Nonie Lesaux appointed HGSE dean

Nonie K. Lesaux, the Roy Edward Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development, has been appointed dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Since July, Lesaux has functioned as interim dean.

“Over the past eight months, Nonie has guided as interim dean with an exceptional mix of enthusiasm and understanding,” stated Harvard President Alan M. Garber. “In the face of unparalleled difficulties affecting both K-12 and higher education, she has proven her capability to rise to the occasion, approaching her responsibilities with bravery, humility, and respect, fueled always by a profound sense of duty towards the School and its essential mission.”

Lesaux, a developmental psychologist, has dedicated her career to enhancing learning opportunities and literacy results for children and youth while leading systemic change within education.

Currently, she is co-director of the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Ed School, which tackles the worldwide challenge of scaling and elevating the standard of early education through research, development for educational leaders, and graduate training. The Zaentz initiative features the Early Learning Study at Harvard, a pioneering statewide investigation examining the influences of early education and care environments on children’s learning and growth.

“This is a challenging period for the education sector,” Lesaux remarked. “However, I see no other institution more suited to address contemporary requirements. In the eight months I have held the position of interim dean, I’ve observed how our Ed School community has stepped up to critically and collaboratively reflect on our mission and efforts in service to society. Our united endeavor is more crucial today than ever before.”

A well-respected academic and educator, Lesaux has authored and edited a multitude of scholarly works on children’s literacy growth and learning. She has also transformed concepts from her research into several publications aimed at school leaders and educators.

This research has shaped how states and districts approach reading instruction nationwide, influencing Massachusetts legislation designed to promote third-grade reading proficiency. Her findings were also instrumental in creating a framework for literacy reform in New York City and Chicago public schools.

Lesaux has held leadership positions at both national and state levels, including membership on the U.S. Department of Education’s Reading First Advisory Committee and the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council’s Committee on the Science of Children from Birth to Age 8.

Additionally, she chaired the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care from 2015 to 2022, overseeing the state agency responsible for licensing and supporting childcare and community-based programs for young children.

Previously, she has taken on roles in institutional leadership at the Ed School, including academic dean and faculty director of doctoral studies.

“I am thrilled that Nonie Lesaux will assume the role of dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education,” remarked Provost John F. Manning. “She is a cooperative, inventive, and motivating leader who will guide HGSE with excellence.”

Lesaux joined the Ed School faculty in 2003 as an assistant professor. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia and was a postdoctoral research fellow at BC Children’s Hospital. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology, with honors, from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada.

Lesaux has received numerous accolades, including the William T. Grant Scholars Award and the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest recognition bestowed by the U.S. government to young professionals at the beginning of their independent research journeys. In 2019, she was inducted into the National Academy of Education.

She serves on the board of the Spencer Foundation and acts as an expert consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section.

Lesaux succeeds Bridget Long, the Saris Professor of Education and Economics at the Ed School and a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, who departed from the position at the close of the last academic year.