Elka M. Stevens

Biography

Elka M. Stevens, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the new Fashion Design Program and the Fashion Merchandising Program (ending in 2015) in the Department of Art at Howard University. She currently teaches a variety of courses, including Introduction to the Fashion Industry, African American Dress, Textiles, Experimental Studio, International Trade, and Entrepreneurship. In addition to teaching for almost 20 years in both the United States and Ghana, West Africa, Dr. Stevens has worked as a fashion writer, a product development specialist for Aid to Artisans in Ghana and for the Ministry of Trade and Modernization of the Capital City, both in Accra, Ghana; a micro-enterprise trainer for the Peace Corps in Ghana; a technology trainer for the Ghana Tourism Capacity Development Initiative, a marketing project in Accra, Ghana and in numerous positions in the retail industry.

Research Interest

International trade, visual culture, gender, and identity, using textiles and clothing as a lens of analysis