Kathleen McCartney is the Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development and dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a position she has held since 2006. In collaboration with a dedicated faculty and administrative team, she has implemented a strategic plan to create a new degree program, the doctorate in education leadership (EdLD). McCartney’s research program concerns early experience and development, and she has published more than 150 articles and chapters on child care, early childhood education, and poverty. She is a member of the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network and is co-editor of The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development and Best Practices in Developmental Research Methods. In 2009, she received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Society for Research in Child Development. She is also a fellow of the American Education Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society.