Yolanda Rankin
Asst. Professor, School of Information, Florida State University

Dr. Yolanda A. Rankin is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Information at Florida State University. Her research interests include developing best practices for broadening participation in K-16 computing education, designing video games to promote Second Language Acquisition (SLA), and utilizing Black feminist epistemologies (intersectionality and Black feminist thought) as critical frameworks for designing technology with underserved populations. Yolanda, a McKnight Fellow (2020-2021) and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow (2016), has published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, including journal articles, conference papers, and books. Prior to entering academia, she accumulated more than twelve years of industry experience, developing software applications and providing customer support while employed at IBM Research Lab – Almaden in San Jose, CA and Lucent Technologies Bell Labs in Naperville, IL. Yolanda completed her Ph.D. in Computer Science at Northwestern University, her M.A. in Computer Science at Kent State University, and her B.S. in Mathematics at Tougaloo College, a historically Black college in Jackson, Mississippi. To maintain work/life balance, she enjoys watching movies, working out, and eating good food.

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