Becky Wai-Ling Packard is Mary E. Woolley Professor of Psychology and Education at

Mount Holyoke College. Packard is an expert on mentoring, persistence, and inclusive practices, where she focuses on the experiences of individuals including women, first-generation college students, people of color, low-income students, working students, nontraditional-aged students, and community college transfer students. She studies the transition from high school to college or work, to include pathways in science and technology (STEM) fields, community college transfer, and career and technical education, and the ways institutions organize in order to support student and faculty success. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Google and Microsoft, and was recognized by the PECASE award at the White House.

Packard earned her BA from the University of Michigan and PhD from Michigan State University. She has completed over two decades at Mount Holyoke College, where she previously served as the Associate Dean of Faculty, the founding director of the Teaching and Learning Initiative, and the Director of the Weissman Center for Leadership. She also recently held residencies at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Michigan to contribute to efforts related to inclusive climate.