Lynnette Mawhinney

Lynnette Mawhinney is a Professor of Urban Education and Chair of the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University–Newark, with affiliations in the Africana Studies Department. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/English and Communications from Penn State University, followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in Urban Education from Temple University.

Her research focuses on:

• Professional lives of urban teachers, particularly teachers of color
• Schooling experiences of urban youth
• Biracial identity development
• Autoethnographic approaches in educational settings
• Recruitment and retention of diverse educators
• Critical race theory and social justice in teaching

Her scholarly work has been recognized with awards including the American Educational Research Association’s Exemplary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education Award (2018) and Mom’s Choice Award (2020). She has also secured grants from the Spencer Foundation (2022) and Walton Family Foundation (2019) for projects on teacher experiences and equity audits. As a children’s book author, her work like Lulu the One and Only (2020) has received critical acclaim, including a starred Kirkus Review. Her advocacy extends to consulting, speaking engagements, and health equity audits, emphasizing community-driven solutions.