Lisa Dickey
Lisa Kay Dickey is an educator and leader with over 30 years of experience in early childhood education, program administration, higher education, and professional preparation. She joins the National College of Education as an Assistant Professor, bringing a career grounded in both hands-on practice and visionary leadership.
After beginning her career in the early childhood classroom, Lisa advanced into leadership roles shaped by a deep commitment to strategic planning, organizational development, and the intentional design of environments that foster belonging, exploration, and connection for children, families, and staff.
A 2010 graduate of NLU’s Early Childhood Administration program, she returned to the University as an adjunct instructor in 2016 and later transitioned into the role of Professional Adjunct Lecturer in the National College of Education. Most recently, Lisa served as Program Manager for the Early Childhood Faculty Preparation program, where she created internship pathways, developed professional learning structures, and designed innovative systems to promote sustained student engagement and long-term student success. Her expertise spans strategic leadership development, responsive early childhood program design, and the creation of dynamic, high-impact learning experiences in both undergraduate and graduate education.
Lisa is committed to advancing the field of early childhood education by cultivating competencies in strategic leadership and honoring the administrator’s role as a powerful driver of transformative change in the early childhood profession. With a growing interest in how leadership identity, dispositions, and creativity influence professional practice, she is passionate about preparing the next generation of early childhood professionals to lead with vision, passion, and purpose. She is honored to continue her journey with NLU and looks forward to contributing to a collaborative learning community that values innovation, inquiry, and the evolving role of leadership in our field.
