Kathy A. Perkins is a lighting designer that has designed productions throughout the United States and internationally at such venues as Berkeley Repertory, Arena Stage, St. Louis Black Repertory, Baltimore Center Stage, Yale Repertory, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Grahamstown Festival in South Africa. She has designed various dance festivals including Dance Africa at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). As a practicing scholar, she has traveled throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. A recipient of several research and design awards, including a Fulbright Research Award, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and an NAACP Image Award. She is editor/co-editor of seven theatre publications focusing on women from Africa and the Diaspora. Perkins is Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of USA829.