Sherita Flake

Dr. Sherita Flake, a Memphis native, is a Senior Professorial Lecturer and MAT Program Director at American University. She is dedicated to urban education and is known for her cultural identity reseach in STEM and leadership. As a wife and mother of three daughters, her family′s experiences underscored the importance of cultural identities and agency. Dr. Flake′s research and personal journey as a Black woman in STEM with Autism Level I and ADHD influenced her conceptual framework on cultural identity, benefiting historically marginalized groups. Her findings have been widely received and adopted both nationally and internationally.

Before American University, she served as Clinical Faculty of Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University and was an instructional leader in K-12 school districts across Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, California, and DC. She actively participated in educational committees, including ETS Standards Setting Committees, Maryland State Department of Education Expert Review Team, and OSSE’s Review Team, and earned prestigious awards such as the Governor′s Award of Excellence in Virginia, EPIC Gold status in Tennessee, and the Bryan K. Ingram Award for Leadership at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Flake, along with her youngest daughter, Makenzie, co-authored "Stem Includes Me," a publication aiming to help all students discover their identities in STEAM careers.