Born and raised in San Francisco, pioneering educator Dr. Lisa Kala graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA degree in Psychology (’78), earned an MS in Multicultural Counseling from San Francisco State (’80) and a PhD in Education from UC Berkeley (’93).
Prior to retiring from Berkeley in 2020, Dr. Kala dedicated years of service in support of developing the academic talent of diverse students. Being of Asian and Pacific Islander descent (½ Filipino and ½ Native Hawaiian), and the first in her family to graduate from college, Dr. Kala's research interests have focused on ways to facilitate academic achievement for underrepresented students.
Over a span of 40 years, Dr. Kala held a number of administrative, research and teaching positions within UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education (GSE), including directing the Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP), a summer academic program that offers challenging classes for approximately 2000 motivated and talented K-12 students seeking advanced educational opportunities at Berkeley each year; serving as Assistant Dean of Administration and Special Projects; directing the Excellence through Collaborative Opportunities (ECO) Center, the school's unit for campus-wide and K-16 collaboration and partnership activities, the Educational Technology Services Center; Undergraduate Field Studies in Education; GSE's participation in Summer Sessions; Evaluation Unit; and Office of Communications.
Dr. Kala has delivered over 80 invited presentations, conference papers, and program evaluations in areas related to effective teaching, counseling, and academic achievement of underrepresented students. Her dissertation served as inspiration for the Electronic Mentoring and Teaching Information Resource Network (EMTIRN) funded in 1994 by a trust of Pacific Bell. EMTIRN's goal was to create an electronic community of people sharing instruction, communication, counseling, mentoring, and consulting through technology. This collaboration of 30+ campus units, 3 CSU campuses, 8 K-12 School Districts, 6 Community Colleges, science museums, public libraries and other participants, sought to provide access to UC Berkeley's vast resources for urban and rural disadvantaged, minority, and disabled students in grades K-12, community colleges, and universities, and their teachers and counselors. At the conclusion of EMTIRN, Dr. Kala continued collaboration as Project Management Team member and Evaluation Lead of the campus' Interactive University (IU) Project. In 2000, Dr. Kala's Evaluation design for Phase 1 of the Interactive University received recognition as the US Department of Commerce Evaluation Model. Dr. Kala also coordinated the four-year Oakland Charter Academy Technology Partnership that provided technology infrastructure, resources, and training for students and teachers in Oakland's first charter School located in the Fruitvale Area. Overall, Dr. Kala served as Principal or Co-Investigator for 15 extramurally awarded projects totaling more than $10 million related to fostering student academic achievement.
From year 1996 to 2011, Dr. Kala served on the University's Academic Support and Enrichment Service (ASES) Steering Committee. ASES was created as the academic support and retention branch of Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien's Initiative to fulfill the University's historic promise to maintain diversity while preserving excellence. ASES made history as one of Berkeley's first and most successful consortia to strengthen campus-wide coordination, collaboration and communication among academic support and student services units and outreach programs," stated Gloria Burkhalter, the former Coordinator of ASES. With a priority focus on addressing issues of diversity and ways to foster student success, Dr. Kala played a key role in helping the consortium to engage in strategic planning and research analysis, such as gathering, sharing and analyzing important data and information about students' needs and experiences, and recommending ways to enhance their success. One of a number of projects where she successfully applied her research and analytical skills was a longitudinal study on the first-year experience of students at Berkeley. Findings from this study helped to heighten the campus awareness about the experience and needs of undergraduate students as they transition into and move through their first year on the Berkeley campus.
Dr. Kala served on numerous GSE committees including 13 years on the Undergraduate Minor in Education Committee and 9 years as co-chair; the UC/CSU Urban Leadership committee that guided the creation of the School's Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (JDPEL), and development of the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI). Dr. Kala also served on numerous campus, local, and statewide committees.
Post retirement, Dr. Kala continued to devote numerous hours towards promoting and supporting the academic achievement of underrepresented students. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for GOALS (Graduates Organized to Assure Learning and Success), an education-advocacy alumni organization committed to provide support, promote access and foster academic success for African American, Latino/a American, Native American and Asian/Pacific Islander students at UC Berkeley and in the Bay Area.
Contributed by Gloria Burkhalter
Read more:
Announcement of Lisa Kala as new ATDP Director
40 Years of ATDP