About Dr. Gooden
Professionally
Mark Anthony Gooden is the Christian Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership and Director of the Endeavor Antiracist & Restorative Leadership Initiative (EARLI) in the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Mark’s research focuses broadly on culturally responsive school leadership with specific interests in principalship, anti-racist leadership, urban educational leadership, and legal issues in education. Mark is the 2017 recipient of the UCEA Jay D. Scribner Mentoring Award and the 2021 recipient of the UCEA Master Professor Award for distinguished service in teaching, curriculum development, and student mentoring. His research has appeared in a range of outlets, including American Educational Research Journal, Educational Administration Quarterly, Teachers College Record, Review of Educational Research, and The Journal of Negro Education & Urban Education. He is the Past President of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).
Personally
Away from work, Mark enjoys staying active with running, ping pong, tennis, and carting around his teenage daughter. He often struggles to separate work from play as he continues to learn by reading with a family book club and writing articles and books with friends. Mark loves to work on his grilling, speaking, and leadership skills. He enjoys long phone calls with his old friends and colleagues, new friends, and extended family and believes he should do these more. Mark is a diligent worker but a family man at heart and relishes time to sit in the presence of his family, even in moments of quiet. He is deeply invested in his disciplined beliefs in justice, fairness, and hard work. Mark has a deep appreciation of life and loves how opportunities to persevere, embrace constancy of purpose, seek connection, and find lots of humor often appear just when you need them.
Currently:
Dr. Gooden has been conducting Anti-Racist Leadership workshop in consultation with an Austin School District having racism incidents and an unearthed history of racist practices.
“Dr. Gooden’s skill in facilitating difficult conversations about race, class and culture and how these impact student learning was amazing. His sessions are organized strategically to quickly build a “safe-space” for participants’ full engagement.”
— Jewel Jones Faison, Ph.D.Internal Charter System Consultant
“Dr. Gooden is the educator we should all aspire to be. In the short time I have known him, he has made me a better and more thoughtful educator, and I know that he has done the same for all our participants.”
— Michael Stoll Director, District-Charter Collaborative New York City Department of Education
