Home to more than 2,200 students and 130 faculty members, the University of South Florida College of Education is dedicated to shaping the future of teaching, learning, and educational leadership. Nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and fully approved by the Florida Department of Education, our college stands at the forefront of innovation in educator preparation.
As the need for skilled teachers and visionary administrators grows, our college offers state-of-the-art training, collaborative graduate programs, and strong partnerships with school districts across the Tampa Bay region. On this page, you’ll meet the leadership team guiding these efforts—committed educators and researchers working together to inspire excellence and support the next generation of lifelong learners.
Meet the Interim Dean
Jenifer Jasinski Schneider researches children’s composing processes and arts-based literacy education, exploring how process drama, children’s literature, and digital tools shape students’ meaning-making and communication strategies.
Her work includes community-engaged projects, designed field experiments, and studies of Irish children’s literature, family literacy initiatives and digital literacy programs during her Fulbright at the Waterford Institute of Technology.
Schneider directed the Suncoast Young Authors Celebration for 20 years and authored the open-access textbook The Inside, Outside, and Upside Downs of Children’s Literature (USF Scholar Commons). She currently serves on the Board of the Hillsborough Literacy Council.
Associate Deans
Patriann Smith
Associate Dean of Faculty Success and Excellence
Bill Black
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies
Zafer Unal
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Ann Cranston-Gingras
Associate Dean of Student Success and Decision Support
Department Chairs
Jennifer Jacobs
Teaching & Learning (T&L)
Amber Dumford
Leadership, Policy & Lifelong Learning (LPLL)
Deirdre Cobb-Roberts
Educational & Psychological Studies (EPS)
Terry Osborn
Language, Literacy, Ed.D., Exceptional & Physical Education (LLEEP)
Campus Leadership
Cheryl Ellerbrock
USF Sarasota-Manatee
Directors
Erin Jensen
Budget Director
Margaret Krause
Director of Accreditation
Dean's Advisory Council
| Alison Barlow | Executive Director, St. Petersburg Innovation District |
| Lee Bell | President & CEO, Ybor City Chamber of Commerce |
| Amb. Eric Bost (ret.) | Deputy Director, Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development |
| Nadia Combs | Chair, Hillsborough County School Board |
| Louise Danielle (Danie) Dahm | Project Coordinator, Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network Project |
| Cheryl Ellerbrock | Associate Dean, Sarasota Manatee Campus |
| Jennifer Fitzsimmons | Events & Engagement, College of Education |
| Joyce Haines | Retired Educator and Administrator, Hillsborough County Public Schools |
| Eileen Hafer | Chair, Retired Educator, Hillsborough County Public Schools |
| Dr. Anila Jain | Physician and Medical Consultant, Anila Jain M.D. Consulting |
| Reese Kantrowitz | Current undergraduate student, SCATT Program Leader, USF College of Education |
| Hope Kennedy | President & CEO, North Tampa Chamber of Commerce |
| Lalakhanim (Lala) Orujova | Current graduate student, USF College of Education |
| David Rosengrant | Associate Dean, St. Pete Campus |
| Lisa Riley | Development Officer, College of Education |
| Ellen Stavros | Retired CEO, Florida House-State of Florida |
| Chris Taylor | Principal & CEO, CT Equity Group |
| Julian Waits | SP of Business Development & Strategic Alliances, Rapid7 |
| Earl Whitlock | Retired Educator, Hillsborough County Public Schools |