LaChan V Hannon, PhD
LaChan V. Hannon, PhD is the Director of Teacher Preparation & Innovation and an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University Newark. LaChan earned her PhD in teacher education and teacher development and believes that schools improve when they intentionally engage families and communities. Her scholarly work focuses on the intersectionality of race, disability, and parent engagement as they relate to the development of school leaders and educators. LaChan’s research interests focus on racialized teacher identity development, self-study in teacher education, and school welcomeness. Her TEDx Talk titled Young, Gifted & Black with Autism used in college classrooms across the country. LaChan has published articles and chapters in academic texts including: International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, Contemporary Justice Review, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and Self-Studies in Urban Teacher Education. LaChan is the current president of the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Nationally, LaChan was appointed to the AACTE Global Diversity Committee and Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Committee board.
After spending seven years as a high school teacher and desiring to broaden her professional skill set, LaChan transitioned into early intervention services as a teacher for preschool children with developmental disabilities. She would then become the behavioral health and rehabilitative services director that provides support to children and adolescents with diagnosed disabilities between the ages of 3-19. Dr. Hannon returned to the classroom with a professional focus on increasing teacher confidence and knowledge working with students with disabilities in general educational settings. She completed a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership/Teacher Leadership from Pennsylvania State University as well as special education certificates in Educating Individuals with Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. LaChan graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor of arts in English and a minor in sociology.
Currently, Dr. Hannon presents at both local and national conferences on topics of autism education, culturally responsive school practices, and educational leadership. She and her husband Dr. Michael D. Hannon co-founded the 501c3 non-profit organization Greater Expectations Teaching and Advocacy Center Inc (GETAC) as a means to support families with children with developmental differences in addition to education professionals through parent workshops, professional development, and advocacy support. She is the mother of two adult children, one of whom is an autistic individual. LaChan is an advocate for equitable access to quality education, a supporter of teacher learning, and a believer that schools improve when they intentionally engage families and communities in the education of their children.
