PETERSBURG, VA, September 07, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Renee N. Escoffery-Torres has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
As a child, Dr. Escoffery-Torres was greatly inspired by her father, Dr. Aubrey S. Escoffery, who was a psychologist and a professor. His pursuit of education in spite of humble beginnings motivated her to embark on a similar educational and professional journey. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Literature from Virginia State University and a Master of Arts in literature and composition from the University of Cincinnati, she worked first on the faculty of Hampton University, and then as an Army civilian, an opportunity which furthered her education with full federal funding to obtain a doctorate. Dr. Escoffery-Torres intentionally decided to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in order to reallocate federal capital toward historically Black institutions.
Because her tuition, books, fees and living expenses were covered by the U.S. Army, Dr. Escoffery-Torres was able to fund travel across the United States in order to conduct extensive research for her doctoral dissertation. For her research, she interviewed 10 women presidents of various HBCUs, and was able to collect a robust amount of data. In 2012, she graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership with emphasis on higher educational administration from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Throughout her studies and her career, Dr. Escoffery-Torres developed a passion for the study of African American History and culture, Leadership, and Women's Studies.
In her career as an Army civilian, Dr. Escoffery-Torres was the first African American and woman Command Chief of Staff and Faculty, for the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). She served at the historic Fort Monroe for more than 15 years, and was appointed by EEO as special emphasis program manager before the base closed in 2011. After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Escoffery-Torres continued her studies in Public Leadership at the Brookings Institution. Before her federal career, she attended, and taught on the faculty of Hampton University in the Department of English.
As a nationally and internationally respected voice in her field, Dr. Escoffery-Torres served as Intern to the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and participated in the ACE Summit for Women of Color in Higher Educational Administration at Brown University. Her dissertation research was presented at the American Council on Education's statewide conference for women in higher education in Virginia, and at multiple campuses of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Barbados. Most recently, Dr. Escoffery-Torres was recruited to two scholarly panels sponsored by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the Hampton 1619 Commission, held at Hampton University and the Hampton History Museum.
Over the years, Dr. Escoffery-Torres has been incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel to Prague, Czech Republic to speak on women in leadership as a member of the International Leadership Association. She was honored to serve on a panel with distinguished scholars in the field and to speak on her own extensive research on the subject. In addition, she was proud to present at the Tenth Annual Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Education at Yale University. Dr. Escoffery-Torres' father, born in New Haven, worked hard to attend night classes at the university in 1942, and she invited him back to the Yale campus at age 89 to watch his own daughter speak in front of an esteemed audience.
As the current Centennial President of Delta Omega, the oldest graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) on the east coast, Dr. Escoffery-Torres is proud her chapter has received the first historical marker in the Commonwealth of Virginia that honors a chapter of AKA. As a dedicated professional, she currently maintains her affiliation with ASALH as a Life member, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian Institution, the VSU-ILCC which works in partnership with members of the United Nations, and the HBCU Emergency Management Workforce Consortium. In her community, Dr. Escoffery-Torres was elected as the vice president of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) for the Diocese of Southern Virginia and appointed by Bishop Susan Haynes to the Repairers of the Breach Commission.
In 2014, Dr. Escoffery-Torres authored the award-winning book, Nine Decades of Timeless Service: A History of Delta Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., 1921-2013, which received regional acclaim and recognition in her Sorority. She also co-authored an article that was published in the book, "They All Came: Stories of Camp Croft," which was funded by the Smithsonian Institution. Most notably, Dr. Escoffery-Torres edited the highly acclaimed novel "A Bullet for Lincoln" by Benjamin King, and the Centennial Edition of the Chapter's history is scheduled for a fall release.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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