The Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children (MAAEYC) awarded BU Wheelock’s Dean David Chard with the Gwen Morgan Leadership Award at its Annual Award Ceremony on April 15. The award is given to an individual that has demonstrated leadership in improving the quality of care for children and families or to advancing the workforce and professional development opportunities for early education and care professionals.

“Dr. Chard was chosen for the prestigious Gwen Morgan Leadership Award because of his incredible commitment and dedication to the field of early childhood education,” said Hannah Riddle de Rojas, program manager at MAAYEC. “Dr. Chard’s leadership preserved the critical programming offered by Wheelock College.”

Dr. Morgan, who passed away in 2015, was a faculty member at historic Wheelock College and founded its Center for Career Development in the early 1990s, a trailblazing system of early childhood professional preparation.  She was an early childhood education advocate who served on the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) board from 1982 to 1986.

“Given Gwen’s contributions to the field, it’s a great honor to be recognized with this award in her name,” said Dr. Chard, who was recently named the permanent dean of BU Wheelock after serving as dean ad interim since the 2018 merger between the historic Wheelock College and BU’s School of Education.

Prior to joining BU, Dr. Chard was president of Wheelock College and served as dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University. He has held faculty positions at BU, the University of Texas at Austin, and served as associate dean in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. He holds a PhD in special education from the University of Oregon and a BS in mathematics and chemistry education from Central Michigan University.