Susan Turell, Ph.D.
by Megan Cherrier
Dr. Susan C. Turell was born on July 10, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio to a Jewish family. Four years later she moved to Houston, Texas where she resided throughout her childhood years. She feels that being Jewish is not just about religion, but it is about culture as well. Her family and community encouraged her to pursue an education and embrace Jewish values which remain a source of strength for her. Turell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of Texas and a Master’s degree in counseling from the University of Houston before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in counseling in 1992.
Turell credits her Jewish upbringing with introducing her to social justice concerns. Community members in the Houston suburb of Meyerland where she grew up welcomed all people with diverse viewpoints. Growing up during the 1960s-1970s, Turell witnessed a great deal of discrimination in other social settings, although she noted that she did not have the language to understand the dynamics of oppression until she was a college student. Turell credits her grandmother, a progressive thinker, feminist, and life-long learner with teaching her feminist insights. Turell further developed her feminist values and knowledge of feminism when at 26, she worked at the Houston Area Women’s Center in Texas. From this beginning, Turell has become a leading activist and academic voice working to promote social change through feminism, particularly in efforts to prevent violence against women. Turell spent ten years at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and six years as the Coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program and as a professor in Women’s Studies and Psychology at UW-Eau Claire before becoming the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of Undergraduate Education, a position she assumed in summer 2008. Turell hopes to continue her passion for social justice issues in her new position on campus and wants to challenge the status quo on campus regarding institutionalized oppressive practices.
Living as a feminist makes a big difference in Turell’s life. She thinks that great achievements have resulted from feminist work in the past 40 years but she also believes that there is much more to be done. She is encouraged by the gains women have made in areas such as access to employment and by society’s greater awareness of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and abuse. On the other hand, she believes that we still live in a patriarchal world, where the current system for preventing violence against women does not always work. Turell wants things to change and envisions a future where women will gain control over their reproductive lives and sexualities and imagines a world where more women will occupy equitable positions in the workforce. Turell is committed to being part of the change she wants to see by encouraging people not to be afraid of everything feminism entails—“it is not just about women” but all the ways people may face discrimination because of race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality and/or other layers of their social identities.
