Mary Lynn Boscardin

Mary Lynn Boscardin, Ph.D., is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she served as department chair for six years. She received the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award, an honor bestowed upon a select group of the college’s more than 35,000 living national and international alumni who have advanced and made outstanding contributions to the field of education.

As editor of the Journal of Special Education Leadership (JSEL), an international journal, she directs manuscript reviews and issue production, including abstracting. She has secured over $10 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), supporting more than 65 graduate students.

She served as president of the International Council for Administrators of Special Education (CASE) (2014–2016), leading the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, overseeing subcommittees, and managing the budget. She later served as president of the International Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) (2018–2019), an organization dedicated to advancing the success of children with exceptionalities through advocacy, standards, and professional development.

Dr. Boscardin has also served as a leadership consultant to several state and local education agencies, an evaluator for higher education leadership programs, and an active participant in school-based and community initiatives. Her work represents a significant commitment to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as national and international audiences.

Mary Lynn joined the Elizabeth Farrell Society in 2022.