Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School (PO) announces the appointment of Jerell B. Hill, Ed.D., as the new dean of Pacific Oaks College’s School of Education. His appointment comes after having served as interim dean since July 2020. Dr. Hill is a longstanding member of the greater Pasadena community and is the first African American male to serve as dean for the School of Education. He has more than 20 years of experience as a K-12 educator and administrator as well as a higher education professor and administrator.
“We are honored to announce Dr. Jerell Hill as our newest dean at Pacific Oaks College. It means so much to PO that Dr. Hill’s impact as an African American male leader in the field of education is far reaching. He is a role model to black men and other men of color, demonstrating that they too can pursue education and be leaders in the profession,” Dr. Jack Paduntin, president of PO, said. “I look forward to the legacy Dr. Hill will build and the impact he will create for the School of Education and our future teachers.”
Dr. Hill’s career and research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion, student motivation, educational administration, teacher education, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), special education, educational policy, and urban schools. Prior to his promotion to dean, Dr. Hill served not only as interim dean but also as the assessment coordinator in the School of Education and as a faculty adviser for multiple subject credential candidates.
Dr. Hill’s professional memberships include the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators, American Educational Research Association (AERA), International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (co-chair of the Diversity and Cultural Competence Committee), and the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Hill has published multiple academic articles on topics such as rethinking Brown v. Board of Education, exploring the uncertainties between clinical practice and distance learning during COVID-19, teaching with purpose using a healing-informed ACE lens, and building bridges for English language learners. Among numerous presentations, Dr. Hill has been a keynote speaker and presenter at the International Congress of Educators in Lima, Peru.
“The need for teachers to turn social justice and anti-bias, anti-racist ideology into real practice is ultimately the goal. Developing critical consciousness, embracing the inner work of reflection, clarifying commitments, and understanding that the largest complaints are often the biggest opportunities,” Dr. Hill said. “I have been an educator for more than 20 years. For me, the appointment of dean means that there is power in divinely inspired possibilities, and the true invitation is to help people do what they were put here to do. Educators have a unique opportunity to provide us with hope and belief that we can make a difference one student at a time.”
About Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School
Founded in 1945, Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School is composed of two educational entities. Rooted in the extraordinary potential that lives in every human being, Pacific Oaks College offers an environment where your perspective and experience can play an integral part in your educational journey. Through our unique, progressive approach to teaching and learning, everyone in our classrooms is both student and teacher. Students relate subjects to their own personal experiences-sharing with the teacher and fellow students.
A nonprofit, accredited higher education institution, Pacific Oaks College offers teacher credentialing preparation as well as bachelor’s and master’s programs in a variety of fields, including education, early childhood education (ECE), human development, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy (MFT), and business and management.
Pacific Oaks College has a long history of serving nontraditional and adult students and is known for its experiential and culturally responsive approach to education, offering classes at its main campus in Pasadena, its San Jose campus, at instructional sites throughout California, and online. Pacific Oaks College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU). It is an affiliate of TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact.
Pacific Oaks Children’s School provides nonprofit early childhood education programs for children ages 6 months through 5 years and has pioneered achievements in the areas of anti-bias education, emergent curriculum, and peaceful conflict resolution.