LaShawnda Lindsay, PhD

LaShawnda Lindsay, Ph.D., is a research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW). Over the past decade, her research has created a platform that sheds light on the social determinants, racial injustices, and cultural biases that burden the progression and viability of Black girls and women. She has mentored Black girls, implemented sustainable programs and initiatives for Black girls, and most recently founded Black Girls Matter: A Social Media Campaign. Prior to joining WCW, Lindsay served as the interim chairperson and an associate professor of education at Paine College in Augusta, GA.

Lindsay also uses her passion and creativity to enhance the wellbeing of girls and women by designing and creating her own line of jewelry and accessories, Ananse Design Essentials, LLC. This entrepreneurial endeavor and decade of research on/about/for black girls has promoted the creation of a new initiative, Black Girls Create (BGR). BGR is an informal STEM learning program that integrates fashion design and engineering to increase Black girls’ interest and value in STEM education and careers.

Lindsay directs Black Girls Create, a culturally responsive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program that uses digital fabrication projects to increase underserved girls' interest and confidence in science and math. The project builds on the notion that informal learning spaces can provide underserved students with access to quality STEM activities that are often unavailable in their schools.

M.Ed., Counselor Education, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Augusta University, December 2015

Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Georgia State University, May 2010

Graduate Certificate, Women’s Studies, Georgia State University, May 2009

M.Ed., Educational Psychology, Howard University, May 2003

B.S., Psychology, Morris Brown College, May 2001