Lauren Wells, Ph.D.

Lauren Wells (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at Kean University. A former classroom teacher, community organizer, and Chief Education Officer for the City of Newark, Dr. Wells has spent over 20 years working alongside communities to confront institutional harm and reimagine how schools, educators, and policymakers engage in educational and social change—particularly with and for Black students and families.

Her research and practice are grounded in the belief that true transformation must be systemic, relational, and rooted in the epistemologies of the communities it aims to serve.

Dr. Wells holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of There Are No Deficits Here: Disrupting Anti-Blackness in Education (Corwin Press).