News

CHENEY, Wash. - The College of Arts, Letters & Education at Eastern Washington University is pleased to announce the selection of Christina Valeo, PhD as chair of the Department of Education. Her term will begin July 1.

Valeo was selected from a national pool. Currently an associate professor of English at EWU with a specialty in English education, Valeo has taught in public and reservation schools in Montana, and holds degrees from Brown University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An innovative educator, Valeo co-created and co-teaches Global Perspectives through Children's Literature and the popular Literature and Culture: Harry Potter course.

Valeo is also involved with the education community, perhaps most notably as a member of the Spokane Public Schools Diversity Advocacy Council. As an educator, she wants to be evaluated based on the performance of her students. By this standard she has been successful, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students to national and campus conference presentations and to positions as successful English teachers. Her students describe her as both passionate and compassionate, with the ability to make difficult material accessible and relevant.

"Dr. Valeo's presence will enhance the department's responsiveness to national, regional and local trends as it prepares teachers for an increasingly diverse, electronically connected and multilingual school system," said Lynn Briggs, dean of the College of Arts, Letters & Education. "Her skill at curriculum redesign will enable her to lead program revision to maximize quality and agility, and to ensure that EWU Education graduates meet rigorous state standards."

As department chair, Valeo will have the opportunity to engage university and P-12 students and faculty in decisions about the future of teacher education at Eastern and in the state of Washington.

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