Brandon J. Watkins ‘14, a proud native of Gaffney, South Carolina, serves as an instructor of Educational Foundations in the College of Education, Human Performance, and Health at the University of South Carolina Upstate. This semester, he achieved a significant academic milestone by successfully defending his dissertation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
With more than a decade of experience in public education, Brandon has cultivated a dynamic career as a middle grades English Language Arts teacher, instructional coach, and teacher educator. At USC Upstate, he teaches undergraduate courses in Educational Foundations and the Middle and Secondary Education program, where he mentors and prepares pre-service teachers across all content areas.
He also serves as coordinator of the department’s Educational Foundations program. He holds a Master of Education in School Administration from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
An emerging scholar in literacy education, Brandon was appointed national co-chair of the Graduate Strand for the English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE), a branch of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), in July 2025. He has presented at local, state, and national conferences on cultivating engaging and inclusive literacy classrooms and has contributed to the field as a reviewer for journals such as Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy and a production editor for Journal of Language and Literacy Education.
Beyond the classroom, Brandon remains deeply invested in his hometown of Gaffney. Through board leadership and active involvement in community-based initiatives, he has contributed to programming that supports youth development, literacy engagement, and community connection. His work reflects a continued commitment to giving back to the community that helped shape him, bridging his professional expertise with meaningful local impact.
Brandon credits much of his personal and professional growth to his undergraduate experience at USC Upstate. Through programs like Opportunity Network, he developed lasting relationships that continue to influence his personal and professional journey. As a student leader, he served as a senator in the Student Government Association and chaired Black Student Leaders. These early experiences that reflect his enduring commitment to leadership, service, and community engagement.
Get in the spotlight.
Each month, we spotlight one of our alumni to learn about their experiences since graduation. Through their stories, often in their own words, we discover the impact Upstate has made on their journeys.