Leslie Ekpe, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Leslie U. Ekpe has taught for Uplift Summit International Preparatory, Dallas College and Texas Christian University. Her dissertation study, “The Test Does Not Define My Ability: A Critical Narrative Study on the Experiences of First-Year Black College Students Who Took the SAT When Pursuing Selective Four-Year Institutions,” received first place in the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education 2023 Holmes Program Dissertation Funding Competition.

Through qualitative methodologies, Ekpe conducts research on anti-racism, DEI and racial equity by analyzing the challenges encountered by marginalized peoples, and investigates equitable practices and policies for institutions and societies to implement and sustain. Her research can be found in the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, Equity in Education and Society, Innovative Higher Education and the Journal of School Leadership.

A Conversation with Dr. Ekpe

What draws you to your discipline?

As a Black woman, my lived experiences inform my research interests. It is important that I engage in Sankofa as an academician to ensure that those who look like me know that this opportunity is also for them. Service is sovereignty.

What has been your favorite course to teach?

I have enjoyed teaching Qualitative Research Methods. As in introductory class, it is always fun to witness students realize that they engage in qualitative methods in their everyday lives. The course offers meaningful practices to adopt when conducting critical research, examining the way people come to make meaning of their perceptions and lived experiences.

Tell us about a project you are currently working on or recently completed.

I am working on a project that builds off of my dissertation study, which focused on the lived experiences of Black students and the SAT when applying to post-secondary education. Further exploring the need for admissions reform, I highlight Black students' responses to test-optional policies and how this influenced their college-going experiences.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Higher Educational Leadership, Texas Christian University, 2023
• MBA, Business Administration, Sam Houston State University, 2016
• M.A., Communication Management, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2015
• B.S., Management, Alabama A&M University, 2014

Awards and Honors

• Outstanding Graduate Student Service Award, Texas Christian University, 2023
• Graduate Student Pillar of University Leadership, Texas Christian University, 2023
• First place, Holmes Dissertation Funding Competition, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2023
• Outstanding Graduate Student, American College Personnel Association, 2023
• Outstanding Service Award, Texas Christian University, 2022
• Outstanding Doctoral Student, American College Personnel Association, 2022
• Outstanding Graduate Student Service Award, Texas Christian University, 2021
• Bob Bolen Leadership Scholarship, Texas Christian University, 2021
• Bob Bolen Leadership Scholarship, Texas Christian University, 2020
• Founder’s Day Scholarship Award, Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, 2020
• Founder’s Day Scholarship Award, Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, 2019

Research Interests

• Anti-racism
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Minority-serving institutions
• Racial equity

Professional Organizations

• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
• American College Personnel Association
• American Educational Research Association
• The American Educational Studies Association
• Association for the Study of Higher Education
• Conference on Academic Research and Education
• Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education
• University Council for Educational Administration

Selected Publications

• Thompson, V., & Ekpe, L. (2024). There is No Vacation from Trauma: Black Women Academicians' Narratives on the Need for Community During Times of Racialized Injustices. Journal of Trauma Studies in Education, 3(1), 96-112.
• Ekpe, L., Sherman, A., & Ofoegbu, E. D. (2023). Restoring resilience through joy: The pursuit of happiness in the midst of unprecedented times. Equity in Education & Society, 2(3), 317-329.
• Huckaby, M. F., Cuellar, S., Nguyen, M., Ekpe, L., Brooks, R., Hollins, K., & Crocker, J. W. (2023). BEYOND THE YEARS. Black Cultural Capital: Activism That Spurred African American High Schools, 201.
• Ofoegbu, E. D. & Ekpe, L. (2022). Walk it like you talk it: A critical discourse analysis of college athletics' response to the murder of George Floyd. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics. 15, 168-188. http://csri-jiia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/RA_2022_08.pdf