Professor
- PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, Education
- MA, California State University, Long Beach, Education
- BA, University of California, San Diego, Cultural Communication
With over 100 publications, Dr. Cheryl E. Matias was recently awarded the 2025 Division K Legacy Award and 2025 Critical Educators for Social Justice Revolutionary Mentor Award at the premier organization, American Educational Research Association. She also was awarded the Mid-Career Award for her work on racial justice in teacher education in both Division K (2020) and Critical Examinations of Race, Class, and Gender (2025). She is a full professor in the School of Leadership and Education Science at the University of San Diego. Her research focuses on race and ethnic studies in education with a theoretical focus on critical race theory, critical whiteness studies, critical pedagogy and feminism of color. Specifically, she uses a feminist of color approach to deconstruct the emotionality of whiteness in urban teacher education and how it impacts urban education. Her other research interest is on motherscholarship and supporting women of color and motherscholars in the academy.
Dr. Matias has been a part of AACTE for one year. Since that one year she has accomplished so much for the organization. First, she successfully started up a Holmes Scholar Program—the last standing in California—where she coordinates 9 Holmes Scholars, many of whom have published articles and book chapters with her and have co-presented with her at the 2025 AERA. In 1 year, she has 4 publications with her “Holmies!”. Secondly, in just 1 year, Dr. Matias has given AACTE 4 workshops: 1) AACTE Pre Conference How to Publish Workshop (which was standing room only with both Coordinators and Holmes Scholars), 2) was the “Spotlight Speaker” for the Annual Diverse Teacher Workforce (DTW) at AACTE, 3) was the 1st ever Holmes Commencement Ceremony Keynote Speaker, and 4) was going to keynote the AACTE & CSU Project UNITE Urban Teacher. Clearly, in just 1 year Dr. Matias has single-handedly saved the Holmes structure in California and contributed much needed support on what it takes to get into the professoriate to AACTE for junior professors and doctoral students alike.
A former K-12 teacher in both South Central, Los Angeles Unified School District and Bed-Stuyvesant, New York City Department of Education, she earned her bachelors in cultural communication from University of California San Diego, teaching credential at San Diego State University, and her master’s in social and Multicultural Foundations at California State University, Long Beach. She earned her doctorate at UCLA with an emphasis in race and ethnic studies in education. She delivers national talks and workshops on whiteness, racial justice, and diversity. She was awarded the 2014 American Educational Research Association’s Division K (Teacher Education) Innovations in Research on Diversity in Teacher Education Award and the 2015 and 2017 Colorado Rosa Parks Diversity Award. In 2015, she was awarded Excellence in Research by the School of Education & Human Development at University of Colorado Denver. In 2016 she was awarded the university’s Graduate School’s Dean Mentoring Award. In 2018 she was ranked as the top 25 women in higher education making a difference in the journal, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
Some of her publications can be found in top tiered journals such as, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Teachers College Record, Equity and Excellence, and Journal of Teacher Education. Her first solo-authored book entitled Feeling White: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Education earned the 2017 Honorable Mention for the Society of Professors of Education. Her second book, Surviving Becky(s): Pedagogies for Deconstructing Whiteness and Gender, came out January 2020 and was nominated for the AESA book award. Her third book Critical Theoretical Research Methods in Education came out May 2021 and her fourth book coedited with Dr. Paul Gorski on White Liberalism, The Other Elephant in the Classroom, is published by Teachers College Press. Her fifth book is entitled, Charles Mills: The Legacy Lives On is published by Routledge in 2025 and pays homage to the work of Mills in educational justice. She is a motherscholar of three, including boy-girl twins who will be attending Berkeley and UC Irvine in the fall, a runner, yogi, an avid Lakers and Dodgers fan, a Bachata and salsa dancer, and a loving partner.