|
|
| |
|
About the Researcher
The Mindful Leadership Study is the doctoral dissertation research project of Metta McGarvey, an
advanced doctoral candidate working in adult development in the Human Development and
Psychology Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her thesis research focuses on
the development of emotion-related skills and capacities in the context of leadership
development training programs, and in particular, mindfulness as a potential catalyst for
adult emotional development.
Faculty Committee
Metta's research is being conducted under the supervision of three Harvard faculty members who
serve on her dissertation committee:
Robert Kegan, William and Miriam Meehan Professor in Adult Learning and Professional
Development, is Metta's advisor and the dissertation committee chairperson.
Professor Kegan's research addresses the potential for ongoing
psychological transformation in the adult years, in particular the "fit" between a person's
current capacities and the demands placed upon him or her, and the implications for designing
training/educational programs with optimal supports and challenges to catalyze further
development. He is the author of In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life
(1994, Harvard University Press), and with Lisa Laskow Lahey of How the Way We Talk Can
Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation (2000, Harvard University
Press). Metta is currently the senior Teaching Fellow for Professor Kegan's course "Adult
Development" at Harvard. For more information about Dr. Kegan, please see:
Kegan Faculty Profile.
Jerome Murphy, Harold Howe II Professor of Education, and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Graduate
School of Education, is the second dissertation committee member. Professor Murphy's current research
focuses on the "unheroic" aspects of leadership - the inner and outer tools and strategies by
which leaders work with the confusion, pain, and difficulties of leadership to enhance their
effectiveness. His prior research focused on administrative practice, organizational
leadership and management, program implementation and evaluation, and qualitative research
methods. Professor Murphy served as Associate Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of
Education from 1982 until 1991, then as Dean from 1992-2001. Metta is currently the Teaching
Fellow for Professor Murphy's two semester course "Leading and Managing Organizations."
For more information about Dr. Murphy, please see:
Murphy Faculty Profile.
Michael Nakkula, Research Associate, Harvard Graduate School of Education, is the third
dissertation committee member. Currently a full-time researcher, Dr. Nakkula has conducted several
longitudinal studies primarily promoting development for at-risk youth in urban settings.
He is the Co-founder and Director of Project IF: Inventing the Future (1993-present), a
youth development and prevention collaborative project of the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Boston Public Schools, and Boston-Area
subsidized housing. He is the author (with Sharon Ravitch) of Matters of Interpretation:
Reciprocal Transformation in Therapeutic and Developmental Relationships with Youth
(1994, Jossey Bass), and with Eric Toshalis of Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development
for Educators (2006, Harvard Education Press). Metta was previously a Teaching Fellow
for Professor Nakkula's course "Adolescent Development" prior to his full-time research
appointment. Dr. Nakkula has recently accepted a faculty position with the University of
Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and will resume teaching there in January 2008.
Please click:
Nakkula Project If for an article about Dr. Nakkula's work.
Education & Research Experience
EDUCATION
Harvard University Doctoral Candidate, Graduate School of Education,
Human Development & Psychology. Degree expected June 2009.
Harvard University Master of Theological Studies. Divinity School, 1999. Tibetan Buddhism & language.
University of Chicago Bachelor of Arts. Tutorial Studies, 1981 with honors. Psychology & Religions.
Oxford University Senior year semester abroad, 1980. Theravada Buddhism and Sanskrit.
RESEACH EXPERIENCE
Massachusetts General Hospital, 2004-2005. Research Assistant, Dept. of Psychiatric Neuroimaging. fMRI study of experienced meditators.
Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2001-2002. Research Assistant, Change Leadership Group. Subject-Object Interview data collection.
The Evaluation Center, 1999-2000. Research Assistant, Western Michigan University. Evaluation of charter schools in the state of Connecticut.
Publications
Peer Reviewed:
Lazar, S.W., Kerr, C., Wasserman, R., Gray, J.R., Greve, D.N., Treadway, M.T.,
McGarvey, M., Quinn, B.T., Dusek, J.A., Benson, H., Rauch, S.L., Moore, C.I., &
Fischl, B. (2005). Meditation Experience is Associated with Increased Cortical
Thickness. NeuroReport, 16(17), pp. 1893-1897.
Other:
Brown, S., & McGarvey, M. (2005). Magnificent Migrants: Shorebirds of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
Wildlife Refuge Magazine.
Professional Experience
LEADERSHIP/WORK EXPERIENCE
Prior to returning to graduate school, Metta worked primarily in the non-profit
sector as a consultant, a board member, and in staff positions with organizations including:
Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, The Mind & Life Institute, International Campaign
for Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet, Cornell University Public Service Center, Nicaraguan
Work Project, the Quest for Peace Campaign, and the Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, MI.
She also ran a campaign for U.S. Congress in Michigan's 11th Congressional District.
MINDFULNESS EXPERIENCE
Metta has practiced mindfulness for 25 years, primarily through a vipassana meditation
practice (for more information about vipassana meditation and the retreat centers
where Metta practices, please see: Insight
Meditation Society). She also holds undergraduate and masters degrees in Theravada and
Tibetan Buddhist Studies respectively. She completed the practicum in Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical
Center in Worcester in 2004, and has been teaching mindfulness and stress reduction since
2005.
Personal Interests
Outside of academic life Metta prioritizes family and outdoor activities. She has been married
for 14 years, with two stepchildren (ages 21 & 18). She has assisted her biologist
husband with his research in the Alaskan arctic wilderness during several summer field
seasons. Back home in New England she enjoys biking, hiking, canoeing, and nordic skiing,
and lives on Boston's South Shore where she enjoys swimming and sea kayaking on Cape Cod Bay.
|
|