Wanda Hadley

Photo of Wanda Hadley
Wanda Hadley
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in Higher Education
Office: 
(269) 387-3829
Location: 
3571 Sangren Hall, Mail Stop 5283
Mailing address: 
Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5283 USA
Education: 
  • Ph.D., Educational Leadership, University of Dayton
  • M.A., Counseling, Ohio State University
  • B.S., Secondary Education, Ohio State University
Bio: 

Wanda Hadley is an Associate Professor of higher education leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education leadership from the University of Dayton. She earned her M.A. degree in Counseling from Ohio State University as well as her B.S. degree in Secondary Education from Ohio State University.

Dr. Hadley is a Licensed Counselor and she focuses her research on the academic adjustment issues first-year students with learning disabilities experience in their transition to college through the lens of student development theory. She has an extensive refereed publication and presentation record about college students with learning disabilities. In 2015 in honor of the 25th year of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Dr. Hadley was recognized by the American College Personnel Association as one of the 25 scholars in the United States conducting research about college students with learning disabilities. In April 2017, she received the 2017 American College Personnel Association's Leadership Award for her research and scholarship about college students with learning disabilities. In October 2019, Dr. Hadley, along with the former Director of the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Alexa Posny, who served under President Barack Obama, was one of the invited panelists at Beacon College’s 30th anniversary celebration symposium. Beacon College is America’s first accredited baccalaureate school to education primarily students with learning disabilities (ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences). In November 2021, she was an invited participant in the Public Broadcasting Television Station (PBS) on ASK the EXPERTS segment about “Students with learning disabilities: Preparation for College.”  In May 2023, Dr. Hadley was invited for a second appearance on the Public Broadcasting Television Station (PBS) on ASK the EXPERTS segment about “Mental health and neurodivergent students.” Dr. Hadley serves on the editorial board of numerous higher education/student affairs journals and recently served on the board of the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA), a regional chapter of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).