Renee N. Escoffery-Torres, AKA Leader, Inducted Into Marquis Who’s Who

 PETERSBURG, VA
Dr. Renee N. Escoffery-Torres was recently inducted into Marquis Who’s Who. A career educator who has worked with more than 30 Army colleges and schools nationwide also is the current Centennial President of Delta Omega, the oldest graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) on the east coast,

After earning her 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. Later, as an Army civilian, she obtained her doctorate with full federal funding. 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 has credited her father Dr. Aubrey S. Escoffery, who was a psychologist and a professor, for inspiring her life’s journey. His pursuit of education in spite of humble beginnings motivated her to embark on a similar educational and professional journey.

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.

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.