Dr. Eric Ruiz Bybee has been a public-school teacher and teacher educator for 16 years. After graduating from BYU with BA degrees in Humanities and Latin American Studies, he worked for several years as a middle school bilingual special education teacher in Washington Heights, NYC. He earned a master’s degree in Middle Childhood & Special Education from Pace University and completed his doctorate in Cultural Studies in Education at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Bybee is currently an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at BYU where he researches and teaches undergraduate & graduate courses in the social foundations of education, multicultural education, and civil rights. His work has received awards from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and has also been featured nationally in media outlets like NPR, WNYC, The Chronicle of Higher Ed, and Pacific Standard Magazine as well as locally in The Salt Lake Tribune. He is a proud father of three elementary-age children and partner to a supportive wife.

“My Dad grew up in Utah but decided to raise my siblings and me elsewhere after experiencing discrimination directed toward my Mexican-born Mom. More than 50 years later, families are still leaving our state because of racism in schools, communities, and congregations. I am a part of UROR because rooting out racism and creating spaces of belonging for all people are at the core of my deepest civic, moral, and spiritual commitments. I believe that honoring and building upon the social, cultural, and linguistic resources of all students, families, and communities is a key ingredient to living an abundant and joyous life. I want everyone to be able to experience this.”