Dr. Jessica Dennis was appointed Interim Associate Dean in October 2025. She has been a member of the Cal State LA family for over 20 years, first joining the university as a post-doctoral research fellow in 2003. She was a faculty member in the Department of Psychology from 2005-2019 and served as Chair in the Department of Child and Family Studies from 2019-2025. Dr. Dennis is proud of her contributions to the university, having spent years on committees such as the University Senate, Faculty Policy Committee, and Educational Effectiveness and Assessment Council. She served as Director of Assessment from 2016-2019, providing support to departments and faculty to promote engagement in the collection and use of data for continuous program improvement.
Dr. Dennis’ journey in higher education began at the University of California, Riverside, where she received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. When she came to Cal State LA, she worked as a post-doctoral research fellow on the College Experience Project, andshe also had the opportunity to teach several classes as a lecturer. When she joined the Department of Psychology as a faculty member, she established the Center for Multicultural Research, which was devoted to research on development in emerging adulthood with an emphasis on cultural issues relating to identity and adjustment. Dr. Dennis mentored over 50 undergraduate and graduate research students who collaborated on numerous conference presentations and publications. Many associates of the center went on to pursue further graduate training and doctoral studies.
As a professor in the Psychology Department, Dr. Dennis taught classes on development throughout the lifespan, multicultural psychology, research methods, and statistics. She served as the Director of the M.A. in Psychology Program from 2011-2019 and as the Associate Chair for the Department from 2017-2019.
Beginning in 2019, Dr. Dennis was honored to serve as the Chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies. She led the CFS Department on initiatives focused on integrating culturally-sustaining pedagogy and strengths-based practices throughout the curriculum of the Child Development programs. She advocated for improvements to the program that removed barriers to graduation and increased flexibility for students, and she coordinated department-wide efforts to support student academic success, career preparedness, and well-being.