A long-time resident of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Cynthia Scurria is a Louisiana native who earned her Bachelor of Science in Business (Accounting) from Louisiana State University. After a career as a Certified Public Accountant in New Orleans, Louisiana, Scurria attended Tulane University, where she earned her Ph.D. in English with concentrations in 19th Century American Literature and Feminist Critical Theory. Scurria served first as a professional tutor in the Alcorn State University Writing Center and then joined the Alcorn State University English faculty full-time, where she taught undergraduate courses in Composition, American Literature, Global Literature, and Research Writing, as well as graduate courses in English Education.

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While at Alcorn, Scurria served for 12 years as the Chairperson of the Department of English, Languages, and Mass Communication. She was the Director of Writing Matters, Alcorn’s Quality Enhancement Plan, from 2011 through 2017, and also served with the Southern Accreditation of Colleges and Schools as QEP Lead Evaluator. Scurria was also the 2019 Recipient of the IHL Diversity Award for Excellence for Alcorn State University.

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In her spare time, Scurria plays the cello with the Vicksburg Orchestral Society and is an active member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church.

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