Executive Director, National Writing Project, Berkeley, CA
Nominee: P. David Pearson
Sharon J. Washington has over two decades of professional experience and scholarly work in social justice education, higher education administration, teacher preparation, outdoor recreation, sports, and the arts. Throughout her career she was been engaged in work that contributes to a greater understanding of individuals and groups and the ways in which work and learning communities can foster greater equity and inclusion. Dr. Washington’s career has included: Provost and Professor of Education at Spelman College in Atlanta; Special Assistant to the President for Diversity Initiatives at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC; and, Interim Director of Faculty Equity Programs at the University of California Office of the President in Oakland, California.
Throughout her career, Dr. Washington has demonstrated a strong commitment to the importance of high-quality literacy instruction for all students, and professional development for teachers across the K–16 spectrum. As the Founding Director of Project SPIRIT at Springfield College in Massachusetts, Dr. Washington developed an advising system that improved student retention and graduation, created a teacher preparation mentor program with K–12 teachers, and led a collaborative K–16 partnership that designed and implemented an academic enrichment program to encourage high school students of color to attend college.
“Dr. Washington was a tenured member of the faculties at both Kent State University and Springfield College, and a visiting faculty member at University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT. In addition, she was a Visiting Scholar in the Office of the President at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in higher education administration.”
Dr. Washington earned a Ph.D. in Education at The Ohio State University in 1988. Her recent writings focus on multicultural alliances and coping with the emotional and intellectual challenges of teaching about social justice.
