Laura McDermott Matheric

Laura McDermott Matheric, a native Floridian, began her career at Broward College as an English adjunct in 2007. She became a full-time temporary faculty member in 2009 and has been a tenured Professor of English since 2010. Laura serves as the Dual Enrollment Faculty Coordinator for the county. Because of her dedication to higher education and writing, she received recognition as a 2008 Conferenc

e on College Composition and Communication Professional Equity Project Grant Recipient and was awarded the 2012 Paragon Award by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. In an eight-year span, Laura was the recipient of the 2014/2015 Wells Fargo Endowed Teaching Chair of Broward College, and then the 2022/2023 Robert Elmore Family endowed Teaching Chair recipient. She was appointed as the First Poet Laureate of the City of Coconut Creek in 2022, enabling her to further her efforts to help education and the arts throughout the community. Laura studied creative writing, business and education as an undergraduate at Florida State University and received her Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Florida International University, concentrating her studies on poetry. Her first book of poetry, Visions on Alligator Alley, is an ekphrastic story in verse inspired by that residency, published by Lominy Books in 2015. She has worked with many nonprofit organizations, including the Miami Book Fair International, The Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Women’s Club of Coconut Creek, and was the co-founder of the Orange Island Arts Foundation. Laura graduated from the President’s Leadership Academy, an ACUE scholar, and a certified facilitator of the Entrepreneurship Leadership Institute. Laura’s work has won awards, she has published widely and regularly teaches writing workshops and literature courses at Broward College and throughout the community. An active promotor of realistic innovational practices in higher education, Laura keeps seeking expanded ways to broaden the relationship between Broward College and the county-wide community. Laura lives in Coconut Creek, Florida with her husband Walter, their two daughters, Jordan and Lena, a dog named Farley, and a cat named Hazel.