Nance Lucas, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies in the School of Integrative Studies, an affiliate faculty member of the Higher Education Program, and former Associate Dean of the School of Integrative Studies (formerly New Century College) at George Mason University. Her teaching and scholarship passions focus on the intersections of science and applications of leadership and well-being. She is co-author of Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make A Difference (1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions), a best-selling book of Jossey-Bass Publishers, and contributing author of Leadership Reconsidered and The Social Change Model of Leadership Development and has delivered numerous keynote addresses and presentations globally.
At Mason, she is the co-founder of the Mason Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE), the Leadership Legacy Program, and MasonLeads. She leads Mason’s well-being university initiative in collaboration with colleagues across the institution, while also leading global and national efforts to advance human flourishing and organizational well-being.
Nance received a Ph.D. in higher education with a concentration in leadership studies and ethics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Lucas earned her MA in higher education and BA in industrial and organizational psychology degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. She has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Maryland College of Education.