Valerie M. Balester received her doctorate in English with a specialization in rhetoric in 1988 from The University of Texas at Austin. She also studied English, rhetoric, and composition at The Pennsylvania State University, where she received a Masters in 1982. She became interested in the writing of African-American students when she taught basic writing at Penn State in the late 1970s. In 1988, Balester became Assistant Professor of English at Texas A&M University. Her teaching experience includes first-year and advanced composition. With the help of Texas A&M graduate students, she founded the department's Writing Center and currently serves as its Executive Director. Her research into the rhetoric of African-American students and its effects on their writing continues.
