Sherita Flake

Dr. Sherita Flake is a Senior Professorial Lecturer and City Teaching Alliance Program Director in the School of Education at American University, where she focuses on urban education and cultural identity in STEM and leadership. A Memphis native, she has previously served as Clinical Faculty of Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University and provided instructional leadership in K–12 school districts across Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, California, and Washington, DC. She holds a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Leadership and Policy Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Memphis, as well as a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Christian Brothers University.

Flake is the author of Creating Inclusive STEM Classrooms: Claiming Place and Making Space in Grades K–5, a work that reimagines STEM classrooms as inclusive, justice-centered spaces where cultural identity supports deeper learning. Her scholarship includes research on the identities of Black STEM teachers during their preparation experiences and on the cultural identities held by Black women in STEM, reflecting her broader framework for cultural identity in STEM education and leadership.