Dr. Katherine S. Cho is an assistant professor in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University, Ohio. As an activist, scholar, practitioner, and educator, Dr. Cho’s research agenda centers on critical social justice through institutional accountability and organizational change. Her work spans across student activism, institutionalized racism, student success, retention, and flipping the narrative of “why aren’t students prepared for college” to “why aren’t colleges prepared for our students.” At Miami University, she teaches critical research design and organizational theory.
Previously, Dr. Cho worked as a research analyst at the Higher Education Research Institute, focusing on how colleges and universities increase the retention for marginalized and minoritized student populations. While in New York City, she was an administrator managing several student leadership programs for a university. Dr. Cho also worked for an educational nonprofit centered on service-learning and civic engagement. Her other experiences include being a teaching fellow, an associate board member for a nonprofit addressing domestic violence, a mural artist, conference chair and organizer, wedding coordinator, and calligrapher. She is a 2019 National Academy of Education / Spencer Dissertation Fellow and a 2019-2020 NYU Faculty First-Look Scholar. In the other pockets of her life, Dr. Cho enjoys knitting, improving as a plant parent, and reading a great book (recommendations welcome).