Alison Easterling Appointed Lawrenceville Dean of Academics

The Lawrenceville School has named Alison Easterling as its Dean of Academics, effective July 1, 2021. In this role, Easterling will be responsible for ensuring that a Lawrenceville education meets the very highest standard and that classroom pedagogy and course offerings remain forward-thinking and directly relevant to the world that students are being prepared to navigate. She will also partner with the School’s Dean of Faculty and department chairs to provide leadership in curriculum, Harkness teaching, experiential learning, cultural competency, and teaching technologies. Easterling currently serves as both Lawrenceville’s Associate Dean of Faculty and a history teacher.

“Over the course of her significant tenure at Lawrenceville, as an outstanding classroom teacher, department chair, Head of House, coach, and associate dean, Alison has consistently demonstrated dedicated scholarship, relentless work ethic, deep-seated integrity, and unstinting commitment to the School. As we interviewed her, I was struck by her ability to approach a series of complicated questions with her characteristic methodical thought process combined with a fresh, creative spirit. She is extraordinarily well equipped to build on the excellent work of our current Dean of Academics, Dave Laws,” said Head of School Steve Murray, co-chair of the Dean of Academics Search Committee.

Easterling began her Lawrenceville career in 2005. Since then, she has held leadership roles in nearly all areas of School life, most recently as Associate Dean of Faculty. Easterling has served on a number of critical committees for the School, advising on academics, athletics, strategic planning, and pace and quality of life. She is currently part of the School’s COVID-19 Contingency Planning Committee, helping to design the School’s first-ever online schedule and associated faculty training during the School’s transition to remote learning.

In her current role as Associate Dean of Faculty, she partners with the Dean of Faculty and Human Resources Office on teacher recruitment, professional development, and retention, and is a mentor to new department chairs. Easterling oversees the recruitment and hiring portions of Lawrenceville’s Woods Teaching Fellows Program and the University of Pennsylvania Independent Schools Teaching Residency program. She was the co-chair of the School’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and is currently co-chair of the Task Force on Recruitment and Retention, which is focusing primarily on strategies for hiring and retaining faculty and staff of color. 

As history department chair, she set departmental priorities, including a scope and sequence for student research in grades nine-12. She has taught a broad range of history classes, and developed senior electives on the history of modern Latin America and women and gender history in the United States. 
 
Easterling has contributed to Lawrenceville’s residential life as a Head of House and to athletics as a boys’ and girls’ track coach. She has also been a part of the School’s experiential learning initiatives, chaperoning student trips in Africa, Europe, and North America. 

“I am grateful and honored to have the opportunity to serve The Lawrenceville School as Dean of Academics. I am eager to work with department chairs on key initiatives that will support the academic strengths of the School, and develop creative solutions that will continue to move us forward. I also see my role as partnering with all faculty members to support our work with students in the classroom and beyond. As Dean of Academics, I am committed to leading with transparency, approachability, curiosity, and collaboration. I'm excited to continue to work with the outstanding faculty of The Lawrenceville School in this new role,” said Easterling.

Easterling serves on the Board of Trustees for the French-American School of Princeton, N.J., and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent School’s Professional Development Committee. She earned a Master of Arts in Medieval Studies from the University of York (U.K.) and a Bachelor of Arts in Medieval Studies from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.