Leila Nuland

Leila is former K-12 practitioner and education researcher who joined Hanover Research with an interest in supporting district leaders’ decision-making. She currently serves as the Senior Managing Director of the K-12 Research and Professional Services division which works with over 350 public school districts and 11 state education agencies and is passionate about bridging the gap between rigorous research and practice.
As a white Latina who grew up with family whose skin is significantly darker than her own, she became keenly aware of how skin color shapes individuals' lived realities at a very young age--she saw cousins who were treated differently in school and out in the world. At the same time, growing up without teachers or peers who understood here culture was challenging and was her primary motivation for entering the teaching profession because she wants to improve the educational experiences for all students. She understands how much her public school experience influenced her sense of self and belonging—She did not feel like she belonged so she strives to change the public education experience for future generations of students.

She is a former classroom teacher turned business executive. Leila has broad experience building products and services studying systems that support district- and school-level leaders and classroom staff. Her team develops and executes research agendas and delivers consulting services to build K-12 organizations’ capacity to plan and implement equitable policies and programming that supports staff and students.