Heather McEntarfer

Dr. Heather McEntarfer is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the State University of New York at Fredonia. She holds a Ph.D. in English Education from the University at Buffalo and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on preparing educators to address gender and sexuality in diverse classrooms, with a particular emphasis on transgender and non-binary inclusion. She has conducted studies on university chosen names policies and the experiences of gender-diverse teachers in cisnormative environments.

Dr. McEntarfer's teaching interests include diversity in education, adolescent literature, and the integration of literacy and technology in pedagogy. Her work emphasizes narrative writing as a tool for exploring identity, particularly through student and educator narratives on gender and sexuality. She has published widely on transgender teacher experiences, policy implementation challenges, and strategies for fostering inclusive educational environments.

• Awards: Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Affirmative Action/Diversity Leave Program (2016)
• Current Research: Queer Cultural Capital in Schools: The Strengths of Gender-Diverse Teachers

Her publications analyze institutional barriers to LGBTQ+ inclusion, the role of narratives in teacher education, and policy frameworks for supporting transgender students and educators. She actively advises on curriculum design and has contributed guidelines for affirming gender identity through English Language Arts pedagogy.