Dr. Chandra Owenby Hopkins, associate professor of theatre, is the 2020 Excellence In Teaching recipient for Converse College. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and earned an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.A. from Brenau University.

An award-winning teacher, scholar, and director, Dr. Hopkins’ honors include Converse’s 2017 Cato Award for Faculty Excellence and the 2015 Robert A. Schanke Theatre Research Award from the Mid-America Theatre Conference. In 2019, she was awarded a grant from the Council of Independent Colleges and the AARP Foundation for developing Growing Old: Food and Oral History in Performance, featuring college and older adult community members exploring social isolation and food insecurity.

Dr. Hopkins is involved extensively on campus outside the theatre. She serves as a faculty athletics representative, a responsibility in which she has created policy and new initiatives to ensure success for student-athletes. She has taught within the Nisbet Honors program and is a strong advocate for Converse’s School of the Arts. Her arts advocacy includes piloting the first three years of the co-taught interdisciplinary Arts Foundation course series.

Converse executive leadership recognizes the value created by Dr. Hopkins. Converse President Krista Newkirk explains that “Dr. Hopkins creates an educational experience that extends beyond the classroom and the theatre. Her students have developed friendships with, and a greater understanding of the lifetime experiences of, the older generations in our community. She provides not only a wonderful educational experience, but also an emotional and social development opportunity that is invaluable to our students.” Provost Jeffrey H. Barker adds that “Dr. Hopkins is an excellent model of a dedicated teacher whose students excel on stage and in engaging with the wider community.”