Dr. JoEtta Gonzales brings more than 35 years of experience in public education to her role as Clinical Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching & Learning Innovation at Arizona State University. She currently teaches Educational Leadership courses, including Foundations in Educational Leadership, Effective Resource Allocation, The Principal Internship, Transformative Leadership, and the Leader-Scholar Community (LSC) Dissertation Research series.
Dr. Gonzales is proud to be working alongside an exceptional team as they redesign the Educational Leadership Program in the Division for Advancing Education Policy, Practice, and Leadership. This collaborative effort aims to prepare a new generation of school and community leaders equipped to meet the evolving demands of education with courage, creativity, and compassion. The redesigned program launched in Fall, 2025.
Before coming to ASU, JoEtta worked as a special education teacher, school principal, district director, and superintendent, where she consistently worked to build inclusive systems and expand opportunity. She is especially committed to addressing systemic inequities and supporting leaders in developing the mindsets and actions necessary to drive transformative change. Her work emphasizes dialogue, connectedness, and human-centered leadership.
As a Steering Committee Member for EdPrep Labs (an affiliate of the Learning Policy Institute), she collaborates with colleagues nationwide to develop policies and practices that transform educator preparation using the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) framework. She serves on the Executive Board of the Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (AZALAS) and is an active member of Arizona School Administrators (ASA), where she currently serves as president of the Higher Education Division. In recognition of her leadership and service, she received the ASA Distinguished Administrator Award in the Superintendent Division in Spring 2020.