Katy Walter Lichon

Katy Walter Lichon, Ph.D., is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Notre Dame, serving as Director of the ALMA Initiative within the Institute for Educational Initiatives and the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). She leads national efforts to support multicultural and multilingual students in U.S. Catholic schools, emphasizing equity, translanguaging, and dual-language program development. Her work includes founding initiatives such as the Adelante Conference, LEAD program, and dual-language preschools, impacting over 9,000 Latino students and training 500+ educators.

• Education: B.B.A. (Baylor University), M.Ed. (University of Notre Dame), Ph.D. (Southern Methodist University)
• Key Roles: Director of ALMA Initiative, faculty fellow at multiple centers including the Institute for Latino Studies

Research focuses on multilingual education, Latino enrollment strategies, and teacher preparation. She has authored four books on serving English learners and contributed to numerous publications.

• Awards: 2020 Christ the Teacher Award (ACE)

Lichon oversees programs like the Hernandez Fellows licensure initiative and dual-language schools, with a local impact exemplified by Holy Cross School’s two-way immersion program. She also guides leadership formation for Catholic educators through the Latino Educator and Administrator Development (LEAD) program.