Robert Lee

Dean Robert Lee serves as the Dean of the Sanford College of Education at National University (NU), one of the largest colleges of education in the country. He is a nationally recognized expert in context-based teacher preparation with a wide-ranging list of accomplishments as an educator, culturally responsive community advocate, and visionary leader. The collective impact of his work has raised teacher quality, improved school progress, and transformed public schools into community-driven learning centers. Over the course of his professional career, Dean Lee has taught in schools and colleges across the United States, including serving as founder and executive director of the National Center for Urban Education, the first nationally based center with cross-institutional partnerships focused on finding solutions to systemic challenges in urban education.  By cultivating strong partnerships with school districts and community-based organizations, Dean Lee works to create powerful bidirectional relationships focused on win/win outcomes that advance innovative ideas with transformative power.