Dr. Devon Atchison earned her B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in History from Boston University. Her doctoral dissertation, Shades of Change focused on the racial, gender, and class implications of suntanning in America. Dr. Atchison left cold and snowy Boston for the warmer shores of San Diego, where she taught at Grossmont College for seven years. At Grossmont College, Dr. Atchison served as an Academic Senate Officer, faculty co-chair for the Women’s History Month celebration, faculty co-chair of the LGBTQIA club, and volunteer archivist for the Women’s History Museum of San Diego. She was awarded the “Excellence in Teaching” Award in 2009, and was awarded tenure that same year. Since moving to Seattle, Dr. Atchison started an Advisory Board, and serves as Board Chair, for the Making Connections program, organized an oral history project for the Community and Parents for Public Schools, was the keynote speaker for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship’s inaugural EmpowerHer event, and taught U.S. History at Seattle Central College.
