John Gasko

In the Fall of 2019, Dr. John Gasko was appointed Chief Well-Being and Social Emotional Learning Officer at Uplift Education, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex’s largest and highest performing public charter school district representing 43 schools, where he currently oversees all aspects of adult and student facing work encompassing well-being, mental health counseling, nursing and campus-based health clinics, social and emotional learning, restorative practices, and prevention. Earlier in his career, Dr. Gasko served as the Director of Research and Public Policy for the Children’s Defense Fund, worked alongside physicians, neuroscientists, and psychologists as Associate Division Chief of Developmental Pediatrics at the UT Health Science Center in Houston, and became a CEO and managing director of the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute. In 2016, Dr. Gasko was appointed Professor and Dean of Education at the University of North Texas at Dallas and eventually Special Advisor to the President. While at UNT, Dr. Gasko built and launched thirdspace, one of the first mindfulness and well-being centers dedicated to supporting students, faculty, and leaders in higher education.