BIO

Laura McDermott Matheric, a native Floridian, studied creative writing, business, and education as an undergraduate at Florida State University and received her Master’s of Fine Arts in poetry from Florida International University. She was the 2014/2015 Writer-in-Residence at Girls' Club, a private foundation that inspires cultural growth in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her first book of poetry, Visions on Alligator Alley, is an ekphrastic story in verse inspired by that residency. It was published by Lominy Books in 2015. A co-founder of Orange Island Arts Foundation, she has worked with many nonprofit organizations including the Miami Book Fair International and the Palm Beach Poetry Festival. She currently serves as president of the Women’s Club of Coconut Creek.

 

Laura began her teaching career at Broward College in 2007 and has been a tenured Professor of English since 2010. She serves as the Dual Enrollment Faculty Coordinator for the county. 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 a Conference on College Composition and Communication Professional Equity Project Grant Recipient in 2008 and was awarded the 2012 Paragon Award by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.

 

In May of 2021, Laura graduated from the President’s Leadership Academy, part of the Leadership Broward Foundation, is an Association of College and University Educators scholar, and a certified facilitator of the Entrepreneurship Leadership Institute.

 

Laura regularly teaches writing workshops, literature, and leadership courses at Broward College and throughout the community. She was appointed the first Poet Laureate of the City of Coconut Creek in 2022, furthering her efforts to support growth in education, the arts, and the community. With this appointment she can promote these goals on a larger scale.

 

A native of Broward County, 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.