As the Director of Research and Programs at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), Dr. Laura Stelitano is responsible for leading the teams that execute NCLD’s research and direct programmatic initiatives. Laura is a strategic thought-partner committed to enhancing the effectiveness and development of her teams, improving existing initiatives through a continuous improvement, and shaping new initiatives based on research and a systems-change approach. Laura has over a decade of experience leading educational research initiatives centered around making education equitable and accessible for students with disabilities, including through technical assistance, academic and policy-oriented research, and evaluation of youth-serving programs for young people with disabilities. At the American Institutes for Research, Laura supported technical assistance efforts related to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Intensive Interventions with the National Center on Intensive Interventions. As a policy researcher with the RAND Corporation, Laura led reports synthesizing findings from nationally representative panels of school leaders and teachers about their preparedness, support needs, and practices for educating students with disabilities. Laura explored the intersection between special education and the charter sector at the Center for Learner Equity and led a collaborative team of experts and practitioners to report on the pandemic’s impact on students with disabilities. At Eye to Eye National, Laura worked with leaders of programs serving neurodivergent youth to create program evaluation plans and drive continuous improvement. These experiences have grown Laura’s expertise in driving strategy at the intersection of research, policy, and practice for students with disabilities.

Laura earned a B.A. in Anthropology from St. Vincent College, a M.Ed. in Special Education from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in Learning Sciences and Policy.