Joanne Dowdy | EducationDr. Dowdy completed her Ph.D. in Literacy Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She combines her education in literacy with her theater degree from Juilliard to help teachers become more effective in the classroom. Dr. Dowdy’s primary research interests include documenting the experiences of Black women involved in education from adult basic literacy to higher education. Dr. Joanne Kilgour Dowdy was recognized for her book, "Ph.D. Stories: Conversations with My Sisters." She is the recipient of the 2009 American Educational Research Association Narrative and Research Special Interest Group's Outstanding Book Award. Her book is a collection of interviews with tenured, African American female professors in Northeast Ohio and their experiences in obtaining a Ph.D. and working in academia.