Dr. Metta Mcgarvey

Biography

Metta McGarvey holds an Ed.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education in Human Development & Psychology. She works as an educator, coach, and consultant, supporting individuals, organizations, and teams in their personal and professional development. Her work integrates decades of practice in teaching mindfulness meditation, leadership, and social emotional development to help adults build the inner resources needed to handle complex, multifaceted challenges, including stress management, resilience development, and enhanced communication in relationships. Currently, McGarvey focuses on building community to address differences in power, position, and agency, promoting healing and collaboration in civic democratic processes. She has co-chaired initiatives at HGSE aimed at fostering successful leaders and serves as a coach in the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellowship Program. McGarvey's training includes cognitive affective neuroscience, and she has co-authored a neuroimaging study of meditators at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her professional experience encompasses work with nonprofit social justice organizations, managing campaigns for the U.S. Congress. An avid outdoors person, McGarvey enjoys wilderness solitude and has spent summers assisting her husband with research on shorebirds in the Alaskan Canadian arctic. She lives in Vermont with her husband, a cat, and a golden retriever.

Research Interests