July 2025

Bryan Brayboy has been selected to deliver the AERA Distinguished Lecture at the 2026 Annual Meeting, which will be held April 8–12, in Los Angeles.

Brayboy is the dean of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy and the Carlos Montezuma Professor of Education and Social Policy. An anthropologist of education by training, he explores the role of race and diversity in higher education and how culture and cultural practices can support Indigenous students and communities.

“Dr. Brayboy is a groundbreaking scholar of systems that hinder and enable underserved students and faculty,” said Felice J. Levine, AERA executive director. “His lecture will offer a compelling lens on equity, knowledge, and belonging in education and society. We look forward to learning from his deep insights.”

Brayboy is an AERA Fellow and member of the National Academy of Education. At the 2025 Annual Meeting he served as a panelist in the Opening Plenary session, which focused on the future of higher education in polarized times.

He is the author of more than 110 scholarly documents, including nine edited or authored volumes in addition to articles, book chapters, and policy briefs for the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Sciences.

The AERA Distinguished Lecture is one of the signature events of the Annual Meeting. Additional information about prominent sessions will be announced in future issues of Highlights and on the AERA website.