Class Adviser & Associate Faculty
B.A. Black Studies, Oberlin College, 1994
M.A. History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1999
M.A. American Studies, New York University, 2003
M.Phil. American Studies, New York University, 2009
Gail Drakes is an interdisciplinary scholar with graduate degrees from the History Department at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and the Program in American Studies at NYU. Her current teaching and research interests focus on the cultural implications of intellectual property law and African-American historical memory. Gail has held administrative positions at Columbia University and CUNY, and has taught courses in U.S. history, media studies, Asian/Pacific/American Studies and African-American studies. Before arriving at Gallatin, Gail worked in the philanthropic sector, serving as a consultant to the social justice philanthropy portfolio at the Ford Foundation and as the Program Officer for the OUT Fund at Funding Exchange, an activist-advised fund which supported LGBTQI-led social justice organizing efforts throughout the U.S.
