Biography

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Antonia “Toni” Gordon is a native of Muskegon Heights, Michigan. Prior to starting her journey as a doctoral student, Antonia held positions with the Government Accountability Office, the City of Philadelphia’s mayor office, and the U.S. Army. She joined Michigan State University’s Political Science Department in 2021 as a Michigan State Interdisciplinary Training in Education and Social Science (MITTENSS) Fellow. Her research explores the social, economic, and behavioral consequences of state intervention in Urban/Minority serving communities. Her unique take on education policy demonstrates how school accountability goes beyond education institutions to impact the public that schools service.  Antonia’s long-term goal/practical implication for her research includes understanding the design of accountability policies, and whether approaches to design could better support students and communities. In addition to her scholarly work, Antonia has served as the graduate assistant at MSU’s Women of Color Initiatives (WOCI) where she created the community health program. In this role, Antonia facilitated wellness programing with community-based partners that offer WOC targeted services. The impact of these partnerships helped to build a robust network of support for graduate student health while extending WOCI’s educational programing to women outside of the university. Antonia is also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the League of Women Voters – Detroit, and the National Council for Negro Women (NCNW) where she serves on the national youth and collegiate affairs and social Justice committees. Through these organizations, Antonia teaches urban youth about civic engagement, service, and voting rights.