Kayon Murray-Johnson

Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson
  • Associate Professor
  • Adult Education
  • Phone: 401.874.4159
  • Email: k_murray@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Chafee Hall, 6th Floor

Biography

Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson is a scholar-practitioner whose expertise spans teaching, training and instructional design within the broad field of adult learning and education. Current scholarship interests include critical dialogue, faculty development, creative methods for teaching adults and Gen AI literacy. Kayon’s mom recalls her “teaching” to cushions and pillows at age six. Accordingly, she remains passionate about partnering with audiences who are invested in successful learning and dialogue outcomes. She has enjoyed 20 plus years as adult educator, with significant experiences across Caribbean and North American contexts. She also thoroughly enjoys designing (anything new:), quality conversation, inspirational music, travel, and coining interesting phrases that make you go “hmmm.”

Awards
* The Christine A Stanley Diversity and Inclusion Research Award (POD Network, 2019)
* The University of Rhode Island’s Teaching Excellence Award (2021)
* The Carlos J. Vellejos Memorial Award for Emerging Scholarship (Multicultural Education SIG – American Educational Research Association, 2023).

Research

  • Adult Learning and Faculty Development
  • Critical Dialogues on Race, Ethnicity and Racism
  • Creative and Equity-Focused Teaching Approaches

Education

  • Ph.D., Adult, Professional and Community Education, Texas State University
  • M.Ed., Multicultural Education, Eastern University
  • B.Ed., English Language Education, University of the West Indies
  • B.A., Business Management, Monroe College

Selected Publications

Murray‐Johnson, K., & Willis, M. A. (2025). Employing Adult Learning Principles for Faculty Development of Equity Focused Teaching: Critical Reflections. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2025(187), 55-63.

Murray-Johnson & Ross-Gordon, J. (2023). Overview of the field of adult education. In C. Monaghan, P. Isaac-Savage and P. Putnam (Eds.)., Careers in Adult Education. Routledge.

Menezes, S., Murray-Johnson, K., Smith, H.S., Trautmann, H. & Azizi, M. (2022). Making Science Communication inclusive: Challenges, choices and change mechanisms from an emerging movement. Journal of Science Communication.

Dewsbury, B., Murray-Johnson, K., & Santucci, A (2021). Acknowledgement and its Role in Faculty Development of Inclusive Teaching. Journal of Faculty Development. 35(3), 53-62

Murray-Johnson, K (2019). (En) Gauging Self: Toward a practical framework for race talk. Adult Learning, 30 (1), 4-14.

Murray-Johnson, K. & Ross-Gordon, J (2018). Everything is about balance: Graduate faculty and the navigation of difficult discourses on race. Adult Education Quarterly, 68 (2), 137-156.

Murray-Johnson, K. & Guerra, P. (2017). Ready for Change? Emotions and Resistance in Culturally Responsive Leadership. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, First Published Online, October 31, 2017