Katrina Bulkley
Dean of Teachers College and Professor of Educational Leadership
Curriculum Vitae
About Katrina Bulkley
Katrina E. Bulkley currently serves as the Dean of Teachers College at Ball State University, a Carnegie R2 institution with over 5,300 undergraduate and graduate students. She leads a dynamic academic unit with 59 tenure-line and 85 full-time non-tenure-line faculty members, overseeing programs known for their focus on educational innovation, student success, and community partnerships. Prior to this role, Dr. Bulkley held several leadership positions at Montclair State University, including Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Services and the University Innovation Fellow in the Office of the President, where she advanced strategic initiatives related to public impact and the use of data for student success.
Dr. Bulkley’s academic career spans over two decades, with a focus on educational leadership and policy. She has held faculty appointments at Montclair State University and Rutgers University, and she has taught courses ranging from educational leadership and school-community relations to advanced qualitative research methods. During her tenure at Montclair State, Dr. Bulkley played a pivotal role in the development of the Newark-Montclair Leadership Pipeline Program, a collaboration between the university and the Newark Board of Education. The program was designed to recruit and develop school leaders of color with deep ties to the Newark community, aligning educational leadership preparation with the strengths and needs of local families and schools.
Dr. Bulkley’s research explores the intersections of education policy, governance, and market-driven reforms, particularly in urban contexts. She is a recognized expert in portfolio management models of school governance and the role of charter schools, with her work published in leading academic journals and books. She is the lead author of Challenging the One Best System: The Portfolio Management Model and Urban School Governance (Harvard Education Press, 2020), which was funded through a Lyle Spencer Research Award by the Spencer Foundation. This project examined system-level governance changes and their connections to educational practice in Denver, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. As a Research Partner with the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH), she is currently involved in research around state policy and choice, including the role of charter school authorizers in addressing the needs of historically marginalized populations and the impact of COVID-19 on school choice.
Throughout her career, Dr. Bulkley has demonstrated a commitment to mentorship, having chaired numerous dissertation committees and guided doctoral students in teacher education and leadership development. She also contributes to the field through editorial board service and as a reviewer for various prestigious education journals.
Education
Ph.D., Administration and Policy Analysis, 1999
Stanford University
M.A., Political Science (American Politics and Public Policy), 1995
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A., Government, 1992
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT