Yolanda J. Majors, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), will join the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota as a visiting associate professor during the 2011-2012 academic year. Dr. Majors will also hold a 50% appointment with the Minnesota Center for Reading Research (MCRR) to enhance its work with K-12 schools to support teachers, particularly those who teach students of poverty, as they learn to effectively teach youth from diverse backgrounds to become competent readers and writers. She will also provide leadership throughout the College of Education and Human Development to support under-represented pre-tenured faculty members with structured mentoring opportunities and teach in the English education program area.