Linda Lambert

Linda G. Lambert is an American academic and an author. She is a professor emeritus at California State University, East Bay.

Lambert is most known for her work connecting the domains of leadership and literature, with a primary emphasis on the concepts of constructivist leadership, leadership capacity, liberation and literature. Her authored works include The Constructivist Leader (1st and 2nd editions), which also received the National Book Award from the NCSD in 1997. Her works have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Lithuanian, and Malay, and they have been published in academic journals, including the Journal of Educational Change and the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy.

Education Lambert earned her B.A. from Washburn University in 1966. In 1978, she completed her M.A. in Educational Administration. Later, in 1983, she obtained her Doctor of Education degree from the University of San Francisco in Organization and Leadership. In 2002, a second edition of The Constructivist Leader was published.

While exploring the impact of leadership on student learning through stories of three schools of varying leadership capacities, her publication titled Building Leadership Capacity in Schools offered a new framework for building organizational and human capacities and improving educational outcomes. Moreover, in 2003, she co-authored a book titled Building Leadership Capacity for School Improvement with Alma Haris. Her books emphasized the importance of maximizing leadership capabilities at all levels within schools to sustain and enhance improvement efforts. In 2003, she wrote the book Lasting School Improvement.

Lambert's 2016 publication Liberating Leadership Capacity: Pathways to Educational Wisdom explored the evolution of leadership in education. The book also advocated for educators to become the primary designers of their own and their students' learning through constructivist principles. In her review of the book, Arthur L. Costa, said "In Liberating Leadership Capacity, a compelling driving concept is that 'leadership capacities are present in the room'. The authors describe organizational conditions that promote skillful dialogue, continual learning, building trust, and sharing a common vision among members. In such schools teachers become the leaders of learning and students become the leaders of the future". She also co-authored the book Women's Ways of Leading with Mary E. Gardner. The book explored a new paradigm of leadership based on values, self-awareness, and community, arguing for the importance of qualities traditionally associated with women in shaping a more enlightened and inclusive world. Moreover, she also authored The Cairo Codex, the first novel in the Justine Trilogy. The novel followed anthropologist Justine Jenner's journey through ancient and present-day Egypt as she uncovers an ancient codex that threatens to challenge the foundations of major world religions amidst political turmoil and personal discovery. The second novel in the trilogy, The Italian Letters, was set in Italy and the third novel, A Rapture of Ravens: Awakening in Taos was set in Taos, New Mexico.

Research Lambert's research explored and drew conclusions in multiple areas: teacher leadership in professional development schools; adult learning among policy makers, researchers and staff developers; high leadership capacity schools; shared leadership; and women in leadership. In related research, she discussed the transition from a traditional model of educational leadership with the principal as the sole instructional leader to a collaborative approach involving multiple educators, highlighting the untapped potential of teachers' talents and advocating for sustainable improvements in learning outcomes. In her 2003 paper, she advocated for redefining leadership in education to include teachers as leaders through the concept of constructivist leadership, promoting broad-based participation and skill development among teachers. She also conducted a study on schools with high leadership capacity and those in the process of developing it, analyzing their characteristics, relationships, and patterns contributing to lasting school improvement through effective leadership. Her more recent work has focused on promoting learning and engagement for both students and adults in schools, highlighting the role of effective leadership, collaborative decision-making processes, and district support in sustaining school improvement efforts.

Personal life Lambert was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19th,1939. In 1959 she married James L. Green and had three children with him. In 1981 she married Morgan Dale Lambert. She and her husband reside in Santa Rosa, California.

Awards and honors 1996 – Helen Heffernan Award, California Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 1997 – National Book of the Year Award for The Constructivist Leader, National Council on Staff Development 1998 – Professor of the Year, California State University, East Bay 2013 – Independent Publishers Bronze award for The Cairo Codex 2013 – The Nautilus Silver Award for The Cairo Codex 2013 – Best Books of America finalist for The Cairo Codex 2023 – Woman Icon in Leadership, San Diego, California