David Laird currently is an Assistant Professor of the Practice the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations where directs the Principals Leadership Academy of Nashville (PLAN) and the Educational Leadership Learning Exchange program (ELLE) with South China Normal University. He teaches in the doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Policy, the master's degree program in International Education Policy and Management, and in the Human and Organizational Development undergraduate major.

David holds an Ed.D. from the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Peabody. Prior to joining the faculty he was the Director of State and Federal Evaluation for the New York City Department of Education. His emerging academic interests are leadership development and leveraging district information technology to support engaging classroom instruction. He teaches classes in school accountability, adult learning, and leadership theory.