Kathleen McCartney is the Dean of the Faculty of Education and the Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development. She is a developmental psychologist whose research informs theoretical questions on early experience as well as policy questions on child care, early childhood education, and poverty. In addition to her academic achievements, she is renowned as an accomplished triathlete, having won the 1982 Ironman Triathlon World Championship. McCartney's multifaceted career also includes recognition as a motivational speaker, sharing insights on overcoming challenges and achieving goals, drawing on her personal experiences in triathlon.

Since 1989, McCartney has served as a principal investigator on the National Institute of Child Heath and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care & Youth Development, the findings from which were published by Guilford in 2005 in the book "Child Care and Child Development." McCartney is a co-editor of "The Handbook of Early Child Development," published by Blackwell in 2006, as well as "Best Practices in Quantitative Methods for Developmentalists," published by the Society for Research in Child Development in 2006. Her work has been informed by her experience as the director of the University of New Hampshire Child Study & Development Center, a laboratory school for children from birth through kindergarten. Her contributions to the field of triathlon include her appearances on ABC's Wide World of Sports, NBC Sports, and The Johnny Carson Show, and features in national publications including Outside, Runner's World, Triathlete, and Lava magazines.

Kathleen McCartney has been named a Fellow by the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the American Educational Research Association. Her remarkable journey in triathlon has also been recognized with the Competitor Magazine Triathlon Legend Award in 2001. McCartney and her former competitor, Julie Moss, were jointly awarded the Triathlon Business International 2012 Ron Smith "Female Triathlete of the Year" award, celebrating their transformation from competitors to collaborators, now known as "Iron Icons" motivational speakers. Together, they focus on teaching audiences how to utilize resilience and determination to achieve personal and professional goals.

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