about kim

Kim Case, Ph.D. is a tenured Professor of Psychology, as well as affiliate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a mixed-methods social psychologist, she applies critical theories to examine how social justice academics and underrepresented scholars contribute to intentional creation of inclusive spaces within workplace and educational settings. Currently, Dr. Case’s research focuses on the systemic impact of workplace cultural mismatch on how social justice academics navigate job demands with particular attention to health, performance, and retention outcomes. Her research investigates how dominant cultural norms and applied practices result in exclusionary or inclusive experiences for scholars deeply involved in DEIA (diversity equity inclusion accessibility), for example, by invalidating or rewarding DEIA work in faculty promotion. In her 3 books and additional pedagogical scholarship, she addresses inclusive, equity-minded teaching practices across all disciplines with special attention to anti-racist and social justice pedagogies. Her national and international faculty development work, including her Enough Y’all podcast, focuses on support for social justice academics tackling topics such as job crafting, values alignment, invisible labor, self-worth in the academy, imposter feelings, and defining “enough.”

Books
Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom (2013 Routledge) focuses on pedagogical strategies for teaching about privilege through an intersectional lens. Her second book emphasizes intersectionality pedagogy across the curriculum: Intersectional Pedagogy: Complicating Identity and Social Justice (2017 Routledge). Her book with Mary Kite and Wendy R. Williams (2021 APA) provides support for Navigating Difficult Moments in Teaching Diversity and Social Justice. Co-edited with Leah Warner, her forthcoming book, Creating a Faculty Activism Commons for Social Justice: Finding Hope in the Messy Truth, brings forward personal narratives by faculty activists working for institutional change (Routledge).

Awards
Nationally, Dr. Case has been recognized for her scholarship as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association, and three APA divisions (STP, SPSSI, SPW). The APA Committee on Women in Psychology honored her with the Distinguished Leadership Award, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville gave her the Accomplished Alumni Award. Her mentoring and pedagogical innovations resulted in five university teaching awards and four national teaching awards from professional associations, including the Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2). Within VCU, her work for diversity, equity, and inclusion were recognized with 3 awards: The President’s Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment, the Trailblazer in Inclusion Diversity and Equity Award, and the Champions of Accessibility Award. Additional awards are listed on her full CV.

National Leadership
Dr. Case served a total of 11 years on the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (www.spssi.org) Council and five years as elected Representative to APA Council (American Psychological Association). Within APA Council, she was a founding member of the Council Diversity Work Group. She previously served SPSSI as Convention Program Chair, Teaching and Mentoring Chair, Council Member, and more which led to the Distinguished Service Award and Michelle Alexander Scholarship and Service Award. She previously served on the VCU ADVANCE IT initiative and as Advisory Board member to the Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering NSF Red grant for inclusive transformation. In 2022, she was elected to serve 3-years on Executive Council for the Virginia Educational Development Collaborative.

University Leadership
Dr. Case previously served as VCU’s Director of Faculty Success (2019-2023) in Faculty Affairs, Office of the Provost. Her Director role included overseeing the faculty success initiatives and directing the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence where she provided pedagogical, scholarship and writing, and career planning support programs for faculty across ranks and career paths. Prior to VCU (2005-2019), she served as Professor of Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, Chair of the Faculty Mentoring Program, Director of the Teaching-Learning Enhancement Center, and Director of the Applied Social Issues Master’s program at a state university in Houston, Texas