Joanne Szamreta retired from Lesley in May 2018 after 37 years of service. She arrived at Lesley University having worked as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, an education supervisor, and a program director of two different early intervention programs for very young children with special needs and their families. With these experiences as an experiential foundation and more recent experience conducting research, consulting with schools, publishing and presenting at conferences, Dr. Szamreta integrates this knowledge and experience into her education and psychology courses. With a focus on hands-on activities, field visits and discussions as the center pieces of her teaching, Dr. Szamreta facilitates students' creating their own knowledge and integrating important theories with practice.
In addition, Dr. Szamreta works with a variety of different state agencies on public policy issues and initiatives affecting young children and their families as well as higher education programs.
She has a B.A. from Smith College, M.Ed. from Erikson Institute, and Ph.D. from Boston College.