Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner is the President of AMBrenner, LLC and Founder of the Talking College™ card brand. She’s a speaker and college transition educator who brings 25 years as a “college insider” to her presentations for high school and college audiences. Andrea is co-author of How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You’re There)(Macmillan, St. Martin’s Press), a student-facing book that guides high school graduates through their transition to college. She is the creator of the Talking College™ card decks which include insider tips and discussion prompts for college-bound students and their parents/guardians. Her current card decks include:

• Talking College™ Card Deck: The original discussion prompts for college-bound students and their parents (English edition)

• Talking College™ Juego De Tarjetas: El juego de tarjetas original con temas para los estudiantes a punto de ir a la universidad y sus padres (Spanish edition)

• Talking College™ Campus Visits: Expert advice on planning visits, exploring campuses, and evaluating your experiences (with The College Spy)

• Talking College™ College-Ready: Tips and discussion prompts for college-bound students with learning differences (larger size)

• Talking College™ Peer Leaders: Prompts to lead thoughtful discussions and conversations with first-year students (larger size)

Dr. Brenner offers her book and cards for sale at her speaking engagements.

Andrea was a sociology professor at American University for 20 years, teaching classes to undergraduate students. Andrea also served as the Creator and first Director of the university’s first-year transition course, as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Sociology, and as the Faculty Director of the University College Program. Dr. Brenner has received multiple awards for her undergraduate teaching and program design for first-year college students including The Cutting-Edge Curriculum Award, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Andrea believes that guiding students to engage in productive discourse is a crucial part of the transition to college. Her doctoral dissertation, Too White to Teach Race: Student Perceptions of Racial Identity-based Professor Credibility, a Case of Pedagogical Malpractice? and the majority of the classes she taught at American University, focused on issues surrounding cross-cultural dialogue, power, and inequality. Dr. Brenner was a 2019-2020 fellow at the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement with her co-author, Lara Schwartz. Their fellowship project, entitled “Let Freedom (and Respect) Ring: Fostering Civil Discourse and Free Speech in the Classroom and Beyond,” culminated in a teacher’s guide to free speech and productive discourse.

Dr. Brenner holds a BA in sociology and education from Brandeis University; an MA in curriculum, instruction and administration in higher education from Boston College; and a PhD in sociology from American University. She has two grown children and lives in Maryland with her husband.