Chinyere Grace Okafor

Dr. Chinyere Grace Okafor is a Professor of English and Women's Studies at Wichita State University, where she also serves as Director of the Center for Women's Studies and Chair of the Department of Women's Studies. She has been teaching at WSU since 2003, with previous faculty experience at Universities of Southern Maine, Benin, Port Harcourt, Swaziland, and Montgomery College in Rockville, MD.

Her educational background includes degrees from University of Sussex (Brighton, UK), University College (Cardiff, UK), and University of Nigeria (Nsukka, Nigeria), with postdoctoral work on gender politics and poetics of Masking at Cornell University. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on transnational gender, literature and theater, diversity education, and mask communication. She has developed innovative approaches using tales, poetry, and skits to address social issues in community settings.

Dr. Okafor's publications demonstrate a consistent thematic focus on identity, social justice, and cultural traditions. Her academic work like Ikeji Festival Theater of Aro and Diaspora (2015) explores African cultural practices, while her creative writing including Mirrors for Class Journal (2018) addresses contemporary issues of race and gender in America. Her writing style blends academic rigor with narrative accessibility.

• Humanist-in Residence Award (Cornell University)
• Humanist-in Residence Award (Hunter College)
• Rockefeller Write-in-Residence (Bellagio, Italy)
• Outstanding Faculty
• Phenomenal Woman Award
• Association of Nigerian Authors' Award

She actively mentors women and international students as Vice President of the Association of African Women Scholars (AAWS). Dr. Okafor initiated WSU's Diverse Women's Summit and co-founded the Global Village Assembly for community engagement. Her creative work extends to public art, with her poem Sunflower Exclusive commissioned for Wichita's Naftzger Park in 2020.