Rachael Stewart

Rachael Stewart, Ed.D., is a professor and Director of Academic and Career Programs in the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity at San Diego State University. Her expertise centers on organizational leadership, change, policy, and practices in education systems, with a particular focus on creating environments that support student success through engagement, retention, and post-graduate outcomes. She also serves as a faculty scholar at SDSU’s Gus & Emma Thompson Black Resource Center, where her work emphasizes belonging, cultural appreciation, and community connection for students.

Stewart is a coauthor of Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay—An Illustrated Playbook, published by Corwin in 2024, alongside Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Vincent Pompei. In addition to her authorship, she speaks and consults on topics such as leadership development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in PK–12 and higher education, including facilitating sessions on fostering ecosystems of belonging for educators.