Whitney McCoy Hudson

Dr. Whitney N. McCoy Hudson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education.

As a community-engaged scholar, McCoy Hudson examines how learning environments cultivate identity, belonging, and opportunity for young people, with a particular focus on Black girls. Using asset-based frameworks, she centers the voices and knowledge of youth, families, and communities to examine how research-practice partnerships can co-design accessible and affirming educational experiences that promote well-being, engagement, and thriving. Her interdisciplinary scholarship spans STEM education, literacy and educational improvement and employs critical qualitative and mixed methods.

McCoy Hudson is a 2026 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow whose project focuses on creative counterspaces for Black girls. Before beginning her career in higher education, she taught elementary and middle school students in Guilford and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina. Those experiences continue to shape her commitment to partnering with schools, families, and communities to create meaningful educational opportunities and learning environments where possibility can flourish.

McCoy Hudson earned a B.S. in Biology from Winston-Salem State University where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; an M.A.T. in Elementary Education from UNC Charlotte; and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences, with a concentration in Educational Psychology, from North Carolina State University.

Research Interests

Community-engaged research

Identity and belonging

Educational opportunity

STEM education

Black girls’ experiences in education

Education

Ph.D., Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (Educational Psychology concentration), NC State University

M.A.T., Elementary Education, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

B.S., Biology, Winston-Salem State University