Jill Beard

Jill Beard is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). She earned her EdD in Learning and Leadership from UTC in 2017 and has been teaching Rhetoric & Composition there since 2008. Her career spans diverse roles including committee leadership, course development, and student mentorship.

• Doctorate of Education in Learning and Leadership, UTC, 2017
• Master of Arts in English, UTC, 1999
• Bachelor of Arts in English, Secondary Education, Oklahoma Baptist College, 1985

Beard’s professional focus emphasizes:

• Student learning transfer and educational outcomes
• Teacher-student communication dynamics
• Curriculum development for first-year composition
• Leadership in academic committees

She actively contributes to UTC’s academic governance through roles such as:

• Committee Member, Composition Assessment Committee (2024–present)
• Committee Member, Young Southern Writers (2018–present)
• Former Committee Chair, Contingent Faculty Committee (2017–2018)
• Judge for Senior Project Presentations (2012–present)