Deirdre is a scholar and educator with over twenty years of experience engaging teachers and teens in the study of history, art, and culture. She served as Director of Education and Exhibitions at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (a division of the New York Public Library) for fifteen years where she created and sustained innovative programs such as the Junior Scholars Program, the Teen Curators Program, the Black History 360° Summer Education Institute, and the Black Comic Book Festival. A graduate of Princeton University (BA in Art History), Bank Street College (MSEd in Museum Education & Leadership), and Teachers College (EdM in Social Studies Education), she is currently a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on critical social studies curriculum and teaching; historical, racial, and visual literacies; cultural studies; and speculative thought in education. She is an educational consultant specializing in culturally relevant and sustaining curriculum, pedagogy, and instruction for museums, cultural institutions, community-based organizations, and schools serving grades PK to College. She is also the founder of the Black Comics Collective, a cultural, educational, and digital forum for connecting comic creators of color with the youth and communities in New York City.