Eells Named Inaugural Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of UA Little Rock’s School of Education
Dr. Rachel Eells, who served as interim director of the School of Education during the 2023-2024 academic year, has been named the inaugural Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of the School of Education at UA Little Rock.
The $3.5 million gift from the Windgate Foundation is designed to support the transformation of teacher education at UA Little Rock in its quest to become a premier provider of teachers in the state.
Eells brings with her over a decade of leadership experience in higher education where she has served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, and vice president. She has developed new college programs, led during a college restructuring, and has extensive knowledge of accreditation, assessment, and compliance processes.
Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on leadership, innovation, psychology, and education.
She was also recently named by Soirée Magazine as part of the 2024 Class of Women to Watch.
“Dr. Eells has just finished leading the pilot year of the Forward Arkansas funded teacher residency program in partnership with Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Little Rock School District,” said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE), where the School of Education is housed. “We are elated to have her in the director position to continue the transformation of our educator preparation program in the School of Education.”
