Marcia J. Vandiver, Ph.D. is an educator, author, and speaker whose work consistently advocates for marginalized voices. She is currently an Associate Professor of Education at Towson University in Baltimore County, Maryland. 

Dr. Vandiver attended Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where she received her B.S. in Middle Grades Education with specializations in language arts and social studies methods. After her undergraduate studies, she worked for Atlanta Public Schools as an alternative middle school teacher and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2010 at Forrest Hill Academy. She received her M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Leadership from Georgia State University. She later received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction [Urban Education] and Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 

Dr. Vandiver has worked with the Children’s Defense Fund ©, Freedom School Partners, HomeWorks Incorporated, and various non-profit organizations, communities of faith, colleges, and universities. In 2018, she was invited to give the keynote Children’s Sabbath address at The Riverside Church in the City of New York. 

Dr. Vandiver is an advocate whose work centers critical perspectives, anti-racist pedagogy, and African American education. To date, Dr. Vandiver has authored/coauthored/co-edited several books on urban student success. Her newest book, The Healing Power of Education [Teachers College Press], finds connections between liberatory educational practices and meaningful learning. 

Dr. Vandiver has published several articles on urban student success. Today, her research interests include the various intersections of Black education, including: transformative/emancipatory learning, Afrocentric schools, and non-traditional pedagogy.