Amelia (Amy) Kraehe, Ph.D.

Dr. Amelia (Amy) Kraehe is an accomplished leader and researcher in the arts, culture and education with 25 years of experience in universities, public schools, and museums. She has been a part of the College of Fine Arts since 2018, and was named Vice Dean of Arizona Arts in 2026 after serving for five years as Associate Vice President of the Arts. She is responsible for fostering organizational excellence, guiding strategic planning, and leading new initiatives to enhance community-wide outcomes. Additionally, she serves as a Faculty Affairs Fellow in the Office of the Provost, a role focused on elevating faculty achievements and increasing prestigious honorific awards across the university’s diverse academic landscape. She received the Excellence in Fundraising Award for her contributions to development and advancement at Arizona Arts and garnered the Women of Impact Award from the University of Arizona in recognition of her effectiveness in driving discovery, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the empowerment of others.

Prior to her work in academic leadership, Kraehe steered the journal Art Education for three years as Senior Editor and provided strategic direction and management for the international Art Education Research Institute for five years. She developed transdisciplinary platforms—including the JustArts Fellowship, the Dream Speaker Series, the Health and Arts Community Collaboratory, and the Race/Remix Podcast—where research and creative activity are vehicles for cultural understanding, community resilience, and societal transformation. An influential voice of leadership in the field of art education, Kraehe was awarded the Mac Arthur Goodwin Award for Distinguished Service in the Profession from the National Art Education Association. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Art Education Foundation, where she contributes to philanthropic efforts to support research, teaching, and leadership in visual arts, design, and media education across the US.

A boundary-spanning scholar, Kraehe’s writings, podcasts, public lectures, and workshops illuminate how sociocultural, economic, and political contexts influence the development of professional identities and organizational capacity within educational and cultural institutions. She has published four books, and her work appears in the top research journals in her field. She has received numerous grants and professional honors, including the prestigious Manuel Barkan Memorial Award from the National Art Education Association and membership to the NAEA Distinguished Fellows.

Kraehe is also a professor of art and visual culture education in the School of Art, an affiliate faculty in human rights practice, and a member of the Graduate Faculty. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with specialization in cultural studies in education and an M.A. in art education from The University of Texas at Austin. She received a B.A. in studio art and economics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

CV in pdf