Dr. Lisa C. Buenaventura, who has more than 30 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, was appointed dean of St. Bonaventure University's School of Education effective June 1, 2017.
Dr. Buenaventura came to SBU from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she served as special assistant to the provost for special projects. Prior to that appointment, she served UMass-Boston as assistant vice chancellor for co-curricular learning and assessment, then as the interim vice chancellor for student affairs. She also was an adjunct faculty member in Asian American Studies and the Higher Education Doctoral Program.
Prior to joining UMass-Boston, Buenaventura worked for six years as a faculty member for the Office of the Chancellor and School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at Penn State-Harrisburg, focusing on teaching, assessment, accreditation, research and grants, and program development. She had previously served for two years as the director for Child Welfare and Education and for the Labor Education Institute with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Educational Resources Group.
Buenaventura also worked for several years in the Pacific Northwest, including seven years at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., first as director of Women’s Programs, then as director and interim associate dean of Student Support Services and interim vice president for Student Services.During this period, she also served as an adjunct faculty member at Clark College and Pacific Oaks College in Seattle.
In addition, Buenaventura has 10 years’ experience in K-12 education, seven years as a school psychologist and counselor in Belfair and Seattle, Wash., and three years as a program administrator for the Department of Transitional Bilingual Education and Compensatory Education in the Seattle Public Schools.
Buenaventura received her bachelor’s degree in psychology (1978) and her master’s degree in educational psychology (1983) from the University of Washington. She received her doctorate in educational leadership (1997) from Seattle University. At both institutions, she served as a graduate student assistant, working with the faculty on accreditation, curriculum and instruction, and research.
A deep commitment to community service and professional involvement are reflected in Buenaventura’s background. Over the years, she has been actively engaged in working with non-profit and governmental organizations, K-12 school districts, and higher education associations, as well as campus communities, to address issues of access, equity, diversity, and social justice.
Her focus has been on strengthening curricular and co-curricular learning experiences for students that effectively prepare them to live and work in diverse and rapidly changing environments.