Natalie Tran was announced as interim dean for the College of Education at Cal State Fullerton on April 13 and will assume the position on July 21.
A professor of educational leadership at CSUF, Tran will succeed exiting Dean Lisa Kirtman, who was appointed to the position in 2016.
Tran joined the CSUF faculty in August 2010 after two years at Cal State Bakersfield.
At CSUF, she has held chair positions in the Department of Secondary Education and the Department of Special Education. Tran has also served in the director roles of the Educational Doctoral Program, the Asian Language Bilingual Teacher Education Program Consortium and the National Resource Center for Asian Languages.
She has also contributed to the University Advancement Board and Department Personnel committees and served as a faculty representative for the CSUF Philanthropic Board.
Her credentials include a Ph.D in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from UCLA.
As interim dean, Tran will assist in managing class enrollment, scheduling and part-time budget allocations. The dean of the College of Education is also responsible for overseeing and coordinating “the review processes of all curricular elements in the college,” according to the university.
In an interview with the Daily Titan, Tran said that supporting faculty and staff within the College of Education is a major priority for her as interim dean. She named inclusive education, technology integration, community engagement and finding opportunities for innovation as part of her plans she intends to implement to provide support.
“When they are successful, I truly believe that then we are all successful, because I think about the impact, not only about their work, but also outside of the classroom,” Tran said. “Education is an applied science, it’s a social science, so we have certainly an immediate impact, I would say, on the local communities that we serve.”
The College of Education is supported by Instructionally Related Activities funds. The Daily Titan reported earlier this month that the college would only receive 1.6% of the total budget allocated for the 2026-2027 academic year. Tran clarified that she was not directly involved in developing IRA funds.
“I think any funding opportunities that come to the College of Education, it’s beneficial because it truly supports the important work that faculty in the College of Ed are doing, and the work varies from developing courses, providing greater learning experiences and opportunities for the students,” Tran said.
Tran said she is open to serving in a more permanent position as dean and referred to her interim tenure as an opportunity to determine if she would be a good fit for the role.