Dr. Ketal Patel (she, her, hers) is the Director of Field Experiences and Licensure Program for the Arts Administration, Education, and Policy department. She earned her PhD from The Ohio State University developing a participatory action research study with fellow art educators about their practices and intersections with creative placemaking. Patel has worked as an art educator and non-profit leader for the past 15 years.  She has served for more than a decade as an art educator in public school settings in the state of Ohio. Patel has had the privilege to work as an art educator with Prek-12 students in Fremont and Columbus, Ohio. In addition to her teaching experiences, she has worked within the non-profit sector supporting schools and communities across the nation. She has had the opportunity to apply her art educator lens to the broader educational dialogue happening within rural schools, the Lakota Nation, urban settings, and private schools. Areas of experience and interest that Patel continues to explore are educational transformation, STEM/STEAM initiatives; problem-based learning, and culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum design.   

In 2017 Ketal was selected to be part of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) School for Art Leaders. It’s been an honor to be part of a national cohort of 25 passionate art educators, museum educators, administrators, and leaders that represent the unique needs and ideas facing arts education across the country. Through School for Art Leaders, Ketal has explored how to implement an art-based asset mapping practice to empower and capitalize on the human potential that exists within our schools and communities to affect meaningful change.  She also has been selected to serve the NAEA and Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) as a thought leader in equity, diversity, and inclusion work.   

Dr. Ketal Patel’s research foci include artist educator practices, the role of educators in the broader arts and culture ecosystem, the impacts of globalization on education, art educator leadership and transforming practices within schools, designing and developing community as classroom practices, and examining how art education can lead revolution/evolution of educational systems.  Her work is grounded in action research and participatory inquiry and her dissertation was awarded the Manuel Barkan Dissertation Award for promising doctoral research.