Dr. Kimberly White-Smith Named LaFetra College of Education Dean

The University of La Verne announced Dr. Kimberly A. White-Smith as the newly-appointed dean of the recently named LaFetra College of Education. Dr. White-Smith joined the campus this month and fills the role previously held by Interim Dean Barbara Poling.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. White-Smith to the University of La Verne community,” said President Devorah Lieberman. “Her exceptional academic credentials make her the ideal choice to lead the LaFetra College of Education. Dean White-Smith will continue to further the University of La Verne’s expertise in the field of education and our 125-year heritage of preparing highly qualified and exemplary teachers.. We are especially proud of our teachers’ and educators’ success in serving traditionally under-resourced schools and communities.”

Dr. White-Smith most recently served as Associate Dean of the College of Educational Studies and Director of the Donna Ford Attallah Educator Development Academy at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Her tenure at Chapman University, beginning in 2004, included increasingly responsible administrative positions within the College of Educational Studies, where she was also a Professor of Education.   She received her doctorate in learning and instruction from University of Southern California; her dissertation focused on teaching and leadership in high performing, low-income, high minority elementary schools.

“Dr. White-Smith’s accomplishments as a teacher-scholar, her alignment with the University’s mission and values, as well as her vision for educating California’s highly diverse public school demographic, make her the ideal choice to lead the LaFetra College of Education,” said Provost Jonathan Reed.

The new dean said she is honored to take on what she called an extraordinary opportunity.

“I look forward to working in collaboration with LaFetra College of Education faculty and administration to develop exceptional educators and leaders who can positively impact students, families and communities. The University of La Verne is uniquely positioned to support the need for teachers in urban centers and to be a leader in preparing teachers to succeed in their communities,” Dr. White-Smith said.

Raised in Inglewood, Calif., Dr. White-Smith was a first-generation college graduate. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of California, Berkeley and her Master’s Degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University in New York. Dr. White-Smith is the author of numerous scholarly articles on teaching and learning, and among other professional organizations, she is a member of the American Educational Research Association and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.. In 2015, she was awarded the Martin Luther King Legacy Award from Chapman University.