Mark F. Fernandez

Mark F. Fernandez is the Patricia Carlin O'Keefe Distinguished Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans. A native New Orleanian, he holds a Ph.D. from The College of William and Mary, and M.A. and B.A. from the University of New Orleans. He has been at Loyola since 1992, teaching courses on early America, the South, the West, the American hero, and American folk culture.

His research spans diverse historical topics, including the 17th-century Chesapeake, the evolution of Louisiana's judicial system, and the history of law in the antebellum South. Recently, his work has focused on American folk culture and the life of Woody Guthrie, leading to his appointment as the Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Fellow and his role as a founding member of the Teaching Woody Guthrie Collective.

• Louisiana Literary Award (2001)
• Commendation from the American Association for State and Local History (1997)
• Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Special Humanities Award (1999)
• Garnie W. McGinty Lifetime Meritorious Service Award (2023)

His scholarly activities include co-editing the Journal of the West's 2004 special Louisiana Purchase edition. He has also contributed to understanding New Orleans through historical sources and served on the board of the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival.