Dr Leland S McGee is a faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). His academic credentials include a BS from Brown University, a JD from Rutgers Law School, and a Master’s and EdD from Penn GSE.

Dr McGee’s research focuses on advancing education equity through the translation of research to practice, emphasising learner-centred and community-engaged education. His vision encompasses a K-20+ education continuum aimed at producing competent civic citizens, including a comprehensive view of post-secondary education that spans two-year, four-year and trade school institutions.

At Penn GSE, Dr McGee holds the Inaugural Senior Associate Director position in the Office of Student Success. He co-directs the Penn Experience Course, an asynchronous programme designed to enhance students’ understanding of Penn’s historical role in the social development of West Philadelphia. It also prepares them for challenging conversations about diverse social issues. Additionally, he co-founded and manages the GSE Writing Commons, which supports academic writing by meeting students where they are, creating supportive hybrid writing spaces, cultivating writing skills and recognising the integral role of people’s identities.

Dr McGee also has an extensive legal background. Before becoming an academic, he served in various government roles, including New Jersey Deputy Attorney General, Deputy Ratepayer Advocate and Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of East Orange. His legal career culminated in his appointment as a New Jersey Administrative Law Judge.

Currently, as Principal Investigator for the Indigenous Consciousness Education Research (ICER) project at Anant National University, Dr McGee investigates how communities understand their local funds of knowledge/local knowledge systems. This project integrates community-engaged ethnographic and anthropological methodologies that respect local educational traditions and aims to contribute to sustainable educational practices globally. The project includes four phases: Convening, Research Seminar, Regional Research and Policy Development. The initial Convening will be held in Summer 2025.