Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT)
Teri Schwartz
Teri Schwartz is the Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT) where she has launched an exciting new vision and long-range plan that re-imagines entertainment and performing arts education as an interdisciplinary enterprise grounded in humanistic storytelling, social impact, technology and innovation and diversity/global diversity. Schwartz has dynamically led UCLA TFT for 10 years and is the School’s first woman dean.
Prior to becoming Dean at UCLA TFT, she successfully served as the founding dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. Schwartz is an award-winning feature film producer, whose many films, such as BEACHES AND SISTER ACT, have garnered nominations for Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, People’s Choice, Grammy and MTV awards. In 2018, Schwartz produced the feature documentary WATERSCHOOL in partnership with Nadja Swarovski and the Swarovski crystal company. The film focuses on how environmental education has empowered and transformed the lives of young women and girls living in underserved communities along the major rivers of the world. WATERSCHOOL has had special screenings at Sundance, Cannes, World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and Toronto. The film is currently streaming on Netflix in 193 countries and translated into 26 languages. A global social action campaign was launched with the release of the film.
Schwartz 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 Foundation’s Board of Directors; The Hawn Foundation Board of Directors; the Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors; the UCLA TFT/UCA Storytelling Institute in Cannes Executive Board; the NAACP Entertainment Industry Advisory Board; the Governing Council of the Los Angeles-India Film Council; and the Board of Trustees of the Swarovski Foundation. Dean Schwartz was just appointed by the University of California’s Board of Regents to the California State Summer School for the Arts Board of Trustees.
Schwartz received the 2018 UCLA Community School Bruin Partnership Award for Service and Distinction; the 2015 CayFilm International Film Festival’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Film Producing; the 2013 American Spirit Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors for her Special Achievement in Educating New Filmmakers; and was named Variety’s 2012 Media Mentor of the Year.
Schwartz is a native of Los Angeles. She graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in English Literature from UCLA in 1971, and received her Master of Arts degree in Film from the University of London in 1973.