Dr. Michele Simms-Burton: “Academy Blues, Post-Academy Joy: There is Life Outside of Academia”

Dr. Michele Simms-Burton holds a Ph.D. in English from the George Washington University and a master’s level certificate in Instructional Systems Design from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She also earned certificates in designing learning, designing eLearning, and consulting for trainers from ATD (formerly ASTD).

Teaching and learning fueled her passion for life, but the peculiarities of the Academy, fraught with some practices that would be illegal in the corporate world, hastened her departure.

Having entered the Academy as a seasoned professional, she felt certain that she could use her academic training, education, and professorial experiences to fashion a professional life that complimented her holistic vision of herself and how she would move through the world. She continues to lecture throughout the world about topics pertaining to African American culture.