Jen Neitzel, Ph.D.

Dr. Jen Neitzel is a researcher and advocate focused on racial equity and justice in early childhood education. Neitzel earned a Bachelor of Science in child development from the University of Pittsburgh and began her career as a teacher working with young children experiencing significant behavioral challenges. She later obtained a master's degree in early intervention from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and taught in a model demonstration classroom for toddlers with autism at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Neitzel holds a doctorate in early childhood education from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Neitzel served as a research scientist and technical assistance provider at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute for 15 years, concentrating on implicit bias, disparities in suspensions and expulsions, trauma, and culturally responsive anti-bias practices. Her research has examined disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions of young Black children, the impact of implicit biases in early childhood, sources of trauma, and systems change in education.

Neitzel founded the Educational Equity Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina, dedicated to promoting equity and justice through racial healing and systems change. As executive director, she leads efforts to address systemic inequities in education by providing targeted training for educators and education leaders in social justice, the trauma of historical racism, and community engagement in developing anti-racism programs and policies. Neitzel collaborates with school systems, social justice advocates, and community members to address the ongoing trauma of racism. Her work emphasizes early childhood education, educational equity, and improving behavioral management practices to support student well-being and engagement.

Neitzel is published in peer-reviewed journals and is the author of "Achieving Equity and Justice in Education Through the Work of Systems Change." She is also the co-editor and author of "The Handbook of Racial Equity in Early Childhood Education." Neitzel presents at state and national conferences, contributing to ongoing conversations about educational equity, anti-bias practices, and systems change in early childhood education.