Lori Nathanson, Ph.D.

Lori Nathanson, Ph.D., is a researcher with expertise in emotional intelligence, who values both evidence and emotions. As a yogi, she integrates body and mind by teaching yoga and through her own practice. As a facilitator, Lori integrates her professional and personal learning in the service of others. She is a dynamic trainer, facilitator, and coach who deeply considers her audience when preparing engaging learning experiences.

Lori’s career is devoted to equity and excellence in education, rooted in a belief that social and emotional learning (SEL) is a powerful lever to increase equity. With a decade of experience in SEL, she is able to synthesize high-level information on the spot and draw practical connections to both formal and information educational settings.

Her own public school education in Norwalk, CT, set Lori up to attend and work at world class universities. She is a Duke Blue Devil first and University of Virginia Wahoo second. As an undergraduate, she created a personalized program of study combining psychology, education, and policy at Duke University (BA). Lori continued with interdisciplinary studies for her doctorate at the University of Virginia (PhD). A Yale postdoctoral fellowship expanded her school-based experience by implementing and studying RULER, an approach to teaching emotional intelligence. As research faculty at NYU and Yale University, she honed her research skills and connected research to practice and policy with an emotional intelligence focus.