Estela Zarate

Estela Zarate, Ph.D., is the Dean of the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) School of Education and the first dean of Latinx heritage at LMU. With nearly two decades as an academic leader and scholar at institutions like California State University, Fullerton, and the University of California Irvine, she focuses on educational access, equity, and community-centered research. Her career includes administrative roles such as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and leadership in initiatives for formerly incarcerated students and cultural repatriation projects.

• B.A. in Mathematical Economic Analysis, Rice University
• Ph.D. in Education, University of California Los Angeles

Her research examines immigrant students' and students of color's trajectories in U.S. schools, family-school connections, multilingual learners, and anti-racist leadership. She co-edited a volume on migrant student interventions and developed programs to improve first-generation college student support. A former English language learner and first-generation college student, she has lived in Los Angeles for 25 years.