Theresa Jean Ambo

Theresa Jean Ambo is in her first term on the board, joining in August 2021. She is an Assistant Professor in the Education Studies program at the University of California, San Diego and is of the Tongva Tribal Nation. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow from 2017‐2019.Before UC San Diego, Theresa worked in student affairs, directing a student‐initiated, student‐run academic support program at UCLA that targeted students from low‐income, first‐generation, and underrepresented minority backgrounds. Theresa’s research focuses on educational equity for American Indian students and communities in postsecondary institutions, including student retention, experience, outcomes, and campus‐community partnerships. Her primary area of research examines the relational nature and status between public universities and local Native nations in California. Using a multiple case‐study approach, she offers institutionally transferable insight on tribal‐university relationships and partnerships – the current state of relations, institutional responsibilities articulated by tribal and campus leaders, and the postsecondary educational needs of Native nations. Theresa’s current book project, California Tribes and the University: Decolonizing Institutional Relationships and Responsibility, provides policy recommendations for improving tribal‐university relations.Theresa Jean Ambo is in her first term on the board, joining in August 2021. She is an Assistant Professor in the Education Studies program at the University of California, San Diego and is of the Tongva Tribal Nation. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow from 2017‐2019. Before UC San Diego, Theresa worked in student affairs, directing a student‐initiated, student‐run academic support program at UCLA that targeted students from low‐income, first‐generation, and underrepresented minority backgrounds. Theresa’s research focuses on educational equity for American Indian students and communities in postsecondary institutions, including student retention, experience, outcomes, and campus‐community partnerships. Her primary area of research examines the relational nature and status between public universities and local Native nations in California. Using a multiple case‐study approach, she offers institutionally transferable insight on tribal‐university relationships and partnerships – the current state of relations, institutional responsibilities articulated by tribal and campus leaders, and the postsecondary educational needs of Native nations. Theresa’s current book project, California Tribes and the University: Decolonizing Institutional Relationships and Responsibility, provides policy recommendations for improving tribal‐university relations.