MIDGE WILSON is a Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at DePaul University in Chicago. Within the psychology department, Dr. Wilson is a member of both the Experimental and Community Psychology doctoral programs, and as associate dean, her primary responsibility is to chair the University's Liberal Studies Program.  Her research interests include: 1) how humor induces attitude change in controversial topic areas; 2) how situational factors influence women's opportunities for leadership; 3) how physical attractiveness interplays with perceptions of women's leadership abilities; and 4) how initial impressions formed of African Americans and European Americans are influenced by perceived attractiveness, body size, skin color variations, and facial features. 

Her major publications include a book co-authored (with Kathy Russell and Ron Hall) The Color Complex: The Politics of Skin Color Among African Americans (Anchor, 1993), about which the New York Times wrote,  "Presents a powerful argument, backed by historical fact and anecdotal evidence, that color prejudice remains a devastating divide within Black America." Her second book (co-authored with Kathy Russell) is Divided Sisters: Bridging The Gap Between Black Women and White Women (Anchor/Doubleday, 1996). Hailed by The Washington Post as "Fast paced and crisply written . . . in its explorations of power and privilege, competition, beauty and style among Black women and White women," Divided Sisters addresses the social and political relationships between Black and White women from childhood through adolescence, on the college campus, and in the workplace.

Dr. Wilson has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets, including The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, on the subjects of intraracial color discrimination, women's cross-race relationships, and various women's issues. She has appeared on scores of radio interviews and news shows, including ABC's Good Morning America and Nightline, and NBC's Nightly News to discuss her research and books.

Her research has been presented at major universities and colleges around the country, including the Universities of Virginia, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as at Harvard, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina State. Dr. Wilson has also conducted workshops and given talks at scholarly conferences, including the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Women's Studies Association, the Society Of Experimental Social Psychology, the Association Of Women in Psychology, and the American Association of University Women. She currently serves as a media contact person for the APA on issues ranging from racism to humor.

Her classes include a multicultural seminar entitled Love, Beauty, and Friendship: Women's Cross Cultural Perspectives, a first-year seminar on Humor and Group Identity, Human Sexuality, and a graduate course, Advanced Psychology of Women. 

Midge Wilson earned her B.A. from University of Virginia, her M.S. from Old Dominion University, from which she was recently given a distinguished alumni award, and her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  In 2000, she was given the Cortylou-Lowery Award for Excellence, and in 2005, she was named a Vincent DePaul Professor.