Patricia Taylor, PhD

Patricia’s biography must begin by acknowledging, with appreciation, respect and love, her ancestors and the legacy of supporting others in learning.

Patricia Taylor has an ancestral connection to teaching. On her maternal side her great uncles, aunts, and cousins attended the Normal Schools that prepared teachers and then opened a school for African American children in Yazoo, Mississippi. The building that housed the schools is now on the national registry of historically important landmarks. She knew many of her relatives who attended and then taught at The Oaks Academy.

On her paternal side, her great grandmother, Cora Hardy, along with her great grandfather, were pioneers of the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889 and claimed the land where they raised 11 children and where her great grandmother taught her children and the children of the area. She taught them to read, write and count using everyday experiences such as cooking, farming and games. Patricia grew up visiting her great grandmother regularly and listening to the stories of what a gifted teacher her great grandmother was.

That family legacy manifested in Patricia’s career as a special education teacher, a school principal for the first 21 years culminating in 31 years at the University of La Verne. At the University she has served as the program chairperson of the special education programs, member of the campus ministry, advisor on the ADA task force, Assembly chairperson, representative to the Board of Trustees, and founder and co-director of the Center for Neurodiversity, Learning, and Wellness. 

She has degrees in Special Education and Psychology, including a Ph.d in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. 

Her academic passion is in using etymological paths to bring ancestral wisdom to contemporary ideas and situations . 

The edited book to which she is a contributor, Seeing in the Dark: Wisdom Works of Black Women in Depth Psychology, is about to go into its 2nd edition.