President-Elect

Dat Le, PhD, is president-elect of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). He began serving his one-year term on June 1, 2026. He is currently the K–12 Supervisor of Science for Arlington Public Schools, where he has served since 2012. Prior to this role, he was a Science Specialist from 2010 to 2012. From 1997 to 2010, he taught biology and environmental science in Arlington, while also serving as the science lead teacher and department chair. Earlier in his career, he taught biology and chemistry in the Upward Bound program from 1995 to 1997.

His educational background includes earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Mary Washington, a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a PhD in educational research and evaluation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is also a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT).

Le has been actively engaged with the National Science Teaching Association through multiple leadership roles, including service on the NSTA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force (2022–2023) and the NSTA Professional Development Task Force (2013–2014); as an NSTA/Toshiba ExploraVision Judge (2010–2016); and as part of the NSTA/NASA Learning Center School District Cohort (2011–2013).

In addition, Le has presented extensively at NSTA national conferences on environmental literacy, STEM integration, three-dimensional teaching and learning, reflective instructional practices, and using primary sources to support scientific inquiry and student engagement in science learning.

Le holds leadership roles in the Virginia Science Education Leadership Association, where he has served as Treasurer since 2011, and in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, where he served on the Board of Directors and on its Executive Committee and Finance Committee, and co-chaired the Certification Council from 2016 to 2025.

Le has served on national and state standards and assessment committees responsible for the development and revision of science standards, assessments, and professional teaching frameworks for organizations including the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the College Board, the Virginia Department of Education, Educators Rising, and the American Institutes for Research. He co-chaired the standards committee for the third edition of the National Board Science Standards. Le also served as an author and writer for Virtual Virginia Grade 5 science. 

Le has also served on numerous national grant review panels for the U.S. Department of Education, including Investing in Innovation (i3), Education Innovation and Research (EIR), and Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), as well as for the National Science Foundation Discovery Research PreK–12 program.

Among the honors and awards Le has received are the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2009), the National Science Teaching Association/Gustav Ohaus Award for Innovation in Science Teaching (2006), a Teacher Research Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (2004), and participation in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program in Tokyo, Japan (2003). He has also served as principal investigator for multiple grant awards totaling more than $1 million.