Patricia Okker

Patricia Ann Okker was named president of New College of Florida in 2021. She was previously a professor of English at the University of Missouri, where she focused her studies on American literature.

Education and career Okker has a B.A. from Allegheny College Okker earned her Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Okker started as an assistant professor at the University of Missouri in 1990, and was promoted to full professor in 2004. From 2005 until 2011, she served as chair of the English department, and from 2017 until 2021 Okker served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri.

In July 2021, Okker became president of New College of Florida,

Work Okker is known for her work in the field of American literature, where she specializes in the history of periodicals. While considering topics for her Ph.D. dissertation, she became interested in women who had edited magazines, which led to her Ph.D. dissertation on Sarah Josepha Hale who was known for her work on women's magazines.

Selected publications

Honors and awards In 2003 Okker received the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence from the University of Missouri.