Irene H. Yoon

Irene H. Yoon (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy at the University of Utah, where she has been employed since July 2020. As a scholar-educator, her work centers on dignity, radical love, and critical hope in educational systems, with particular focus on race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability intersections.

• Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington
• B.A. in English from Williams College

Research foci include:

• Dignity and belonging in educational institutions
• Hauntology and trauma narratives in school reform
• Whiteness-at-work in teacher communities
• Critical qualitative methodologies
• LGBTQ+ inclusion policies
• Disability studies in education

Notable publications appear in American Educational Research Journal, Race Ethnicity and Education, and Frontiers in Education. Recent grants include:

• LGBTQ+ Policy Research (B.W. Bastian Foundation 2024-2025)
• Leadership Love Letters (2022-2025)
• Nourishing Leadership Team Capacity (B.W. Bastian Foundation 2021-2023)

Teaching interests encompass:

• Instructional Leadership
• Professional Learning and School Reform
• Disability Studies
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Discourse Analysis

Scientific awards:

• University of Utah Early Career Teaching Award (2019)
• College of Education Outstanding Teaching Award (2019)
• College of Education Social Justice and Transformation Award (2023)

Current institutional partnerships include policy research on school collaboration mechanisms and leadership development frameworks for equitable education systems.