Dr. Kendra DeHart has been selected as the 2024 higher education recipient of the Mary Jon and J.P. Bryan Leadership in Education Award from the Texas State Historical Association. This award is given annually to recognize two outstanding history educators throughout the state of Texas, one at the K-12 level and one at the college level.

Dr. DeHart is the Chair of the Sul Ross State University’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Department and an assistant professor of History. DeHart was born and raised in Alpine. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and communication from Southwestern University in Georgetown and her master’s degree, specializing in Public History, from Texas State University where she defended her thesis on home demonstration work in Texas with distinction. She was also designated Texas State University’s Outstanding Graduate Student in History.

A recipient of the Provost Fellowship at Texas Christian University, DeHart completed her Ph.D at TCU and now teaches courses on U.S. History, the American West, Women’s History and Texas History at SRSU. She was a recent finalist for SRSU’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. She has presented at numerous conferences and received several awards, including the Kenneth E. Hendrickson Jr. Award for the best published article in The Sound Historian: Journal of the Texas Oral History Association. DeHart is completing a manuscript on West Texas women’s clubs in the post-WWII period.

The award will be presented at the Fellows Luncheon and Presentation of Awards on Friday, March 1, in the annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association at the Texas A&M Conference Center in College Station.

“In addition to an impressive scholar of Texas history, I find Dr. DeHart deeply committed to her students and colleagues, alike, bringing one of the most positive attitudes I have experienced in my many years at Sul Ross State University,” Dr. Laura Payne, dean of the Jimmy D. Case College of Literature, Arts and Social Sciences, wrote in her nomination letter. “She brings a wonderful attitude, impressive energy, and plain fun to student engagement.”

For more information, email kendra.dehart@sulross.edu.