Eells named head of UA Little Rock Windgate Education school

Dr. Rachel Eells has been named the inaugural Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I am so pleased to be able to serve the university and community in this way,” said Dr. Rachel Eells, who served as interim director of the School of Education during the 2023-2024 academic year. “The School of Education is in the midst of exciting work that will have an immediate and lasting impact on schools in Central Arkansas and beyond. I am eager to partner with districts to develop and refine systems to recruit, prepare, and retain exceptional, committed teachers.”

The position is funded by a $3.5 million gift from the Windgate Foundation, which 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.

After beginning her teaching career in Little Rock as a teacher of special education, art, and gifted and talented education at Christ Lutheran Church, she later moved to Chicago to earn a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Her career moved to higher education, when she worked at Concordia University Chicago and Concordia College New York.

After moving back to Arkansas, Eells returned to her alma mater in 2022, serving as a visiting assistant professor and then interim director of the School of Education at UA Little Rock.

In her leadership role, she is overseeing the implementation of a new teacher residency program, funded by a grant from Forward Arkansas, with both Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Little Rock School District. The goal of the program is to produce high-quality, highly trained teachers who are ready for their classrooms on day one.

“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.”

“I had my first teaching job out of college right here in Little Rock,” Eells said. “I started my career as a teacher in Arkansas. It’s been delightful to come back, work at my alma mater, and see kids that I taught before who are now grown up and doing amazing things. I am proud of our work to improve education in Arkansas. It feels good to be able to give back and make some positive changes.”