Alumna Frances Gipson, that has been the longest-serving Chief Academic Officer of the La Unified School District (LAUSD), has agreed to join the university as director of the School of Educational Studies’ (SES) Urban Leadership Program, based on an announcement from SES Dean DeLacy Ganley.
“I cannot think of a person better-suited to this role,” said Ganley, whose announcement went out to the SES community this afternoon. “I'm so thrilled that she–both as an alumna and specifically like a product of our Urban Leadership Program–has agreed to join the college of Educational Studies.”
Gipson, who received a doctorate in Education at CGU this year, has served in a number of roles in the LAUSD, starting like a teacher, school principal, administrator of instruction and as local district east superintendent.
In 2021, she was chosen through the LAUSD Board to become Chief Academic Officer and oversee the instructional techniques for students population of 730,000-plus students (LAUSD’s student population is second in dimensions simply to the New York City Department of Education’s).
The university’s Urban Leadership program recognizes the difficulties specific to college districts in diverse, urban communities.
Urban leadership alums like Gipson, Ganley noted in her announcement, “used their CGU experience to propel themselves into becoming superintendents, chief academic officers, community college presidents, and elected officials.”
Gipson was recently honored by CGU with a 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award. In a video viewed throughout the award ceremony, Gipson said her doctoral program enabled her to engage with the entire Claremont Colleges community with other institutions inside a powerful academic experience.
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“One of the things I really like about CGU is you get access to every single college and also the opportunity to have what I call these ‘cross-stitching experiences,’ ” she explained in the video.
Gipson’s role as Urban Leadership Program director starts July 15.
“The only thing that excites me a lot more than having Frances lead our Urban Leadership Program,” Ganley said at the end of her announcement, “may be the considered our students having a chance to use her.”
Learn more here about CGU’s Urban Leadership Program.
