Donna Y. Ford, Ph.D., is a professor in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She holds an appointment in the Department of Special Education and the Department of Teaching and Learning. Ford has been a professor of special education at the Ohio State University, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Virginia, and a researcher with the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She also taught at the University of Kentucky. Ford earned her doctoral degree in urban education (educational psychology), master's degree (counseling), and bachelor's degree in communications and Spanish from Cleveland State University.

Dr. Ford conducts research primarily in gifted education and multicultural/urban education. She is highly published and has a extensive line of scholarship. Specifically, her work focuses on closing the achievement gap in five major ways: (a) recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education, (b) developing multicultural curriculum and instruction, (c ), reversing underachievement among gifted Black students, (d) increasing Black family involvement, and (e) developing culturally competent educators. She consults with school districts and educational organizations nationally, and serves in several leadership roles in both gifted and urban education.