Teri Schwartz

Teri Schwartz is the Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) where she has launched an exciting new vision and long-range strategic plan that re-imagines entertainment and performing arts education as an interdisciplinary enterprise that is grounded in humanistic storytelling, global diversity and innovation.

Appointed in July, 2009, Dean Schwartz has taken her unique vision by forging a dynamic strategy for the entire entertainment and performing arts educational enterprise itself through a new innovative interdisciplinary curriculum that tears down the silos across disciplines and brings film, theater, television, digital media and animation into a collaborative new direction for the 21st Century.

Under Dean Schwartz’ leadership, TFT is fostering new and important industry partnerships and alliances; strengthening and energizing TFT’s highly successful alumni network and Executive Board; fostering key initiatives for social responsibility; recruiting top faculty talent from around the world; nurturing and developing outstanding diverse student talent to be the leaders, storytellers and scholars of the future who will make a difference in the world; and launching new endowed research centers for innovation, chairs, scholarships, distinguished visiting artists, fellowships and key internship, mentoring and festival programs. In addition, Dean Schwartz is leading the first ever major capital and endowment campaigns for TFT to ensure its long range pre-eminence and leadership across the entertainment and performing arts educational landscape under the banner: Creating What’s Next.

Prior to joining UCLA’s TFT, Dean Schwartz successfully served from 2003 to 2009 as the founding and inaugural dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television in Los Angeles.

Without question, Dean Schwartz loves to create and build and is very skilled at getting things done. Her dedication to excellence is tireless and her accomplishments span an illustrious career. An award winning feature film producer, Schwartz’ films have garnered award nominations for Academy®, Golden Globe, Emmy®, Grammy®, MTV and CLIO®, including “Sister Act” and “Beaches.” She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and serves on the Television Academy’s Foundation Board of Directors, the Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors, the Hawn Foundation Board of Directors, the Savannah Film Festival Advisory Board, the Los Angeles Theater Alliance Board of Governors, Demand Media’s Education Advisory Board and the Governing Council of the Los Angeles-India Film Council. Dean Schwartz has also served on numerous festival juries including the Palm Springs International Film Festival, The Palm Springs International Shortfest, and the Monte Carlo International Television Festival.

A native of Los Angeles, Dean Schwartz graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa in English Literature from UCLA ‘71 and received her MA in Film from the University of London.

Dean Schwartz is an optimistic, imaginative and dynamic leader who passionately believes in the power of entertainment and performing arts education as a way to foster remarkable new talent who will use their success and their works to enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world through the power of humanistic storytelling. She has dedicated this chapter of her life to this goal and considers it a privilege and honor to do so. She is proud to be an alumna of UCLA and inspired to serve in this new role as Dean of TFT.