Richard “Lennon” Audrain (Shawnee Tribe/Cherokee Nation) is Head of Innovation and Policy Initiatives for the Next Education Workforce Initiative at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation (MLFC), where he also holds a faculty appointment as Research Assistant Professor in the Division for Advancing Educator Preparation. In these roles, he leads applied research, policy strategy, and systems-level design efforts to reimagine how schools recruit, prepare, and organize educators through team-based staffing models.
He brings an applied economics perspective—decision-oriented, resource-aware, and grounded in systems thinking—to the challenge of building more coherent, sustainable educator workforce systems. Lennon previously led an $8.2 million U.S. Department of Education Teacher & School Leader (TSL) grant and continues to consult with states, districts, and national organizations on human capital strategy and educator pipeline design.
His research centers on the program elements and policy conditions that enable innovative staffing. His focus areas include:
• District, state, and federal policy that supports team-based structures and role-specific preparation
• Cross-sector comparisons of workforce development systems across education, healthcare, and the trades
• Grow-your-own educator pathways, including high school teacher academies, paraeducator pipelines, and registered apprenticeships
• Community college teacher education as a lever for access and sustainability
• The preparation of Native American educators, aligned with tribal sovereignty and Indigenous education goals
• The identity and formation of teacher educators
• The evolving dynamics of the Catholic school teacher workforce
Before entering higher education, Lennon taught Latin, Spanish, English, and CTE in public schools across Arizona and Massachusetts. He served as a department chair and instructional leader, using his classroom experience to inform systems-level change. He is the former national student president of Educators Rising, the nation's largest grow-your-own program for high schoolers and currently serves as executive board president for the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs.
He holds a PhD in Educational Policy and Evaluation from ASU; master’s degrees in Curriculum & Instruction and in Educational Leadership (with principal and superintendent licensure) from ASU; and a master’s degree in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is currently pursuing a master’s in economics from the University of Arizona. Lennon was the youngest graduate in both his ASU and Harvard master’s cohorts.