Leigh Alley

Title	Coordinator of Teacher Education Assistant Professor of Education University of Maine at Augusta
E-mail	leigh.alley@maine.edu
Bio	A lifelong coastal Mainer and proud public educator, Dr. Leigh Alley is the Coordinator of Teacher Education at the University of Maine at Augusta, where she prepares educators to lead with empathy, adaptability, and a holistic mindset. Her teaching and research focus on whole-child education, trauma-informed practice, social-emotional learning (SEL), and educator resilience in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. Dr. Alley designed the world’s first dedicated Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Whole Child Education—a pioneering graduate program rooted in neuroscience and holistic pedagogy. At UMA, she teaches courses such as The Whole Child, Educator Self-Care and Resilience, and Trauma-Sensitive Practices, helping educators sustain both their purpose and effectiveness in classrooms where they foreground wholeness-centered teaching and learning. Dr. Alley is the co-founder of xSELeratED, a consulting and professional learning collaborative that supports educators in implementing SEL-integrated leadership and teaching strategies. She also served for nearly a decade as Executive Director of Maine ASCD, leading state- and nationwide efforts in curriculum and instructional leadership, and receiving a global award from ASCD, voted upon by its affiliate leaders in all 50 states and 128 countries, for excellence in professional learning design. Nationally, Dr. Alley serves on the advisory board for the Institute for Humane Education, where she contributes to Solutionary curriculum and leadership approaches grounded in ethics, empathy, and systems thinking. She is also a featured contributor and incubator host with The Worthy Educator, a platform devoted to sustaining educator well-being and purpose-driven practice. In addition to her academic and consulting work, Dr. Alley is the award-winning author of the Shiny Friends Super Squad Social-Emotional Learning series for tweens, which promotes emotional intelligence, centers strong and relatable female protagonists, and fosters impactful reflection and discussion. The series has received multiple honors, including the Northern Lights Book Award in both 2023 and 2024, and achieved #1 New Release status on Amazon.com. Dr. Alley holds a B.A. in English from the University of Maine at Machias and an Ed.D. in Transformative Leadership from the University of New England, along with a number of other advanced graduate degrees in educational leadership, literacy, and curriculum development. Through her work in higher education, policy, and publishing, she continues to champion the development of compassionate, reflective, and resilient educators and learners across Maine and beyond. Education CEEL, Early Education Leadership. Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2021. EdD, Transformative Leadership. University of New England, 2016. CAGS, Literacy. University of New England, 2012. CAGS, Advanced Educational Leadership. University of New England, 2010. MSEd, Instruction. Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, 2007. BA, English, summa cum laude. University of Maine at Machias, 2002.

Title

Coordinator of Teacher Education Assistant Professor of Education University of Maine at Augusta

E-mail

Bio

A lifelong coastal Mainer and proud public educator, Dr. Leigh Alley is the Coordinator of Teacher Education at the University of Maine at Augusta, where she prepares educators to lead with empathy, adaptability, and a holistic mindset. Her teaching and research focus on whole-child education, trauma-informed practice, social-emotional learning (SEL), and educator resilience in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

Dr. Alley designed the world’s first dedicated Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Whole Child Education—a pioneering graduate program rooted in neuroscience and holistic pedagogy. At UMA, she teaches courses such as The Whole Child, Educator Self-Care and Resilience, and Trauma-Sensitive Practices, helping educators sustain both their purpose and effectiveness in classrooms where they foreground wholeness-centered teaching and learning.

Dr. Alley is the co-founder of xSELeratED, a consulting and professional learning collaborative that supports educators in implementing SEL-integrated leadership and teaching strategies. She also served for nearly a decade as Executive Director of Maine ASCD, leading state- and nationwide efforts in curriculum and instructional leadership, and receiving a global award from ASCD, voted upon by its affiliate leaders in all 50 states and 128 countries, for excellence in professional learning design.

Nationally, Dr. Alley serves on the advisory board for the Institute for Humane Education, where she contributes to Solutionary curriculum and leadership approaches grounded in ethics, empathy, and systems thinking. She is also a featured contributor and incubator host with The Worthy Educator, a platform devoted to sustaining educator well-being and purpose-driven practice.

In addition to her academic and consulting work, Dr. Alley is the award-winning author of the Shiny Friends Super Squad Social-Emotional Learning series for tweens, which promotes emotional intelligence, centers strong and relatable female protagonists, and fosters impactful reflection and discussion. The series has received multiple honors, including the Northern Lights Book Award in both 2023 and 2024, and achieved #1 New Release status on Amazon.com.

Dr. Alley holds a B.A. in English from the University of Maine at Machias and an Ed.D. in Transformative Leadership from the University of New England, along with a number of other advanced graduate degrees in educational leadership, literacy, and curriculum development. Through her work in higher education, policy, and publishing, she continues to champion the development of compassionate, reflective, and resilient educators and learners across Maine and beyond.

Education

CEEL, Early Education Leadership. Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2021.

EdD, Transformative Leadership. University of New England, 2016.

CAGS, Literacy. University of New England, 2012.

CAGS, Advanced Educational Leadership. University of New England, 2010.

MSEd, Instruction. Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, 2007.

BA, English, summa cum laude. University of Maine at Machias, 2002.