Two-Time Alumna and Second-Generation Bulldog Builds National Connections Across Higher Education
National Fellowships Position AAMU’s Teague to Expand Opportunities for Students
Dr. Charlotte C. Teague, associate professor and chair of Alabama A&M University’s Department of English and Modern Languages, has been selected for three national fellowship programs focused on higher education leadership, the humanities and creative writing for the 2026-27 academic year.
Teague was selected for the HERS Leadership Institute, the inaugural Rutgers University Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Humanities Leadership Academy Fellowship and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs HBCU Faculty Fellowship. She also secured a $10,000 Mellon Leadership Fellowship through a separate competitive national application process.
A native of Hillsboro, Alabama, Teague is a two-time AAMU alumna and second-generation Bulldog who has spent more than two decades at the University as an educator, scholar and academic leader. Her relationship with AAMU has evolved from student and alumna to professor, department chair and administrator.
“Alabama A&M gave me opportunities that changed the direction of my life,” Teague said. “These fellowships give me an opportunity to expand my leadership, scholarship, teaching and creative work while bringing new ideas and relationships back to AAMU. What matters most to me is how those opportunities can benefit our students and help them see what is possible for their own lives.”
Teague’s selection for the HERS Leadership Institute builds on her academic and administrative leadership while expanding her engagement with higher education leaders nationally. Established in 1972, HERS has spent more than five decades strengthening leadership pipelines across higher education. According to HERS, Teague is the first Alabama A&M leader selected to participate in the institute.
As chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages, Teague oversees academic programs, curriculum, assessment, personnel, faculty development and student success. She also directs AAMU’s Dual Enrollment and Early College initiatives, coordinating academic and operational efforts across the University and with K-12 partners.
Her selection for the inaugural Rutgers University MSI Humanities Leadership Academy Fellowship makes her AAMU’s first representative in the national initiative and complements her work in humanities scholarship, teaching and academic leadership.
Dr. Charlotte C. Teague visits with students during an English composition class at Alabama A&M University.
Teague has focused much of her academic leadership on strengthening programs in English, modern languages, writing and related disciplines. Formally trained in technical and scientific writing, she earned a master’s degree in English and technical communication from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and has professional experience as a technical and scientific writer. Her background bridges the humanities and STEM and informs her perspective on the role both play in higher education.
Teague’s selection as an AWP HBCU Faculty Fellow recognizes another dimension of her work through creative writing, teaching, scholarship and mentorship.
She is AAMU’s first AWP HBCU Faculty Fellow and one of three faculty members selected for the AWP27 cohort, which also includes six student fellows. The fellowship provides a $4,000 faculty honorarium, conference travel and lodging, AWP membership and additional support.
The fellowship also provides opportunities for student writers. Faculty and student fellows meet monthly to workshop students’ creative work. Student fellows will present their writing during a public reading at the national AWP Conference, and their final pieces will appear in The Writer’s Chronicle alongside reflections from faculty fellows.
A writer and literary scholar, Teague teaches fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and journalism workshop courses. Her creative work has appeared in literary publications, including Alabama Humanities Allliance (AHA’s) annual storytelling magazine Mosaic and the Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partner of the Alabama State Council on the Arts that supports the state’s literary community.
“Our students have stories and ideas that deserve serious intellectual attention,” Teague said. “I want them to see themselves as writers whose work belongs beyond the classroom and to have opportunities to enter those larger literary and professional communities.”
Although the fellowships focus on different areas, they share a connection to Teague’s work at AAMU. HERS focuses on higher education leadership, the Rutgers fellowship on humanities leadership at minority-serving institutions, and the AWP fellowship on creative writing and student mentorship.
“I am a product of this University,” Teague said. “I know firsthand what AAMU can make possible. If I can use these opportunities to open another door for a student, strengthen a program or bring another meaningful connection back to The Hill, that is what makes the recognition important to me.”