Kathleen Gallagher
Quality Early Care and Education Revisited: What It Means and What It Takes
Kathleen (Kate) Gallagher joined the Buffett Institute in 2018
as director of research and evaluation. Her work focuses on
developing applied research and evaluation studies involving
children from birth – Grade 3, their families, and the early
childhood professionals who care for and teach young children.
Gallagher began her affiliation with the Buffett Institute in
2016 as the Cille and Ron Williams Community Chair for Early
Childhood Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The Williams Chair was the first of four endowed community
chairs that the Buffett Institute is working to establish across
the University of Nebraska system. Gallagher has more than 30
years’ experience as an early childhood professional and
educational psychologist, including teaching, home visiting, and
leading early childhood programs in early intervention and
inclusive preschools. Before coming to Nebraska in 2016,
Gallagher spent 13 years at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, where she taught in the School of Education and
served as a research scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child
Development Institute. Gallagher holds a doctorate in
educational psychology and human development from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned a master’s degree in
educational foundations from Marquette University and a
bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and special
education from Cardinal Stritch University.