Meet the Dean

Dean's Welcome

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Michael D. Eisner College of Education (MDECOE). As I move from Associate Dean into the interim position of Dean, I am honored to continue my service in the MDECOE, one of the largest Colleges of Education in the CSU system, providing hundreds of outstanding new professionals in the fields of elementary, secondary, and special education, counseling, administration, and deaf studies. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with our talented faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners, all instrumental in ensuring the excellence of our educational programs and community-serving centers. Together, we remain dedicated to serving the diverse educational needs of our local San Fernando Valley and the broader southern California region.

Dr. Christine Hayashi

Christine Hayashi joined the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Department in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at CSUN in 2001 as an adjunct and later a full-time faculty, after working as a disability rights law attorney, first with the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles, and then in her own practice as a special education law attorney, advocating on behalf of children with disabilities, and their parents. She taught school law and the administration of special education law for many years before becoming the Associate Dean of the MDECOE in 2016 and is now the Interim Dean of the College.

Dr. Hayashi earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and received Masters Degrees in both education and educational administration from CSUN. Prior to becoming an attorney, Dr. Hayashi was an elementary school and middle school principal, as well as a classroom teacher.