of mathematics education at the University of San Diego in its School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). She has also served as associate dean and interim dean at USD.
“Having the opportunity to serve California, my home, and specifically the Inland Empire, gives me great joy,” Spencer said. “The students and communities that UC Riverside serves represent the face of California's future. Many of them have had to struggle a bit harder to obtain a college degree, have had to navigate systems that were not always in their favor, and did so with grace, resilience, and determination. This is the kind of place where I want to be.”
Spencer studies educational equity in education, focusing on mathematics learning opportunities of minority youth.
During her time at USD, she launched a Ph.D. program in Education for Social Justice, the implementation of schoolwide professional development on anti-racism, and SOLES’ first Diversity Post-Doctoral Fellows Program.
Spencer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from UCLA.
