Lori Hamilton, Ph.D.

Dr. Lori Hamilton brings 12 years of public school experience in early childhood classrooms and 17 years of experience in higher education to her role as Department Chair of Early Childhood Education and Assistant Professor at Indiana Wesleyan University. Her experience in both PK–12 and higher education settings informs her passion for preparing intentional, reflective, and highly effective educators for today’s classrooms.

At IWU, Dr. Hamilton provides leadership for associate, bachelor’s, graduate, and certificate programs in early childhood education, including NAEYC-accredited licensure and non-licensure bachelor’s programs. She is also a faculty champion for AI within the School of Learning and Development, where she supports faculty AI literacy, AI-enhanced learning activities, and the ethical integration of AI in educator preparation.

Dr. Hamilton is passionate about helping preservice teachers bridge research and practice through developmentally appropriate, evidence-based instruction. She has presented regionally and statewide on topics including literacy instruction,  Response to Intervention (RTI), and increasing early literacy precision through ethical integration of AI. She is deeply committed to fostering a culture of hospitality, encouragement, and mentorship within higher education, striving to ensure her students feel supported, valued, and equipped both personally and professionally throughout their educational journey.

INTERESTS:

Her professional interests include the Science of Reading, structured literacy, early literacy instruction, teacher preparation, instructional design, developmentally appropriate practice, ethical AI integration in education, and cultivating relationally supportive and student-centered online learning environments.