Geoffrey Nagle, MSW, MPH, PhD
Geoff Nagle is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Tulane University. He has dedicated his career to improving outcomes for young children and families while strengthening nonprofits to maximize their impact. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of The Chicago Public Education Fund. The Fund is a venture philanthropy dedicated to transforming Chicago’s public schools by investing in the visionary, results-driven leaders who run them. Through strategic partnerships with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, the local philanthropic community, and school leaders, the Fund drives systemic change and cultivates a culture of excellence in school leadership.
In 2022, he founded Alliance Strategic Advising and Research to help nonprofit leaders increase impact, improve financial stability, and expand their organization's influence.
Dr. Nagle has held leadership roles in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years. From 2014 to 2021, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Erikson Institute in Chicago, the nation’s premier graduate school in child development and a leading force in improving the lives of young children and their families through research, service, and advocacy. Under his leadership, Erikson expanded its clinical services to reach 10,000 children annually through mental health clinics and child abuse intervention programs. He also spearheaded the launch of new policy and community impact initiatives that have since gained national recognition. As a result of this growth—along with increased student enrollment and record-breaking fundraising—Erikson’s operating budget grew by 57% to nearly $25 million, while its endowment reached $50 million during his tenure.
Dr. Nagle joined Erikson from Tulane University where he was the founding director of the Tulane Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Tulane School of Medicine. His advocacy in Louisiana resulted in Quality Start, Louisiana’s child-care quality rating and improvement system, and passage of the School Readiness Tax Credits legislation, which, since implementation in 2008, has benefited Louisiana residents with tax credits in excess of $110 million in support of quality child-care. Portions of the tax credit package have since been replicated in Nebraska and Colorado.
Dr. Nagle has presented nationally and internationally on the pivotal topics that impact a child’s early years. In 2016, he received the World Association for Infant Mental Health Sonya Bemporad Award, recognizing his work to advance social and public policies that contribute to the mental health and overall benefit of infants, toddlers, and their families. He is also a past recipient of the Commissioner’s Award for Child Abuse Prevention from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Charles M. Vanchiere Child Advocacy Award from the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.