Dr. Angela Rutherford is a Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Mississippi's School of Education and Director of the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction (CELI), with over 30 years of public education experience driving state and national literacy initiatives. Her academic background includes: Ph.D. in Education, Auburn University (2003) M.Ed. in Educational Administration, University of Southern Mississippi (1993) B.S. in Elementary Education, University of Southern Mississippi (1988) Dr. Rutherford's research centers on evidence-based literacy instruction and teacher preparation grounded in the science of reading. She champions educational equity through policy development and community engagement, notably shaping Mississippi's Literacy-Based Promotion Act (2013) to ensure third-grade reading proficiency. Her work addresses systemic barriers in K-12 literacy access while promoting school readiness and summer learning programs. As principal investigator, she secured over $13 million in grant funding for initiatives including the Mississippi Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and community-school partnerships engaging college volunteers as literacy tutors. Her projects focus on resource allocation for underserved populations and teacher training in reading diagnosis. She directs CELI and oversees the university's top-ranked lab school preschool, while serving on the Mississippi Reading Panel, Utah Expert Reading Panel, and REL Southeast Governing Board. Appointed by Governor Tate Reeves to the State Early Childhood Advisory Council, she also chairs the Mississippi Higher Education Literacy Council.






