Zakiya Atkinson, EdD is an Assistant Professor of Dance and the Dance Credential Coordinator at California State University, Long Beach. She was a district Visual and Performing Arts Supervisor in New Jersey and prior to that spent over a decade as the first dance educator/ director for the Memorial High School Performing Arts Academy in West New York, NJ. Atkinson has taught and developed arts programming and curricula for PK-12 schools, communities, and dance studios. Atkinson holds a Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA in Dance Education from New York University, and a BA in Communications and Theatre from Temple University, with a Minor in Dance. She also holds a certificate in Holocaust & Genocide Education from Saint Elizabeth University. Atkinson is the founder/ director of Zaman Dance Theatre. Her professional credits include stage, television, print, and live events. She has toured school districts as an arts education performer and was a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader (NFL) for four years. Atkinson has been the recipient of an NEA Learning & Leadership grant and fellowships with Body Politic Laboratory at Gibney (NYC), Bates Dance Festival, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her research interests include critical pedagogies and the intersections of sociocultural factors, arts education, and community engagement