The Morgridge College of Education recently named its newest Dean: DU Associate Professor Karen Riley.

According to an article written by Jan Kitta for the DU Magazine website, her new position was put into effect immediately at the beginning of the 2014 school year. The search for a new Dean began in the spring quarter of 2014.

According to www.portfolio.du.edu/kriley, Riley is known for her research in “early childhood intervention and assessment, neurodevelopmental disorders,” namely Fragile X Syndrome and XXYY Disorder.

www.coloradofragilex.com states that Riley’s “particular areas of interest and expertise include assessment and intervention of infants and preschoolers, curriculum development, school consultation, behavioral interventions and low incidence disabilities.”

Riley has served as interim dean since June 2013, and was previously a Morgridge College faculty member who in the area of child, family and school psychology.

Riley came to the university in 2004 as an assistant professor. Riley was also chair of the Educational Research Policy and Practice program from 2011 to 2013. During her time there, she worked as faculty director of the university’s Fisher Early Learning Center.

“The Morgridge College of Education has made great progress during the past year, and our stellar faculty and staff will allow us to continue to grow and develop,” Riley said, according to their website. “The Morgridge College is poised to become one of the prominent graduate colleges of education in the country.

“We have created a strategic plan to guide us operationally, but it will be our innovative thinking, teaching and research practices that will distinguish us,” she continued in the same article. “Our research and the students we prepare will serve as our legacy long into the future. I embrace the challenge of leading Morgridge into this next exciting chapter.”