Lydia currently serves both as an associate director at the Center and as teaching faculty with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She has a bachelor of arts degree in Sociology (Georgetown University), a master of education degree in Special Education (University of Virginia), and a doctorate of philosophy in Development, Learning, and Diversity plus 42 credits in Leadership, Policy, and Organizations (Vanderbilt University). Prior work experiences include teaching at public schools (Fairfax County, VA), conducting education research (on projects funded by the American Educational Research Association and the National Science Foundation), and coauthoring a couple of journal articles (in American Journal of Education and Cognition and Instruction, for example).