Shari Mackinson, PhD

Dr. Shari Mackinson is a scholar of religion and ethics whose work centers on justice for marginalized communities, with a particular focus on mass incarceration. She currently serves as Morehouse-BPI Faculty Fellow and Assistant Director of the AYC-HEP.

A proud alumna of Howard University, Dr. Mackinson also holds dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Social Work from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After nearly a decade with Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services, she returned to graduate study at Emory University, earning a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D. in Religion with a concentration in Ethics.

While at Emory, she directed the Certificate in Theological Studies Program at Arrendale State Prison for Women, where she deepened her commitment to educational access and transformative justice. Prior to joining AYC-HEP, she was Assistant Professor of Religion, in U.S. Christianities, at Texas Christian University.

Dr. Mackinson approaches her research through Black Feminist/Womanist and Postcolonial ethical frameworks. She is excited to return home to Georgia and offer the transformative power of HBCU education to incarcerated individuals, continuing her work at the intersection of theology, ethics, and liberation.