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Dr. Lauren McNamara is an educational psychologist, Ashoka Fellow, and systems change leader whose work helps schools, organizations, and communities better understand how everyday environments shape children’s well-being, belonging, engagement, and development.
Widely recognized for her award-winning work advancing research, policy, and systems change in recess and schoolyard design, she explores how social connection, play, mental health, and everyday environments shape human development.
Through speaking, advising, research, and collaborative design, she brings together evidence, lived experience, and powerful storytelling to help people see complex challenges in more human, hopeful, and actionable ways.
Belonging and Social Connection • School Engagement • Schoolyards & Recess • Inclusion & Universal Design • Prevention and Health Promotion
Consulting • Keynotes • Workshops • Leadership Learning • Strategic Facilitation • Advisory Collaborations
Inclusive Spaces • Schoolyards for Thought • Recess Project Canada •
Dr. McNamara's research and writing have appeared in academic journals, professional publications, policy statements, and national media conversations focused on child development, education, inclusion, health, and well-being.
She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from Simon Fraser University and an MS in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy. As part of her broader research on school climate, belonging, bullying, and school violence prevention, she founded Schoolyards For Thought and Recess Project Canada to explore how everyday school environments shape children’s social experiences, participation, and well-being.
In addition to her research and advisory work, Dr. McNamara has more than 25 years of university teaching experience and is a frequent keynote speaker, a consultant, author, and change leader. She is an Ashoka Fellow, HundrED Ambassador, co-founder of the Global Recess Alliance, and an invited member of the Royal Society of Canada’s Working Group on Children and Schools. She also serves as a Consulting Research Scientist with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University.
She has collaborated with local, national, and international organizations including UNICEF, Human Rights Commission, Chicago Children's Museum, Canadian Pediatric Association, Canadian Public Health Association, Global Recess Alliance, Chicago Public Schools, Center for Children and Technology, Outdoor Play Canada, and the Canadian Association of School System Administrators on initiatives related to children’s health, inclusion, rights, education, and well-being.