Dr. Clarissa West-White holds a BA in English, Creative Writing, a Master’s and Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, English Education, and a Master’s in Information from The Florida State University (’94, ’95, ’01, ’19 respectively). She wrote and successfully defended her unpublished dissertation, “The Writing Assignment: The Impact Teachers’ Assignments and Instruction Have on Students’ Preferences, Perceptions and Class Procedures.”
Dr. West-White is a former middle and high school instructor of English/Language Arts and has held teaching appointments at Tallahassee Community College, Florida Memorial University, Miami Dade College, Florida A&M University (where she completed a Fulbright-Hays to Turkey and selected Teacher of the Year), and Florida State University. Since her arrival to Bethune Cookman, she has served in the following roles: Assistant Professor of English, English Honor Society advisor, Chair of the English, World Languages and Cultures Studies Department, and Reference Librarian & Instructor in the Carl S. Swisher Library.
Dr. Clarissa West-White continues to participate in seminars, summits, and institutes, garner fellowships and scholarships, and serve as principal investigator or an advisor on grants. She was the part-time adult literacy coordinator for Gadsden County as well as a consultant with the Florida Department of Education. She has publications in a number of journals and books and is currently a co-editor of Mamas, Martyrs, and Jezebels: Myths, Legends, and Other Lies You've Been Told about Black Women, a Black Lawrence Press anthology. She presents at numerous conferences, serves on local, state and national committees and completes program reviews.
In her spare time, she enjoys photography, reading, writing, gardening, exploring new spaces, shopping, swimming, road trips, home improvement projects, and spending time with her family.
