Profile
Dr. Whitney Ross Manzo is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science at Meredith College. She also serves as the Pre-Law Advisor, Coordinator of the Accelerated Law Degree Program, Director of Undergraduate Research, and Assistant Director of the Meredith Poll. She has previously taught at the University of Texas at Dallas and in the Dallas County Community College District (currently Dallas College).
Dr. Manzo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas in Political Science and Methodology. Her general field is American politics, and her primary expertise is in the areas of public opinion, constitutional and electoral law, elections, and gender issues in politics.
Dr. Manzo’s research agenda focuses on imbalances of power and issues of representation. She has recently published on Unaffiliated voters in North Carolina politics and is currently working on a book project on North Carolina polling in the 2024 election cycle. She also studies higher education pedagogy, and has published on the teaching of political science, law, and research methodology, as well as the proper assessment of learning objectives. She has served as President of the North Carolina Political Science Association and Secretary of the Executive Council of the Southern Political Science Association, and is also an active member of the American Political Science Association and the Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors.
Academic Credentials
PhD. – Political Science and Methodology, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2014
M.Ed. – Learning, Design, and Technology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2024
M.A. – Political Science, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2012
B.A.. – Political Science and History, The University of Oklahoma, 2007
Awards
Pauline David Perry Award for research, publication, and/or artistic achievement (2023)
Honorable Mention, Oral Parks Memorial Award for Best Faculty Paper at the North Carolina Political Science Association (2021)
North Carolina Council for Women & Youth Involvement Woman Leader (2020)
Meredith College Honors Program Faculty Appreciation Award (2017)
Ida H. Friday Faculty Award (2016)
Publications
Manzo, Whitney Ross. “How to Teach International Law” and “The Art of Teaching: Gender Responsive Pedagogies” in The Elgar Encyclopedia of Teaching and Pedagogy in Political Science, eds. Julia Hellwege, Dan Mallinson, and Joseph W. Roberts. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, forthcoming.
Manzo, Whitney Ross. “Including LGBTQ Politics at a Historically Women’s College” in Teaching LGBTQ Politics, eds. Edward Kammerer, R.G. Cravens, and Erin Mayo-Adam. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2025.
Manzo, Whitney Ross, Cathleen Ostrowski, Julie Schrock, and Cecilia Toole. “Expanding the Reach of Faculty Learning Communities” in Faculty Development on a Shoestring, eds. Diane Chapman and Michelle Bartlett. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2024
Bitzer, J. Michael, Christopher Cooper, Whitney Ross Manzo, and Susan Roberts. “Growing and Distinct: The Unaffiliated Voter as Unmoored Voter.” Social Science Quarterly 103, no. 7 (2022).
Manzo, Whitney Ross, and Julie Schrock. “The Benefits of Peer Coaching at Every Career Stage” in Faculty Peer Coaching in Higher Education, eds. Kristin N. Rainville, David Title, and Cynthia G. Desrochers. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2022.
Manzo, Whitney Ross, and David McLennan. “Gender and the Generations: You Haven’t Come a Long Way Yet, Baby” in Generations in American Politics, eds. David Schultz and Sally Friedman. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2022.
Manzo, Whitney Ross. “Excel, in More Ways than One” in Pedagogy Through the Research Process, eds. Daniel J. Mallinson, Julia Hellwege, and Eric D. Loepp. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.
Mitchell, Kristina M.W., and Whitney Ross Manzo. “The Purpose and Perception of Learning Objectives.” Journal of Political Science Education 14, no. 4 (2018).
Brunell, Thomas L., and Whitney Ross Manzo. “The Voting Rights Act after Shelby County v. Holder: A Potential Fix to Revive Section 5.” Transatlantica 1 (2015).
Manzo, Whitney Ross. “Teaching Political Theory and Theories.” PS: Political Science and Politics 48, no. 3 (2015).
Brunell, Thomas L., and Whitney Ross Manzo. “The Impact of Cox v. Larios on State Legislative Population Deviations.” Election Law Journal 13, no. 3 (2014).
Selected Op-Eds and Media Coverage
“Plans to mimic DOGE in NC are a big mistake. Here’s what we should do instead,” with David McLennan. Published in the Charlotte Observer, News & Observer, and Herald-Sun, May 2, 2025.
“The political gender gap of Gen Z: A new era of divergence,” with David McLennan. Published in The Hill, August 26, 2024.
“Abortion may not be a game-changer for Democrats in 2024,” with David McLennan. Published in The Hill, October 2, 2023.
“Why Generation Z might not be as ‘woke’ as most think,” with David McLennan. Published in The Hill, October 11, 2022.
“Not at this age: How old is too old to run for Congress and the White House?” with David McLennan. Published in The Hill, June 15, 2022.
“Making North Carolina Elections More Transparent and Accessible,” with Rebecca Kreitzer. Published by SSN, October 5, 2021.
Dr. Manzo is also a regular contributor to Capital Tonight and Charlotte Talks, and has been interviewed for NPR, AP, 538.com, the Christian Science Monitor, and CQ Researcher.