Russell Mayo

Russell Mayo is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program at Purdue University Northwest. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.Ed. in Social Studies Education from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a B.S. in English Education from Eastern Michigan University. His research focuses on integrating environmental humanities with writing studies and educational theory, particularly addressing climate change in humanities education. Mayo co-edits a forthcoming collection on eco-composition pedagogy and collaborates on a longitudinal study of climate change education with Chicagoland secondary teachers.

His areas of expertise include composition/rhetoric, environmental humanities, English education, and critical pedagogies. Mayo has been recognized with the 2019 ELATE Graduate Student Research Award and serves as a faculty affiliate for the Purdue Climate Change Research Center and Purdue Center for the Environment.

Mayo’s publications explore eco-composition frameworks, climate literacy, and critical media pedagogy. He previously taught middle school humanities for a decade, fostering a commitment to place-based writing and individualized student mentorship.