Deniece Dortch

Dr. Deniece Dortch serves as Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration in the Department of Educational Leadership at George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Her research critically examines systemic oppression through the lens of African American students' experiences with race and racism at predominantly white institutions, employing critical phenomenological methodologies to investigate psychological violence, fear manifestation, and racial agency development.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Higher & Postsecondary Education Leadership from University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Ed.M. in Higher & Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University
• M.A. in Intercultural Service, Leadership & Management from School for International Training
• B.A. from Eastern Michigan University

Dr. Dortch's research program centers on how psychological violence operates within academic spaces and how students develop resistance strategies. She investigates intra-racial dynamics among Black students, gendered racism's impact on doctoral persistence, and the role of peer networks in mitigating institutional hostility. Her work bridges theoretical analysis with practical interventions, focusing on how racial agency manifests as revolutionary acts against oppressive systems. Recent projects examine tokenism's psychological toll and maladaptive coping mechanisms that inadvertently perpetuate marginalization.

Her publication trajectory shows increasing sophistication in documenting how Black students navigate and resist racism. The 2023-2024 works move beyond identifying problems to mapping resistance pathways, with emphasis on collective action through peer networks and the development of racial agency as transformative practice. This evolution reflects her commitment to generating knowledge that directly informs anti-racist institutional change.

Dr. Dortch's scholarly impact is recognized through:

• 2021 AERA Carlos J Vallejo Award for Emerging Scholarship
• AAUW grant for 2022-23 research on racialized trauma
• Media coverage in Phys.org for peer support research
• 2025 panel invitation for AAUW equity webinar
• Election as Chair of AERA's Graduate Education SIG (2024)

Her mentorship philosophy is operationalized through structured programs like the African American Doctoral Scholar's Initiative and Sista to Sista, emphasizing socialization into academic spaces while developing resistance strategies. Current research funded by AAUW examines how students' coping mechanisms with racism may trigger behaviors that perpetuate oppression, aiming to develop institutional mechanisms for creating genuinely anti-racist environments. As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Morocco and Jamaica), she brings global perspective to understanding educational equity challenges.