Elizabeth A. Dooley

Elizabeth A. Dooley was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2018.

A native of Fairmont, W.Va., Dooley earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education from Alderson Broaddus College in 1979, a master’s degree in special education from West Virginia University in 1986, and a doctorate in special education with a minor in higher education administration from WVU in 1989.

Dooley began her academic career as an assistant professor of special education at Northeastern Illinois University before returning to WVU in 1991. Over the next two decades, she advanced through a series of faculty and leadership roles, including interim director of the Center for Black Culture and Research, co-founder of the Health Sciences and Technology Academy, chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, associate provost for undergraduate academic affairs, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and founding dean of University College.

In 2015, Dooley joined the University of Central Florida as vice provost for teaching and learning and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies. She later served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, becoming the first woman and the first African American to hold the role in the university’s history. She has also held the title of professor in the College of Education and Community Innovation at UCF.