Home

Dilafruz Williams is Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy at Portland State University (PSU).  She has been studying the effects of ecological education on academic achievement and social skills acquisition for more than 20 years. As a parent and former public school board member (elected citywide, 2003-2011), she values education that builds relationships with nature and engages students in the community. She served as co-chair of the Board for two years. A champion of excellence and equity, Dilafruz worked tirelessly to represent diverse voices of the Portland community.

Dilafruz also served as Chair of the Board of the Council of the Great City Schools, comprising 66 of the nation’s largest school districts with 7 million students

Her areas of interest are:

  • Sustainability Education, Environmental Education, Learning Gardens, Garden-Based Education Research
  • K-12 Leadership & Policy; Diversity and Social Justice
  • Service-Learning, Community-University-School Strategic Partnerships

Dilafruz is cofounder of Portland school district’s Environmental Middle School, now Sunnyside K-8 Environmental School and cofounder of Leadership for Sustainability Education at Portland State University, where she established a master’s level academic program, and initiated, designed, and supported Learning Gardens at several schools addressing local farm-to-school food and nutrition issues and integration into major curricular goals.

She was also Director of Community-University Partnerships at PSU where she supported campus-wide curricular service-learning and civic engagement. She is Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (January to September 2012).

Williams is recipient of several awards and honors including the Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service-Learning; Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Partnership at Portland State University (Finalist), Selected Candidate for Fulbright Senior Scholar Roster.

Williams has degrees in Botany, Public Administration, and Education from Bombay, Harvard, Syracuse Universities. Her latest co-authored book isLearning Gardens and Sustainability Education: Bringing Life to Schools and Schools to Life (Routledge, 2012).  Herself an avid gardener, Dilafruz is frequently invited to give talks and workshops, nationally and internationally.