Guest Speaker

Dr. Patricia Alexander is the Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland. She has served as President of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, Vice-President of Division C (Learning and Instruction) of the American Educational Research Association, and Past-President of the Southwest Educational Research Association. A former middle-school teacher, Dr. Alexander received her reading specialist degree from James Madison University (1979) and her Ph.D. in reading from the University of Maryland (1981). Since receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Alexander has published over 300 articles, books, chapters, and monographs in the area of learning and instruction. She has also presented over 400 papers or invited addresses at national and international conferences. She currently serves as the senior editor of Contemporary Educational Psychology, was past editor of Instructional Science and Associate Editor of American Educational Research Journal-Teaching, Learning, and Human Development, and presently serves on 14 editorial boards including those for Learning and Instruction, Educational Psychologist, and the Journal of Educational Psychology.

Dr. Alexander is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the Society for Text and Discourse, and was a Spencer Fellow of the National Academy of Education. Named one of the five most influential educational psychologists over the past decade, her honors include the Oscar S. Causey Award for outstanding contributions to literacy research from the Literacy Research Association (2001), the E. L. Thorndike Award for Career Achievement in Educational Psychology from APA Division 15 (2006), and the Sylvia Scribner Career Award from AERA Division C (2007). In addition, she has received various national, university, and college awards for teaching and mentoring.