Denisa Gándara

Associate professor of educational leadership and policy, University of Texas at Austin,

Associate professor of educational leadership and policy, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Denisa Gándara is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research examines higher education policy and politics, with a commitment to expanding educational opportunity for populations historically underserved in higher education. A proud Head Start alumnus, Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and Ford Foundation fellow, Dr. Gándara’s work is shaped by her lived experiences and driven by a belief in the power of research to inform more equitable policy.

She was appointed by President Biden to the National Board for Education Sciences and serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Higher Education Policy, two roles that have facilitated connections between research and policymaking.

Dr. Gándara’s contributions have been recognized with the William T. Grant Scholar Award, the ASHE CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy Higher Education Award, and AERA’s Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award. A Dean's Distinguished Graduate from The University of Texas at Austin, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia's Institute of Higher Education.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/denisagandara

Bluesky: @gandaradenisa.bsky.social

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