Karen Marrongelle to Head NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate
Karen Marrongelle to Head NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate
 
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August 2018

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that Karen Marrongelle will head the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). EHR supports fundamental research on learning and teaching, and programs and scholarship that promote excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. EHR funds the majority of NSF's research and development in science and engineering education.

During her career, Marrongelle has focused on understanding the causes of disparities in educational opportunities and conceiving systems for addressing those issues. A deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a hallmark of her leadership in the research community.

Since 2014, Marrongelle has served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University, where she has worked to implement student inclusivity measures and establish public-private partnerships to support research.

"We look forward to working with Dr. Marrongelle in her new role at NSF," said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. "We are pleased to welcome her back to NSF with her knowledge of this important agency and its potential for leadership in our science."

Marrongelle's appointment represents a return to EHR. From 2007 to 2009, she served as a program director in the Division on Research and Learning.

Jim Lewis, who has served in this position since January 2015, will be returning to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where he is the Aaron Douglas Professor of Mathematics and director of the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education.

Marrongelle has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and philosophy from Albright College, a master's degree in mathematics from Lehigh University, and a doctorate in mathematics education from the University of New Hampshire.