Mary Reckmeyer

Mary Reckmeyer, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of Gallup’s Donald O. Clifton Child Development Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Under her leadership, the center has received national attention for excellence in early childhood education, workplace contribution and developmental results and has helped thousands of children build their lives around their strengths. The center has served as a model for schools nationwide and as a training center for teacher development and education.



Reckmeyer has been with Gallup for more than 30 years. She has served as an Educational and Strengths-Based Development Consultant and Seminar Leader; studied talent-based interviews of more than 2,000 individuals, including children, teachers and parents; and helped create the Clifton Youth StrengthsExplorer, an assessment designed to identify talent in young people. Reckmeyer also coauthored How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, based on the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket?



Reckmeyer is a former teacher who holds degrees in education and educational psychology. Her research has included youth strengths development, parents of minority achieving students, learning disabilities, educational programming and lifespan development. She has studied outstanding schools and has conducted formal research into what makes an outstanding child care center.


Reckmeyer and her husband live in Lincoln, Nebraska, and have four children.