Melissa J. Marks, EdD, is the Director of the Education Program and a co-advisor for the S-PSEA chapter on campus. She teaches a wide variety of courses, including strategies, diversity, social studies methods, and general teacher education courses. Dr. Marks’ books include Teaching About Diversity: Activities to Start the Conversation (2020) and How to Talk to Families About Child and Adolescent Mental Illness (co-authored with Dr. Diane Marsh, 2009). She co-created the "Early College Experience" program for college-bound high school students with cognitive and emotional disabilities. She was awarded the PGAA Outstanding Faculty Award (2009), the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg President's Medal (2010), the Pennsylvania Association of College Teachers of Education Teacher Educator of the Year Award (2014), The Pitt-Greensburg Distinguished Teaching Award (2016), and the University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching (2017). Areas of research include teacher supervision, multicultural education and diversity, and social studies education. Prior to teaching at the university level, she taught social studies to middle school students for 10 years.
