Lisa Pertillar-Brevard

A Walden University Core Faculty member since 2008, Dr. Lisa Pertillar Brevard is currently Associate Director of Walden University’s School of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Studies, where she manages Professional Writing, Creative Arts, and Humanities courses and related faculty. Here at Walden, she has taught Creative Writing; Philosophy; and Women’s Literature and Social Change. An internationally-recognized scholar and creative artist, with professional training in History, Education, and public programming at the Smithsonian Institution, she earned a Ph.D. in African-American Studies, with an emphasis on Women’s Studies, at Emory University’s Institute of the Liberal Arts (1995). Publishing collaborative and solo academic works since 1992, her most recent solo book is Whoopi Goldberg on Stage and Screen (2013), which explores Goldberg’s philosophies and work as an actor-activist.

Since 1996, Dr. Brevard has taught and worked in progressively responsible roles in academic online settings, while also being active in on-ground communities. She contributed the entries, “Humanities Education”, and “Online Poster Sessions,” for The SAGE Encyclopedia of Online Education (2016).

She is an active member of the Walden University Assessment Working Group.

Prior to joining Walden University, Dr. Brevard served as Graduate Teaching Fellow and visiting instructor at Emory University; visiting faculty at Spelman College; and Course Chair for English and Humanities at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC/formerly UMUC). She also has held several full-time academic appointments, including short- and long-term graduate fellowships; a two-year, full-time Postdoctoral Fellowship/Research Associate post (University of Maryland College Park); a Director of Graduate Studies post (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh); a Dean of Humanities post; and a university wide Program Director post (Dillard University).

Along the way, Dr. Brevard has worked with local and national programs, helping high school youths expand their vistas and access to academic and cultural resources in their respective communities. She also has conducted research projects at major academic institutions and advised graduate students on thesis and dissertation topics, ranging from slavery to Shakespeare.

In 2019, she successfully completed five Harvard Business School professional Certificates: Leading People; Process Improvement; Change Management; Delegating; and Leveraging Your Networks.

Dr. Brevard’s current research explores connections between African-American and Afro-West Indian philosophies, identities, and arts.