Dr. Kimberly Dean, associate professor of education, was installed as the new Rosemary and Walter Blankley Endowed Chair in Education on Monday, Oct. 24.  

Her term runs through 2025.

Dr. Dean’s proposed work, “Expanding Capacity through Connection: Disability, Mental Health and Inclusion,” aims to improve the university’s support network for student mental health and wellness. This includes optimizing student touchpoints, such as Disability Support Services, Center for Teaching, Mentoring, and Learning, and Counseling Services. Her scholarship focuses on educational inclusivity, social-emotional learning, and support for children with developmental disabilities. 

Dr. Dean joined Arcadia in 2005. Prior to that, she worked for nearly ten years in private practice as a psychologist at the Child Development Center at Tampa Children’s Hospital, where she conducted school consultation, social skills therapy groups, and individual and family therapy. 

She has published on educational inclusivity, the value of problem-based STEM for struggling learners, and transformative learning through arts-based approaches. Her research interests include social-emotional learning (SEL), the power of social connection, and effective support for children with developmental disabilities and their families. Dr. Dean is currently the Director of Special Education and served as chair of the School of Education at Arcadia University from 2017 to 2020.

The Rosemary and Walter Blankley Endowed Chair in Education is designed to support the research and projects of selected faculty members and enhance the experience of students within the School of Education. Recipients of the chair have been Dr. Kimberly Dean (2022-2025), Dr. Marc Brasof (2019-2022), Dr. Kira J. Baker-Doyle (2017-2019), and Dr. Ellen Skilton (2014-2017).