Tina Lesher received her bachelor’s degree in history from Wheeling Jesuit University and her master’s from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She earned a doctorate in English education, with a specialty in the teaching of writing, from Rutgers University. After working as a staffer at The Scranton Tribune, The Hartford Courant and The Philadelphia Inquirer, she spent years as a freelancer, including stints as a food writer for The Courier News and The Elizabeth Daily Journal. She twice served as president of the New Jersey Press Women. In 1989 she joined the faculty of the Department of Communication at William Paterson University, where she served as department chair and head of the journalism sequence. She also was a recipient of the university’s Legacy Award. Dr. Lesher was a 2006-07 Fulbright Scholar to the UAE, where she researched the lives of women who grew up in the country. The Abaya Chronicles, a novel based on her work, won the 2011 NFPW award for the best novel of the year. She also was appointed as a Fulbright Ambassador for 2010-12. Dr. Lesher has presented at both national conferences and state chapter events, and twice has been a member of the Advocacy Day teams at The US Capitol.