Dr. Laura Alamillo started at Sonoma State University in 2020 as the Dean of the School of Education, with a vision of justice-oriented teacher preparation and expanding teacher residencies in Northern California. Currently, she serves as the Dean of the College of Education, Counseling and Ethnic Studies and the University Library.

She is a scholar in the field of language, literacy, and culture, and received her Ph.D. from the School of Education at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to coming to Sonoma State, she served two years as Interim Dean at Fresno State. Her service in the CSU system began in 2004 as an Assistant Professor in the Language, Literacy, Bilingual, and Special Education department, and was instrumental in building graduate programs and teacher residencies in the Central Valley.

She was also responsible for starting one of the first bilingual preschools offered at a CSU campus for children of student parents. She has published a co-edited volume focusing on Chican@ children’s literature in 2018 titled Voices of Resistance: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Chican@ Children’s Literature, along with publications in the field of teacher education.

Dr. Alamillo has three children who attend Santa Rosa City Schools.