Shannon Wanless

Shannon Wanless, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Director of the Office of Child Development (OCD) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. As a 2024 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, she focuses on dismantling silos among child-serving professionals to advance equity and social justice in early childhood ecosystems.

• Key roles: OCD Director, SEL researcher, educator, Fulbright Scholar
• Research priorities: Social-emotional learning (SEL) with equity lens, racial identity development, community-driven policy

Her work bridges academic research and practical implementation, emphasizing collaboration between practitioners, policymakers, and families. OCD projects under her leadership include P.R.I.D.E. (Positive Racial Identity Development) and the Pittsburgh Study’s 3Rs (Reading, Racial Equity, Relationships) initiative.

• 2024 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow
• Chair, AERA Social Emotional Learning SIG
• Kellogg Foundation grant recipient ($1.08M for PRIDE program)

Wanless teaches early childhood preservice educators in the C.A.S.E. program and studies how organizational climates foster anti-oppressive practices. Her global research includes SEL in collectivist cultures (Taiwan Fulbright) and cross-national child development studies.