William O’Neil-White joined the teaching and curriculum faculty in 2025. He earned his PhD in curriculum, instruction, and the science of learning from the University of Buffalo and is a certified 7-12 English and African-American studies teacher in New York State. O’Neil-White has spent his entire career dedicated to working with urban public school students. 

A former high school English teacher for eight years, his qualitative studies—primarily ethnographic and design-based—investigate the literate lives of Black youth in Rust Belt cities. His work includes studies on critical literacy practices in urban schools, racial battle fatigue, and Black youth learning ecologies. He has published articles in the English Journal, Urban Education, and the Journal of Language and Literacy Education. He is also a fellow in the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color (CNV) program through the National Council of Teachers of English.

O'Neil-White is still deeply committed to working in his hometown community of Buffalo, NY. He directs a research-literacy learning lab for Black boys at Math, Science, Technology Prep High School in Buffalo and serves on the board of the Western New York Network of English Teachers.