Executive Council

Pedro A. Noguera

Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean

Prior to coming to USC, Noguera served as a professor at UC Berkeley, Harvard University, New York University and UCLA. He is the author of 13 books. His most recent books are A Search for Common Ground with Frederick Hess (2021) and The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences and Solutions with Niobe Way, Carol Gilligan and Alisha Ali (2018).

Mark Power Robison, Vice Dean

Mark Power Robison is Vice Dean and Professor of Clinical Education and History. As Vice Dean, Mark works closely with Executive Council on day-to-day operations within the School as well as implementation of the strategic plan. Professor Robison also liaises with offices and schools across USC, external partners, and USC Rossier alumni to enhance the School’s impact. Previously in the USC Rossier School Dr. Robison served on as Chair of the Global Executive Ed.D. Program and, in 2024, he facilitated USC Rossier’s strategic planning process. Prior to joining USC Rossier in 2006, Mark served in USC’s Office of the Provost as Academic Planning Officer where he coordinated a university-wide strategic planning process. While in the Provost’s Office, Mark also coordinated USC’s academic program review process and staffed the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Robison earned a B.A. in History from Wesleyan University, a M.A. in History from the Claremont Graduate School, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Stephen Aguilar, Faculty Council Chair (2025-2027)

Dr. Stephen J. AguiIar is an Associate Professor of Education in the Educational Psychology concentration at the USC Rossier School of Education. His research focuses on investigating how emerging and established educational technologies influence teaching, learning, and motivation. Dr. Aguilar studies the impact of generative AI in educational settings, the digital equity gap, and learning analytics applications. Currently, he is co-leading USC’s new Center for Generative AI and Society’s efforts to understand when and how generative AI is used by students and instructors in post-secondary settings. He is currently writing Authenticating Intelligence: Preventing AI from Hijacking Education (Bloomsbury Academic Inc).

Rachel Beal, Associate Dean for Advancement

With an extensive professional background spanning over 25 years, Rachel is a fundraising leader who has left an indelible mark on both higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations. Rachel’s professional journey is defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence in fundraising, leadership, and strategic partnership-building—a journey that continues to yield transformative outcomes for USC.

Andree Caldera, Human Resources Director

Andree Caldera brings 20 years of Human Resources experience in higher education at the USC Rossier School of Education. Over the course of her career at USC Rossier, she has served in multiple roles and currently serves as Human Resources Director, where she oversees employee relations, total rewards and benefits administration, talent acquisition, and full-cycle recruiting. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management at USC Bovard College and holds a B.A. from Cal State Los Angeles. Andree is also an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA).

Sabrina Chong, Assistant Dean for Global Engagement

Sabrina Chong is the Assistant Dean for Global Engagement and Director of the Global Executive Doctor of Education program. With over 25 years in the field of international education, Sabrina is committed to international student mobility and experiential learning. She earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at USC Rossier; her Master of Arts in French & Francophone Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and her Bachelor of Arts in French at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Darnell Cole, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs

Dr. Darnell Cole is a Professor in Education of Higher Education and Education Psychology at the University of Southern California in the Rossier School of Education. He also serves as Co-Director of the Research Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice. His research areas span K12 & Higher education and focus on race/ ethnicity, diversity, student-faculty interactions, learning, and college student experiences.

Tabitha Courtney, Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Strategic Enrollment Services

Tabitha Courtney’s career in higher education spans nearly 20 years having worked at universities in Ohio and Arizona at the undergraduate and graduate levels before joining USC Rossier in January 2018, serving as the director of admission and scholarships. Tabitha now serves as the assistant dean and executive director, overseeing recruitment, admissions, scholarships, enrollment marketing, enrollment technology and enrollment reporting for all new student enrollment. She earned her MA from Bowling Green State University in College Student Personnel and her BA from Bluffton University in Communication.

Eugenia Mora-Flores, Assistant Dean, Teacher Education

Dr. Eugenia Mora-Flores is a Professor of Clinical Education and the Assistant Dean of Teacher Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC). She teaches courses on first and second language acquisition, Latinx culture, and in literacy development for elementary and secondary students. She began her work in education more than 25 years ago as a first grade, dual-language teacher and went on to teach a range of grade levels and instructional contexts.

Eric Olsen, Executive Director of Communications

Eric Olsen is the Executive Director of Communications at USC Rossier, where he oversees all internal and external communications practices for the school and works with faculty, staff, students and alumni to share USC Rossier’s story and highlight the positive impacts it has on the community.

Erika A. Patall, Associate Dean for Research

Erika A. Patall is a Professor of Education and Psychology in the USC Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Her areas of expertise include the nature and determinants and development of motivation, education practices that support motivation and achievement, and research synthesis methods. Dr. Patall has published numerous articles in education and psychology journals such as Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Educational Psychology, Review of Educational Research, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Psychological Methods, and Educational Psychology Review, among others.

Lawrence O. Picus, Professor of Education

Lawrence O. Picus is Richard T. Cooper and Mary Catherine Cooper Chair in Public School Administration at the USC Rossier School of Education. He is an expert in the area of public financing of schools, equity and adequacy of school funding, school business administration, education policy, linking school resources to student performance and resource allocation in schools.

Darline Robles, Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion

Darline Robles, the former superintendent of Los Angeles County Office of Education, is a professor of clinical education here at the USC Rossier School of Education. In addition to teaching in the school’s doctoral and masters programs, Robles is responsible for the development of a new online Master’s degree program in school leadership.

Artineh Samkian, Immediate Past Faculty Council Chair 2023/2024 – 2024/2025

Artineh Samkian is an Associate Professor of Clinical Education at the USC Rossier School of Education. Samkian’s expertise and interests are in qualitative methods, evaluation,Armenian immigrant acculturation in the United States, race/ethnicity studies, and students’ affiliation to school. Her professional research experience has spanned both pre-K-12 and higher education contexts, and her professional focus and interest has been in utilizing rigorous methods and research evidence to inform and improve educational practice.

Juan Sepulveda, Senior Business Officer

Juan Sepulveda’s career spans a broad range of budgeting and financial roles across the university. For the past fifteen years, he has been a dedicated member of the USC community, where he most recently served as Assistant Director of Finance at the USC Rossier School of Education. In that role, Juan played a key part in financial operations and resource planning to ensure alignment with the school’s priorities.

Helena Seli, Assistant Dean, Academic Program Development

Helena Seli, PhD has a doctorate in educational psychology. At the USC Rossier School of Education, she teaches courses that guide students in implementing learning and motivation theory and principles to solve problems of practice.

Kathy Stowe, Associate Dean for Academic Programs

Kathy Stowe, is a professor of clinical education as well as the associate dean of academic programs at USC Rossier. She teaches a variety of courses in the EdD and MAT online Programs and serves as a chair of thematic dissertations. As someone with a concentration in K–12 Education Policy, Stowe specializes in studying school operation and performance, curriculum reform, urban school reform and school leadership.