Robin Brandehoff, Ph.D.
Robin Brandehoff obtained her doctoral degree in Education and Human Development with an emphasis in Urban Ecologies from CU Denver where she is now an Assistant Professor in Educational Foundations and leads the Latinx Learners and Communities/Justice, Equity, and Diverse Identities Ed.D. concentrations. On campus, she is also a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and the faculty advisor for Doctoral Students of Color. She is an educator and theatre arts practitioner driven to work alongside students and teachers in communities facing conflict and marginalization using Hānai Pedagogy to educate, play, and liberate. Her research examines both the impacts of oppressions and wealth of knowledge and ancestral culture of non-dominant communities of the Global Majority through mentorship, performance, and narrative to support and educate at-promise youth and the educational leaders and mentors that work with them.
Hailing from Hawai'i and California, Robin is a first-generation high school graduate who emphasizes the importance of individualized advising and mentorship for all students—particularly first-generation Students of Color. She has been an educator for over seventeen years, working in alternative education as an English, ELD, and Leadership teacher, as well as a site & grant coordinator, administrator, and now as a professor in higher education working with teacher candidates and doctoral students. During her doctoral studies, Robin held the role of program director and researcher for Pathways2Teaching (www.pathways2teaching.com) allowing her to explore what it truly means to teach for social justice and equity as she worked alongside high school students, teachers, doctoral students, and university faculty in the Denver Metropolitan area and additional affiliate sites. This work led to her invitation to become a member of the national Grow Your Own Collective (www.gyocollective.org), which she now co-leads. In this role, Robin has worked and presented with various GYO programs and leaders from around the country to create a sustainable model for recruiting & retaining diverse, community-grounded Teachers of Color. Robin is still actively involved in her theatre work and supports the ongoing collaborations of the international Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc. (www.ptoweb.org) of which she has been a previous board member and co-president for several years. This organization supports individuals and groups whose work challenges oppressive systems by promoting critical thinking and social justice through liberatory theatre and popular education in marginalized communities.
A former student created this “name plate” for my door, complete with one of my favorite cartoon characters.
PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH
Robin's upcoming presentations, research projects, and writings are featured here. If you would like to collaborate, please send her a message.
My classroom on the day of Star Testing right before my students arrived.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Robin's students inspired her to go back to University to one day teach emerging educators about the rigors and wonderment of the classroom and what it can provide our youth.