Dr. Allan A. De Fina is the Dean of the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education and Dean of the College of Professional Studies at New Jersey City University. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, he was a Professor, and later, Chairperson, in the Department of Literacy Education. A former special educator, high school English teacher, and elementary school staff development specialist, he is an award-winning poet who has twice received the William Carlos Williams Poetry Award for New Jersey Poets. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology from New York University. His research focuses on reading, writing, and language acquisition.