Cynthia Reyes

Dr. Cynthia Reyes serves as Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the University of Vermont's College of Education and Social Services (CESS). Her leadership focuses on undergraduate education integrity, faculty development through rank-mentoring-RPT programming, and academic affairs initiatives. With deep community engagement roots, she bridges institutional and community contexts to advance equity-focused education.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Reading, Writing, and Literacy from University of Illinois, Chicago
• M.Ed. in Educational Studies/Instructional Leadership from University of Illinois, Chicago
• B.A. in Spanish and Communications from Purdue University

Reyes' research centers on diversity, equity, and inclusion; family-school partnerships; digital literacies; and educational policy. She pioneers community-based work with immigrant and refugee families, emphasizing generative problem-solving and centering non-dominant communities. Her scholarship critically examines language policy, anti-racism, and culturally responsive pedagogy through qualitative lenses, directly informing teacher education practices.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2019-2025) reveals three dominant trajectories: (1) Refugee family-school collaboration through culturally responsive protocols, (2) Critical race perspectives in teacher education including AsianCrit and anti-racist frameworks, and (3) Heritage language preservation and literacy practices among marginalized communities. These threads consistently prioritize humanizing methodologies and community cultural wealth.

Her exceptional contributions are recognized through:

• Concurrent 2023-2024 Fulbright Research Chairs at University of Alberta (Education) and University of Waterloo (Anti-Racism)
• University of Vermont's George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award (2019)
• CESS Abruscato Research Excellence Award (2019) and Dewey Teaching Award (2015)
• ALANA Faculty Teaching Award (2012) and U.S. Department of Education's Educational Alliance Fellowship (2007)

As Associate Dean, Reyes mentors faculty through rank advancement processes while maintaining active community partnerships. She serves on Vermont's Ethnic Studies Advisory Working Group and leads projects connecting university resources with refugee family needs. Her Fulbright appointments exemplify international recognition of her equity-focused scholarship.

Reyes directs community-engaged teams including Vermont's Ethnic Studies Working Group and Fulbright interdisciplinary collectives at Waterloo/Alberta. Her work with Project Brite at Brown University established national models for diversity integration in teacher education, while current initiatives focus on anti-racism in BIPOC communities and equitable pedagogy for non-dominant families.