David J. Chard, Ph.D.  is a Professor of Special Education and recently stepped down as Dean of Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development after six years of service.  Prior to coming to BU, he served as the 14th President of Wheelock College. Dr. Chard has published more than 100 articles, monographs, book chapters, and books. He is a member of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities and has served in leadership roles in numerous professional organizations. Dr. Chard has been a classroom teacher in California, Michigan, and in the U. S. Peace Corps in Lesotho in southern Africa. In 2011, Chard was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences and served two consecutive terms.  He is co-author with Dr. Mary Churchill of the book, When Colleges Close: Leading in a Time of Crisis (Hopkins Press, 2021).

Dr. Chard’s research interests have included the development and validation of evidence-based practices on academic outcomes for students with learning disabilities in literacy and mathematics. He has also studied early assessment practices to identify areas of prevention support. Much of the latter part of his career has been focused on leadership in higher education.