FLORENCE – Dr. Katherine Cole Kinney, Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of North Alabama, has been named an Impact Academy fellow. Kinney joins a group of leaders that has been selected based on their commitment to improving educator preparation.
Kinney is one of 19 fellows from across the United States who is part of the fellowship’s fourth cohort since its launch in the summer of 2016. Each cohort of Impact Academy fellows is limited to no more than 20 leaders, each of whom went through a rigorous nomination and application process.
“We believe that transformation leadership is the cornerstone of an educator-preparation program that embraces an improvement mentality and prioritizes candidate learning above all else,” said Benjamin Riley, founder and executive director of Deans for Impact. “We’re thrilled to welcome 19 such leaders into the Impact Academy fellowship and are excited to nurture and support these leaders as they embark on efforts to improve their own educator-preparation programs and the field more broadly.”
Kinney has been leading UNA’s College of Education and Human Sciences since June of 2018. As a fellow, she will take part in a rigorous four-day academy in July; she will extend her learning throughout the course of the fellowship through individual modules and ongoing leadership coaching from Deans for Impact member deans.
“I’m honored to be part of a network of other education deans who share my desire to continue improving teacher preparation through influencing and improving policy, using data to support improvement, and creating rigorous experiences for all teacher-candidates,” Kinney said. “I believe the impact academy fellowship will support me in achieving my goal of preparing future teachers who can meet the needs of all learners.
Media Release/Michelle Eubanks ‘96|University Communications & Marketing
