Maren E. Oberman

Oberman’s doctoral research and practice focused on increasing the status, respect, and value of teachers through preparation, meaningful professional development, and building leadership capacity, with specific attention to reflective practice, inquiry-based improvement strategies, and criticality. Oberman’s work is now centered on liberatory educational practices for pre-service teachers and educational leaders.  She teaches courses that seek to advance justice-oriented education, both through interrogating White supremacy and de-centering whiteness, including Exploring Whiteness, Stories of Leadership & Liberation, Introduction to Leadership Development, and Teaching to Transgress.  Oberman also provides consultation and professional development to individuals, teams, and organizations in the areas of racial identity development, intergroup dialogue, and justice aims.  

Prior to joining the faculty at the Marsal Family School of Education, Oberman worked (in Massachusetts, Illinois, and California) as a K-12 teacher, an instructional coach, an administrator in schools and districts, and a teaching fellow at the graduate level. She earned her bachelor’s degree in African-American studies at Yale University, her master’s in Library Science from Simmons College, and her doctorate in educational leadership (EdLD) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, including a residency at the central office leadership level in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Through her work at LAUSD, Oberman completed her doctoral capstone, “Accountability, Coherence, and Improvement: Leadership Reflection and Growth in the Los Angeles Unified School District.”