College of Education Dean Robert McPherson has been ranked No. 21 on a list of The 30 Most Influential Deans of Education in the United States by Mometrix Test Preparation.  Mometrix is a Texas-based global company that produces test preparation materials for college entry exams and certification tests.

The list was compiled by researchers who analyzed the following factors: state and national awards and honors; education program rankings; individual degree program rankings; and the level of pay received by the institution's alumni.

A member of the National Academies of Practice, McPherson is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He is a former member of the APA Council of Representatives, and has served in former capacities as president of the Texas Psychological Association (TPA), and chair of the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs.

McPherson has been Dean of the College of Education since 2012.  Over the past four years, he has lead the College in a transformation including participating in the National Council for Teacher Quality (NCTQ) Inspectorate to ensure a strong educational pipeline.  Following their review, NCTQ, an organization that strives to increase the number of effective teachers through advocacy of teacher policy reforms, has ranked three University of Houston College of Education programs in the top 25 of the nation’s best teacher preparation programs. Under McPherson’s leadership, the College’s online graduate programs have been ranked #1 by US News and World Report.

He is recipient of the American Psychological Association's Karl Heiser Award in recognition for his state and national advocacy contributions on behalf of psychologists and their patients. 

McPherson is also co-founder of Psychological Software Solutions which provides consultative services and web-based behavioral management and progress monitoring systems for schools.