Eleanor (Ellie) Drago-Severson

　

Ellie Drago-Severson is a Professor of Education Leadership and Adult Learning & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. As a developmental psychologist, teacher, consultant, developmental leadership coach, and researcher, Ellie is dedicated to supporting leadership development, professional and personal development, and organizational growth and to helping leaders create these conditions for adults in their organizations. Ellie teaches, conducts research and consults to leaders and organizations on professional and personal growth and learning, leadership that supports principal, faculty and school development, capacity building, leadership development, coaching, qualitative research, and mentoring in K–12 schools, university contexts, and other organizational contexts. She is also an internationally certified developmental coach who works with leaders to build internal capacity and achieve goals. 

She served as lead researcher on the Adult Development Team of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) at Harvard University and as teacher, program designer, and program director. She currently serves as director of the PhD Program in Education Leadership at Columbia University, consultant and professional developer in a variety of educational contexts including K-12 schools, higher education, adult education centers, organizations, and ABE/ESOL programs (domestically and internationally). Ellie has published four recent books, Helping Educators Grow: Practices and Strategies for Leadership Development (Harvard Education Press, 2012), Leading Adult Learning: Supporting Adult Growth in our Schools (Corwin/Sage, 2009), Becoming Adult Learners: Principles and Practices for Effective Development (Teachers College Press, 2004), and Helping Teachers Learn: Principal Leadership for Adult Growth and Development (Corwin Press, 2004), which offer a new learning-oriented model for supporting adult growth in schools and other educational sectors. Helping Teachers Learn won the 2004 National Staff Development Council’s (NSDC) Outstanding Book of the Year Award. Leading Adult Learning was selected as the NSDC’s Book of Fall 2009.