OUWC Team

Leadership Team

Sherry Wynn Perdue, Ph.D.
Director
(248) 370-3105
[email protected]

Dr. Sherry Wynn Perdue holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, an M.A. in English/American Studies, and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Humanities. She has actively participated in curriculum development and peer mentoring in addition to teaching composition within the Writing and Rhetoric Department since 1996. In 2009, Sherry affirmed her commitment to the lively art (and science) of writing at OU by taking the helm of the writing center, where she spends most of her consulting hours collaborating with faculty on their scholarly publications and with graduate students on their theses and dissertations. More recently, she piloted a dissertation supervision fellowship to help faculty better meet the genre needs of their doctoral students. In addition to her campus role, Sherry is the President of the International Writing Centers Association.

When not teaching or working one-on-one with clients, she is collecting data, developing training curriculum, mentoring one of the center’s writing consultants, or presenting at conferences. Sherry’s concurrent role as a College Board Consultant for AP English Language affirms her belief that high school students need rigorous preparation and their teachers need pedagogical support.

Sherry’s publications on evidence-based research in writing centers, the unique needs of dissertation writers and their supervisors, and information literacy have appeared in The Writing Center Journal, Education Libraries, Perspectives in Undergraduate Research and Mentoring, and the Journal of Academic Librarianship. In addition to penning her own publications, she serves as a reviewer and runs WriteSpace Consulting, an editing and custom writing business.

Ashley Cerku, Ph.D.
Manager
(248) 370-3474
[email protected]

Dr. Ashley Cerku holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Anthropology from Michigan State University, as well as an M.A. in Liberal Studies and a B.A. in English and Writing/Rhetoric and an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Oakland University. She is currently the Manager of the OU Writing Center where she is committed to fostering an engaging and collaborative writing culture across campus.

In addition to overseeing the center's daily operations, she works to strengthen connections among students, faculty, and the community. Through workshops, professional development opportunities, campus events, and community partnerships, she promotes awareness of the many ways writing supports learning, communication, and professional growth.

She has conducted research on student engagement with university writing centers, consultant training, first-generation college student experiences, and the use of interactive learning platforms and activities in educational settings. At the heart of her work, she believes that writing is a lifelong process of learning and discovery, and she enjoys supporting writers wherever they are on that journey.

The Reception and Consulting Team

To see a current directory of our front desk and consulting team, see OUWC Bios.