Cheryl Jones-Walker is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at University of San Francisco, School of Education. She began her career as a teacher in the Bronx, NY, and continued teaching at a Boston-area independent school as well as internationally in Gabon, Central Africa. Prior to doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Cheryl worked at the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston, a non-profit organization committed to improving urban K-12 education. At CCE she was a co-director of the Pilot School Network; in this role she worked with teacher leaders, school principals and district officials to create the conditions that would foster engaging learning environments for student success. As a Principal Investigator of Blueprints, a 1.5 million grant from US Office of Minority Health, she led a partnership between Swarthmore College, the College Access Center and Crozer Hospital, to provide a network of academic, cultural and wellness support to 40 Chester youth. Her most recent publications include Identity Work in the Classroom: Successful Learning in Urban Schools and a chapter in Transforming the Academy: Faculty Perspectives on Diversity & Pedagogy.