Christa J. Porter (cporter1@umbc.edu) is Associate Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at UBMC, Baltimore, Maryland, US. She also serves as the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at UMBC.
As a leader and scholar, Dr. Porter’s praxis is grounded in Black feminist and intersectional onto-epistemologies. Broadly, she examines trajectories of development, socialization, and praxis in higher education and student affairs. She has particular interest and expertise in Black women’s experiences into and through higher educationc. Dr. Porter has numerous scholarly publications in high-impact journals and edited texts, such as the Review of Educational Research; Journal of College Student Development; Journal of Higher Education; Gender, Work & Organization; and the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. She has also co-edited four texts: Applying Black feminist epistemology, research, and praxis: Narratives in and through the academy (2023, Routledge); The state of Black women in higher education: A critical perspective 20 years later (2023, New Directions for Student Services, Wiley); Small & mighty: Student affairs at small colleges and universities (2023, NASPA); and Cases studies for student development theory: Advancing social justice and inclusion in higher education (2020, Routledge). She currently serves as Co-Editor for the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education.
She has been nationally recognized for her scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and service. Some of her awards and distinctions include the Senior Scholar designation from the American College Personnel Association; the Mentoring Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education; consecutive Students’ Choice Teaching Awards from Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services; an Outstanding Publication Award from NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education; and the Review of Research Award from the American Educational Research Association.
Dr. Porter earned a Ph.D. in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia; a master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of Maryland, College Park; and a bachelor’s degree in Social Relations and Policy from Michigan State University.