Speaker Profile

Dr. Jennifer L. Martin is an associate professor of teacher education at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Martin worked in public education for 17 years, 15 of those as the department chair of English at an urban alternative high school for students labeled at-risk for school failure in metropolitan Detroit. Dr. Martin’s research investigates theory and practice in education through the critical intersectional lenses of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Dr. Martin has co-written and edited nine books, numerous book chapters and peer reviewed articles. She has been the editor in chief of the Journal of Urban Learning Teaching and Research (JULTR) since 2018, which is dedicated to mentoring novice writers and graduate students as well as showcasing the work of prominent scholars in urban education. Under Dr. Martin’s leadership, JULTR has evolved to an online and open access format. She is also the editor of Racial Battle Fatigue: Insights from the Front Lines of Social Justice Advocacy (recipient of the 2016 AERA Division B’s Outstanding Book Recognition Award). She is the 2019 recipient of the Paula Silver Case Award from the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership for her co-authored piece, “The Bathroom Case: Creating a Supportive School Environment for Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Students.” In 2021, she was awarded the Burks Oakley II Distinguished Online Teaching Award (UIS). Dr. Martin was selected for the 2022 – 2023 cohort for the University of Illinois system-wide Public Voices Fellowship. She was named University Scholar at UIS for the 2022 – 2023 academic year, the University of Illinois system’s highest honor. She was named Affiliate Faculty Member for the Institute for Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Justice at UIS in 2023.