Margaret A. McKenna, JD

About Margaret A. McKenna, JD

Margaret McKenna, JD, is a lawyer, educator, and leading expert in educational opportunity, civic engagement and philanthropy. Most recently, she served as President of the Walmart Foundation, the largest corporate foundation in the United States.

From 1985 until 2007, Ms. McKenna served as President of Lesley University and transformed it from a small regional college to a nationally recognized university with one of the leading teacher training programs in the country. Ms. McKenna joined Lesley from Radcliffe College, where she served as Vice President and Director of the Bunting Institute. Previously, she served as White House Deputy Counsel and Deputy Under Secretary of Education. Ms. McKenna has also held appointments as a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics, a visiting professor at Harvard University, Acting Director of the Sillerman Center on Philanthropy at Brandeis University, and Professor of Practice at Tisch College at Tufts University. She serves on the Boards of the National Summer Learning Association, Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Fenway Community Health Center. She previously served as Vice Chair of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Board of Trustees.

Ms. McKenna received her undergraduate degree from Emmanuel College and law degree from Southern Methodist University.