Nicole S. Ofiesh, Ph.D.
Dr. Ofiesh is a cognitive behavioral scientist with expertise in dyslexia, learning disorders, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. With a special focus on "the missing middle" the time between high school and retirement, she believes teaching an understanding of how cognition and the brain is associated with learning and performance, is critical to preparing learners for the needs of the 21st and 22nd centuries. Most recently Dr. Ofiesh designed and launched the Schwab Learning Center at its new home at CHC. She was the former Executive Director of the Stanford Schwab Learning Center and Founder of the UDL Innovation Studio at Stanford. At Stanford she designed and co-taught a course on Neurodiversity and Design Thinking in the School of Medicine. She is a regularly invited keynote speaker at conferences and virtually. Her faculty and research positions include positions at Stanford University, Penn State University, Providence College, University of Arizona and Notre Dame de Namur University, where she was Program Director of Special Education and Department Chair of Teacher Education. She is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Learning Disabilities and regularly serves as an expert in the area of learning disabilities and test accommodations. Her work has influenced federal guidance on the provision of test accommodations for individuals with disabilities. She believes all individuals should thrive across the lifespan, not simply survive.