Dr. Walter Gilliam

Walter Gilliam is the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development at the University of Nebraska. He is a tenured professor at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and a professor adjunct at the Yale Child Study Center. He is frequently quoted in major national and international news outlets, and actively provides consultation and invited testimony to decision-makers in the U.S. and other countries. Dr. Gilliam was co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. His research and scholarly writing address early childhood care and education, early childhood mental health, school readiness, developmental assessment of young children, and race and gender disparities in early childhood, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. He is most known for his work on preschool expulsion and suspension, early childhood mental health consultation, and race and gender bias in early childhood settings.