Dawn Kiyoe Culpepper

Dr. Dawn Culpepper (she/her) is the Director of the ADVANCE Program. In this role, she guides the strategic direction of ADVANCE, oversees its management and programs, and engages in translational research focused on faculty work environment and faculty development issues.

Dawn's research broadly examines equity, diversity, and inclusion in the academic workplace, with an emphasis on identifying strategies and disrupting practices that limit full participation for women and scholars from racially minoritized groups. She has examined faculty hiring, workload, tenure and promotion, postdoctoral training programs, work-life integration, graduate education, and faculty-related COVID-19 policies. Her work has been published in top education and diversity-related journals, and she has led or served on numerous projects funded by the National Science Foundation, including as the social science research team lead for the NSF INCLUDES RISE-UPP Alliance. 

Dawn completed her Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Maryland, her master's at NC State University (M.Ed. Higher Education Administration), and undergraduate work at the University of Virginia (BA, Government). Prior to entering higher education, she worked in the educational nonprofit sector in Washington, DC, including as the Director of Programs and Operations for PLEN and as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer.