Faculty Directory

Bio

My name is Professor Whitley-Grassi. I am a Adjunct Professor at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY. in the Department of Sociology and a doctoral student at SUNY University at Albany. My current research interests include: LGBTQ+ History, Social Studies Education, Sociology of Education, Political Sociology, Social Policy and Public Administration, LGBT and Minority Representations in Museum Display, Women & Gender Studies. I additionally have expertise in Public Policy Decision-Making, Heritage Tourism, Sociology of the Family, Social Movements, Semiotic Analysis, Social Systems Theory, Native American Culture, and Public History.

My educational background includes: 

• I am currently a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Society, Equity, and Social Studies at SUNY University at Albany in Albany, NY focusing on LGBTQ+ History in Social Studies Education.
• MS in Educational Leadership at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY focusing on the implementation of educational policy in urban charter schools
• MA in Social Policy from Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, NY where I published the thesis “Heritage tourism: Historical society museums, cultural production, and policymaking.”
• Advanced Certificate in Secondary Social Studies Education from SUNY University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY where I completed my graduate research project “How do instructional learning teams (ILTs) and team planning enhance student learning in the Thoughtful Classroom?”
• BA in History with a minor in Gender & Women’s Studies from Georgia Southern University (Armstrong Campus) in Savannah, GA where I published my undergraduate thesis “No Room for Squares: Transportation in 1911 Savannah.”