Dr. Stephen M. Hannon is the President and CEO of LENA, a national nonprofit focused on increasing adult-child talk in order to improve child outcomes. Steve is privileged to lead a talented team in the shaping and scaling of the organization’s caregiver-directed initiatives that integrate LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology. Hannon leverages a wealth of technical and leadership skills honed over a 25-year career spanning multiple industries. He has been instrumental in transitioning LENA from an organization known solely for its research on early language to one known for putting research into action and positively impacting children and families around the world.
An expert in optical remote sensing and statistical signal processing, he played various strategic roles with laser radar touchstone Coherent Technologies, Inc., prior to his unusual pivot from aerospace to early childhood six years ago. Hannon earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.