Tressie McMillan Cottom is an American writer, sociologist, and professor, known for her work at the intersection of race, gender, education, and digital technology. She currently serves as an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and is an affiliate of the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since 2022, she has also been an opinion columnist for The New York Times.