Katherine Wright has served as Director of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming since 2004, having previously taught in NIU’s Department of English for nineteen years. She received her B.A. in English from The University of Texas, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Indiana University. Her primary research interest is Shakespeare in performance. At NIU, she has taught composition, introduction to literary study, Shakespeare, world literature, and writing pedagogy. She also developed two online literature courses, and served as graduate advisor in English from 1992-1998.
Throughout her years at Northern, she participated in many external programming initiatives, including ACT instruction, New Ideas, Elderhostel, and Travel with the Professor programs to the Stratford Festival of Canada and to London’s Globe in its opening season. She currently serves as an advisory member to the Guadalupe A. Reyes Scholarship Committee of the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, as an advisory board member for the Center for Research in Festive Culture, as an honorary Associate of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and as President of NIU Friends of the Library.