MEL BASHAM
Mary Ellen “Mel” Basham is a retired art educator with 
twenty years of teaching experience from day care owner/
director to high school. Mel has taught a variety of classes 
from Art 1 to Advanced Placement Studio and Art History as 
well as English and Creative Writing. She is a graduate of 
Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 
Studio Art and English minor. In 2021, Mel was recognized 
by Sam Houston Education Department as a Distinguished 
Educator of the Year in 2021. Mel is an active member of 
TAEA and has served TAEA in a number of positions. She 
currently is Distinguished Fellows Chairman. 
ANGELICA MARTINEZ
Angelica Martinez, Ph.D. is an academic researcher 
and educator whose work examines the construction of 
motherhood identity at the intersections of technocapitalism 
and care labor. She holds a doctorate in Arts, Technology, 
and Emerging Communications from the University of Texas 
at Dallas (UTD) and serves as Adjunct Faculty at UTD and 
Dallas College, teaching courses on visual culture, design, 
and transnational film. Beyond the classroom, she is the 
Speaker Series Coordinator for the Labor Tech Research 
Network. 
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