Dr. Betty M. Merchant received her Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. She is Dean of the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and first recipient of the Henrietta Zezula Lowak Endowed Distinguished Professorship. Previously, she served as the first chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the COEHD. Prior to joining UTSA, she was an associate professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Merchant has taught at all grade levels, K-12 in a broad range of cultural and linguistic contexts, including tribally controlled Native American schools.