
Always approachable and easy to talk to.
Carol A. Mullen, PhD, is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the School of Education at Virginia Tech, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. She earned her PhD and master's degrees from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and her bachelor's degree from York University in Toronto. Mullen has held significant leadership positions, including director of the School of Education, president of the Society of Professors of Education, and incoming president of the University Council for Educational Administration. She served as editor of the Mentoring & Tutoring journal (Routledge) and was named editor emerita by the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership. Her academic interests focus on educational leadership and mentoring, social justice and equity, policy studies, curriculum and instruction, creativity, and international education. As a Fulbright Senior Scholar alumnus, she conducted research on education issues in China.
Mullen is an award-winning researcher and mentor who has authored or edited 28 academic books and published more than 235 peer-reviewed articles and over 240 book chapters in high-impact journals. Key publications include the two-volume Handbook of Social Justice Interventions in Education (2022), The Risky Business of Education Policy (2022, Routledge), Revealing Creativity (2020, Springer Nature), Canadian Indigenous Literature and Art: Decolonizing Education, Culture, and Society (2020, Brill), Under Duress? Education Policy and Social Justice (2019, Springer), Education Policy Perils: Parsing Policy and Politics (2015, Routledge), Shifting to Fit: Education Policy in an Era of Globalized Neoliberalism (2014), and The Leadership Identity Journey: Charting Pathways from Invisible to Visible (2014). Her honors encompass the 2021 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Research (Virginia Tech), 2020 XCaliber Award for Excellence in Technology Assisted Teaching and Learning (Virginia Tech), 2019 Alumni Award for Excellence in Research (Virginia Tech), 2021 Outstanding Book Award (Society of Professors of Education), 2020 Theodore Creighton Publication Innovation Award (International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership), 2020 Excellence (OISE Leaders and Legends) Award (University of Toronto), 2017 Living Legend Award (National Council of Professors of Educational Administration), and 2016 Jay D. Scribner Mentoring Award (University Council for Educational Administration).
