Autumn Tooms Cyprès, Ed.D., will join UAB as dean of the School of Education July 1.Autumn Tooms Cyprès, Ed.D., an expert in politics in the professoriate and educational organizations, organizational reform, and leadership preparation, has been named the dean of the School of Education after a national search. She will join UAB July 1, succeeding Lynn Kirkland, Ed.D., professor and chair of the Department of Instruction and Curriculum, who has served as interim dean for this academic year.
Tooms Cyprès is coming to UAB from St. John’s University in New York City. She served as the associate dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the School of Education.
“This is such an honor to be named the dean of the UAB School of Education,” Tooms Cyprès said. “As a former school principal and health educator, I see incredible opportunities to extend the bridges we have built with the Alabama community focused on the intersections of education, health, and wellness. I look forward to serving our students, faculty, and staff in ways which foster the creation and translation of knowledge that changes the world.”
In her role as dean, Tooms Cyprès will have responsibility for managing human resources, financial, educational, research, student, alumni and other external relations and community matters. She will provide leadership in retaining, hiring and mentoring diverse students, faculty, staff and administrators. In addition, her responsibilities include providing leadership to secure, maintain, and allocate resources to support the effective, efficient and high-quality operations of the School.
“Autumn is an experienced administrator who has the enthusiasm and passion to lead the School of Education and implement the vision outlined in the Strategic Plan,” said Pam Benoit, senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. “I have tremendous confidence that Autumn will provide leadership to enhance meaningful community engagement to improve educational opportunities and access in our communities and increase the visibility of the school.”
Tooms Cyprès earned her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in secondary education with a specialization in biology and chemistry in 1988, and she earned a master’s in education from Northern Arizona University in 1992 and her doctorate in education from Arizona State University in 1996. During her career, she has served in many administrative roles including associate dean, department chair, founding director and graduate program coordinator.
“We are grateful for the leadership of Dr. Lynn Kirkland during the transition period,” Benoit said. “She has been an extraordinary advocate and demonstrated immense pride in the accomplishments of the school. Thank you for your commitment to the School of Education and UAB.
“Thanks also are due to the search committee for identifying and recruiting strong candidates for this important position,” Benoit said. “I’d like to commend Dr. Paulette Dilworth for chairing the search committee, and I appreciate the participation by faculty, staff and students in the search process.”
