Dr. Tonia A. Dousay serves as the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), where she leads undergraduate and graduate programs committed to preparing educators and advancing lifelong learning across Alaska’s richly diverse communities. With nearly 30 years in public education, Tonia centers experiential, community-driven, and nontraditional approaches to learning. Her work is grounded in equity, relational accountability, and a deep respect for place-based knowledge systems.

Tonia was born on the ancestral lands of the Nansemond people (Portsmouth, Virginia) and raised on the land of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas in the Big Thicket region. She was taught from an early age to steward the land with care and gratitude, and she continues to carry that teaching forward. Today, she is honored to live and work on the unceded lands of the Dena’ina people, whose ways of knowing continue to shape her leadership and learning.

She holds an M.S. in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology from the University of Georgia. A Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, Tonia has authored more than 100 publications on online education, learning design, and educational technology. Her leadership in international and local projects supports inclusive and accessible learning ecosystems for students, educators, and communities alike. Tonia’s work is guided by a mission to spark curiosity, nurture self-regulation, and uplift the unique strengths each learner brings to the circle.