Kiley McLean

Kiley McLean (she/her), PhD, MSW, MSEd is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare (July 2025). . She recently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute’s Policy and Analytics Center (PAC; PI: Dr. Lindsay Shea). Dr. McLean graduated with her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work in 2023, where she was also a research assistant through the Waisman Center, two-year LEND trainee, and graduate research fellow through the Institute for Research on Poverty. She is currently faculty with the Wisconsin Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, where her roles include coordinating the policy and knowledge translation curriculum. Students and trainees are encouraged to reach out if they are interested in applying.

Kiley’s research program uses a combination of linked administrative data, prospectively collected data, and qualitative data to characterize disparities in and develop strategies to improve health and wellbeing in partnership with autistic adults and adults with other developmental disabilities. Her research focuses broadly on improving the social and economic well-being of adults with developmental disabilities as they transition into adulthood and age, through inclusive and comprehensive anti-poverty and healthcare policies.

Kiley received her master’s in social work and special education from Columbia University and Bank Street College of Education in New York. She has over 15 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities in positions including direct support professional, case planner, special educator, Special Olympics coach, and disability advocacy fellow. Kiley has served as the independent instructor for advanced level master’s seminars in Social Policy, Macro-Practice Social Work, and Issues in Developmental Disabilities. The Issues in Developmental Disabilities course is one of the few offered in schools of social work throughout the country. These courses support students in analyzing current social welfare policies and systems and the differential impact they have on vulnerable communities, including those with disabilities. Through universal design and inclusive pedagogy practices, she introduces students to different ways in which they can be involved in the policymaking process and advocate for policies that directly impact communities they intend to serve. The ultimate goals of Kiley’s research, practice, and teaching are to advance human rights and social and economic justice for, and with, people with developmental disabilities.