ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hamline University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sheila Wright, a native of Roanoke Rapids, as dean of the School of Education. Wright comes to Hamline from Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where she served as associate dean of academic programs and as a tenured faculty member for the university's School of Education. She joined Hamline on July 1.

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“We are pleased to have Dr. Wright as dean of the School of Education,” said David Stern, vice president for academic and student affairs. “Her leadership skills, experience in working with faculty to help them meet new expectations for tenure, commitment to preparing teachers for the rich diversity of today's classrooms and her experiences in building partnerships are an excellent match for the School of Education at this important moment in its history.”

“I am impressed by Hamline’s rich history, supportive of equity and access to all, set within an established tradition of excellence in liberal arts,” Wright said. “I am pleased to be a part of the Hamline family and am committed to ensuring that we are the leading provider of academic excellence in teacher education within the Twin Cities, the state of Minnesota and beyond.”

Wright brings a wealth of experience from the not-for-profit sector, P-12 education, state government and higher education to her new role as dean of the Hamline School of Education. At Saint Xavier, she provided leadership in the areas of faculty governance, assessment, general education, the hiring, orientation, support, promotion and tenure of faculty, diversity and partnerships. Wright also has prior service as a visiting assistant professor at Carleton College, assistant professor in the College of Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and as an adjunct at North Carolina State University, Saint Augustine’s College, North Carolina Correctional Center for Women, and Coastal Carolina Community College. She began her career as a visual arts teacher for Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh and worked in a variety of leadership roles at the state level in North Carolina and Alabama before entering higher education.

Wright graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts in art education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, earned her master of art education from the Rhode Island School of Design, and earned her PhD in curriculum and instruction from North Carolina State University.