Dr. Symphony Oxendine

Cherokee/Choctaw. Educator. Wife. Mother. Leader. Scholar. Solution Seeker. Change Agent.

I am Symphony Oxendine, Ph.D., a Cherokee/Choctaw woman from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I serve as an Associate Professor in Higher Education and the Assistant Department Chair/Doctoral Coordinator for the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Before pursuing my doctorate and transitioning into a faculty role in a student affairs/higher education graduate preparation program, I spent six years as a student affairs practitioner.

As an Indigenous quantitative scholar, my research focuses on the social and institutional issues affecting the educational performance and institutional support for Indigenous People in higher education, appreciative inquiry in higher education, and pathways into the student affairs profession. I am honored to serve as the Special Advisor to the Executive Director for Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous issues for ACPA–College Student Educators International, as well as the Vice-Chair for the National Institution for Native Leadership in Higher Education (NINLHE).

In addition to my academic roles, I am a certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator and have consulted and facilitated with various organizations, including educational institutions, student organizations, and fraternities and sororities. I am also a proud member of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc., where I have served for 19 years as a Grand Keeper of the Circle in various roles, including Grand President, and I currently hold the position of Grand Treasurer.

I also serve on the Board of Directors for Women Honoring Other Women, a non-profit organization that empowers women by embracing opportunities, seeking solutions, and creating change through strengths-based approaches for leadership development, fostering both their own learning and the learning of others.