Katherine Coogan

Katherine Coogan is a Senior Faculty Specialist at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), affiliated with the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership within the College of Education. She holds an M.Ed. from UMD (2013), focusing on art's role in challenging stereotypes and bias through creation and analysis. Since 2014, she has served as an adjunct instructor, instructional coach, and field supervisor in Elementary Education and Arts Integration. Since 2019, she leads the UMD Art Education Professional Development School, training future Visual Arts Educators in K-12 creative process facilitation via Big Ideas and Essential Questions.

Her research emphasizes using art to empower student voice, facilitate critical conversations, and advocate for social change. She co-authored a chapter in Teaching Art with Dialogue: Critical Conversations in Art Education (2023), addressing culturally centered pedagogy. Professional accolades include the 2023 Excellence in Field Supervision award from UMD.

Coogan spearheaded the TLPL Admissions Workgroup, developing anti-racist admissions protocols adopted by UMD’s teacher preparatory programs. This work was showcased at the Innovation of Teaching Conference (ITL). She teaches courses such as Foundations of Art Education, Methods of Art Education 1-2, and 3D Arts Education Materials and Processes.