Heather Wathington

Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Dr. Heather Wathington is an assistant professor of education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, and a Data Coach for Achieving the Dream. As an Achieving the Dream Data Coach, Dr. Wathington consults three community colleges and one historically Black institution with an interest in improving their student retention and graduation rates, particularly for low-income students and students of color. Her research focuses on the academic achievement of low-income students and students of color in higher education, with a specific focus on understanding the educational contexts, levers, and practices that promote greater academic success for these students.

Much of her current work is part of The National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR). Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the Department of Education, NCPR was established in 2006 to study the effectiveness of programs designed to help underprepared students advance to a degree. The Center is a collaborative partnership with the Community College Research Center in Teachers College at Columbia University, MDRC, University of Virginia, and a professor at Harvard University. The Center has published a series of reports detailing how learning communities and summer accelerated bridge programs affect the academic outcomes of developmental students. In addition to conducting research and teaching, Dr. Wathington serves as the Board Chair for the Maya Angelou Schools in Washington, DC. The Maya Angelou Schools are a multi-campus collaboration of charter schools and schools for disconnected youth dedicated to empowering young people to reach their potential and to transition to college, career, and a lifetime of success.

Prior to her appointment at the University of Virginia, Dr. Wathington served as senior research officer at Lumina Foundation for Education. Before joining the Lumina Foundation, she served as director of programs in the office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, D.C.

Educational Background: Dr. Wathington is an honors graduate of Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and earned a master's degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. She has her doctorate from the University of Michigan in Higher and Postsecondary Education.