NAU Professor Emeritus Melvin Hall Receives National Award for Advancing Racial Equity in Evaluation
Former College of Education dean recognized for more than five decades of leadership, scholarship, and commitment to expanding educational opportunities.
What does it take to create meaningful educational opportunities for students and communities?
For Dr. Melvin Hall, Professor Emeritus in Northern Arizona University’s Department of Educational Psychology and former dean of the College of Education, answering that question has been central to a professional career spanning more than 50 years.
His contributions have now earned national recognition.
The American Evaluation Association (AEA) has named Hall the recipient of its 2026 Ricardo Millett Award for Racial Equity in Evaluation, recognizing his longstanding contributions to educational equity, culturally responsive evaluation, and inclusive leadership.
The award honors individuals whose work has advanced racial equity through evaluation practice, scholarship, and leadership. It is supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and private donors.
For the NAU College of Education, the recognition provides an opportunity to celebrate a former dean and faculty member whose work has connected educational research, institutional leadership, and expanded opportunities for students and communities.
Dr. Melvin Hall, Professor Emeritus in NAU’s Department of Educational Psychology and former dean of the College of Education, is the recipient of the American Evaluation Association’s 2026 Ricardo Millett Award for Racial Equity in Evaluation.
Expanding educational opportunities across Arizona
Throughout his career, Hall has combined university leadership with a commitment to improving educational opportunities for students.
He served in four successive academic dean appointments, including as dean of NAU’s College of Education.
During his time at NAU, Hall also served as principal investigator on two five-year federal GEAR UP grants that provided dropout prevention programs and services to thousands of middle and high school students throughout Arizona.
These initiatives connected university expertise with the needs of Arizona schools and communities, extending the College of Education’s work beyond campus and into the educational experiences of students across the state.
Hall returned to full-time faculty work in 2002, bringing together teaching, scholarship, funded research, and professional service. His work in educational psychology continued to emphasize the importance of understanding how educational programs serve students and communities with different experiences and needs.
Advancing culturally responsive evaluation
How can researchers and educators determine whether a program is effective while also understanding the experiences of the communities it serves?
That question is central to culturally responsive evaluation, an approach that considers cultural and community contexts when examining the design, implementation, and outcomes of programs.
Hall’s work has helped advance this approach through scholarship, funded initiatives, and leadership within the American Evaluation Association.
During more than 25 years of active AEA membership, he served in several leadership roles, including chair of the Diversity Committee, board member, and co-chair of the Membership Engagement, Leadership Development, and Diversity Task Force.
He also convened a national series of conversations on race and culture in America.
His research and professional contributions extended to the National Science Foundation, where he served as co-principal investigator for five years of funding supporting the Relevance of Culture in Evaluation Institute.
Following that work, Hall became an affiliate researcher with the Center for Responsive Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Illinois.
These efforts reflect a career dedicated to strengthening evaluation practices and helping educational institutions better understand the people and communities their programs are intended to serve.
Strengthening educational leadership and participation in STEM
Hall’s contributions have also extended into national efforts to expand participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In 2015, he accepted an appointment as an intermittent expert at the National Science Foundation, serving as a program officer for the ADVANCE and Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP).
From 2017 to 2020, he served as director of strategic initiatives for the NSF-funded Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership.
The center focused on strengthening the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities to research and national efforts to broaden participation in STEM.
Through these roles, Hall contributed to initiatives connecting educational leadership, institutional capacity, research, and opportunities for students and scholars.
Celebrating a lasting connection to NAU
Although Hall retired from active professional life in 2020, his contributions continue to be recognized nationally.
He retains honorary appointments as Senior Scholar with the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Distinguished Scholar with the Marie Fielder Institute at Fielding Graduate University.
His recognition also highlights the lasting contributions of the faculty and leaders who have helped shape NAU’s College of Education.
Hall’s career reflects the many ways educators can make a difference: preparing students, leading institutions, conducting research, developing programs, and helping educational organizations better understand and serve their communities.
The College of Education congratulates Dr. Melvin Hall on receiving the 2026 Ricardo Millett Award for Racial Equity in Evaluation and celebrates his lasting contributions to NAU, Arizona, and the broader education community.