Dr. Sepideh Mahani is the Interim Dean, Faculty of Education at Yorkville University. She has been a member of Yorkville University faculty since 2016 and served as the Associate Dean (Education) and Chair of Educational Leadership from 2018 to 2024. With over 20 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, Dr. Mahani has worked as an educator in various national and international contexts. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. Dr. Mahani is deeply committed to fostering inclusive, innovative, and research-driven teaching practices. Her research interests encompass a broad range of topics, including social justice, diversity in education, humanizing pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, first-generation students, and gender equality in education. Her work has been published in numerous academic journals and books, such as Qualitative Inquiry, The Journal of First-Generation Student Success, Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, and The Journal of International Education Research. She also co-authored Sister Scholars: Untangling Issues of Identity as Women in Academe, published by DIO Press in 2021. Currently, she is engaged in research on culturally responsive teaching practices in online environments. Research Interests: critical qualitative inquiry, reflexive inquiry, social justice, diversity in education, culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy and gender equality in education.