Rhonda Atkinson, Ph.D., is program chair of the Educator Preparation Institute at Valencia College. She has an extensive background in reading and psychology, and a deep understanding of how people learn. She has applied this knowledge to a variety of content areas and learner needs, and is an expert in instructional design.

After earning her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University, Dr. Atkinson went on to become a faculty member and administrator in post-secondary education programs in Louisiana, Missouri, and Florida. Along the way, she has created courses and workshops to meet different content and learner needs in online, face-to-face, and hybrid formats.

She has also developed educational materials for Northrop Grumman, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, Novartis, the Public Broadcasting Corporation, the Louisiana Office of Elder Affairs, the Louisiana Office of Nutrition Education, and the Louisiana Department of Education.

Dr. Atkinson is the co-author of seven college textbooks in reading and learning strategies. She currently serves as a professor of education at Valencia College, Orlando, Florida, where she teaches undergraduate education courses in student success and technology as well as post-graduate certification courses in education