On July 19, 2019, Andre M. Perry (Andre M. Perry is a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, a scholar-in-residence at American University, and a columnist for the Hechinger Report). wrote: “Racism is not a distraction; it’s policy.” He concludes with the statement, “It is the policy of the privileged and the enemy of the just.”
“Establishing Anti-Racist Policy” participants brainstormed and addressed how organizations approach what is necessary for developing anti-racist policies and making change in higher education. When we talk about establishing, writing, or creating anti-racist policies, what actions must we take towards disrupting our anchors in privilege and eliminating racist practices embedded in our policies? How do we ensure that anti-racist policies are also intersectional?
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Eugene Anderson
Vice President for External Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Association of Public & Land-Grant UniversitiesPanelist
Eugene L. Anderson, Ph.D., currently serves as Vice President for External Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (EDEI) at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). In this role, Dr. Anderson is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the Office of EDEI and for ensuring that APLU’s values of DEI are integrated into APLU’s external work. He also helps lead the APLU Council of 1890 Universities and the Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence (CADE). Dr. Anderson has published and spoken extensively on diversity in higher education and higher education trends including coauthoring The 2018 Status Report on Engineering Education. Dr. Anderson previously served as the Chief Policy Officer and Managing Vice President at the American Dental Education Association and in various roles at the American Council on Education (ACE). Dr. Anderson holds a doctorate in education policy and master’s in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia and a baccalaureate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lori McDonald, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs
The University of UtahModerator
Lori McDonald, PhD, is serving in her second year as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Utah. She has previously served as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students. Credited with the capacity to build vibrant partnerships with major offices and academic units across campus, McDonald provides innovative leadership to a comprehensive Student Affairs Division that includes Housing & Residential Education, Student Development & Inclusion, Student Health & Wellness and the Office of the Dean of Students. She sits on the President’s Cabinet and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs’ Academic Leadership Team. McDonald earned her doctorate from the University of Utah’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy. She has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology, also from the U. This year of her tenure as Vice President marks the twenty-fourth year of service within the University of Utah’s Division of Student Affairs.
Amelia Parnell
Vice President for Research and Policy
NASPAPanelist
Amelia Parnell is vice president for research and policy at NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, where she leads many of the Association’s scholarly and advocacy-focused activities. Amelia writes and speaks frequently about topics related to student affairs, college affordability, student learning outcomes, and institutions’ use of data and analytics. Amelia’s policy and practitioner experiences include prior roles in association management, legislative policy analysis, internal audit, and TRIO programs. Her research portfolio includes studies of leadership in higher education, with a focus on college presidents and vice presidents. She is the author of the forthcoming book, You Are a Data Person: Strategies for Using Analytics on Campus and a co-editor of the book, The Analytics Revolution in Higher Education: Big Data, Organizational Learning, and Student Success. Amelia currently serves on the board of directors for EDUCAUSE and is an advisor to several other higher education organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University and masters and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Florida A & M University.
Noe Ortega
Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Panelist
Noe Ortega was nominated to serve as Secretary of Education in October 2020. Prior to his nomination, he had served as the Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for the Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education (OPHE) at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). As commissioner for higher education, he led the work of the agency aimed at closing the postsecondary attainment gaps that have persisted among historically underrepresented populations and communities of color in Pennsylvania. Additionally, Mr. Ortega facilitated the efforts of the department to improve the diversity of Pennsylvania’s educator workforce and to ensure that every student of the Commonwealth has access to educators who have been trained in culturally responsive and culturally relevant approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom.
Prior to joining PDE, Mr. Ortega spent eight years at the University of Michigan, where he held several academic and administrative roles. During his tenure he worked as the Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and as the Managing Director for the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. While most of his research focused on postsecondary access and success for all students, his most recent publications examine how public investment in higher education influences decision-making at colleges and universities. Additionally, Mr. Ortega spent nearly a decade working in the areas of financial aid and enrollment management at both public and private universities in Texas, and he also served as a P-16 Specialist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Mr. Ortega also spent nearly seven years as director of a language institute in Japan where he trained teachers in the area of early childhood language acquisition.
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Elizabeth Kronk Warner
Dean, S.J. Quinney College of Law
The University of UtahElizabeth Kronk Warner is Dean and Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. Dean Kronk Warner was formerly Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Kansas School of Law, where she was also the Director of the Tribal Law and Government Center. Kronk Warner also chaired the school’s faculty and staff diversity and inclusion committee, was an ex officio member of the student Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council and was president of the university’s Native Faculty and Staff Council. Kronk Warner previously was an active member of the Federal Bar Association, serving on its national board of directors. She is currently active in the American Bar Association, where she is co-chair of the Native American Resources Committee. Kronk Warner is a nationally recognized expert in the intersection of environmental and Indian law. She has taught courses in property, Indian, environmental and natural resources law and supervised the school’s Tribal Judicial Support Clinic. Kronk Warner has received several teaching excellence awards, co-authored several books on environmental issues and Native Americans, and has 40 articles and book chapters to her credit. Kronk Warner, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, served as an appellate judge for the tribe and as a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe. Kronk Warner received her juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School; she received her undergraduate degree in communication from Cornell University and also studied at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She worked in private practice for several years before entering academia. Prior to joining the University of Kansas, Kronk Warner was a law professor at the University of Montana and Texas Tech.
Martell Teasley
Dean, College of Social Work
The University of UtahMartell L. Teasley is Dean of the College of Social Work at the University of Utah. He is in his second terms as president of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Social Work. Martell was Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work in the College of Public Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 2012 until 2017. As the lead investigator on the Social Work profession’s Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism, his major areas of research interests are African American adolescent development, school social work practice, and diversity in social work education. He is the former Chair of the Social Work and Disaster Recovery Program at Florida State University College of Social Work. He served in the U.S. Army from 10 years and participated in the First Persian Gulf War as a Licensed Practical Nurse. His education includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Fayetteville State University in North Carolina in 1994. He received a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in 1996, and his doctorate in Social Work in 2002 from Howard University, located in Washington, DC.
Rachel Hayes-Harb
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
The University of UtahRachel Hayes-Harb, Professor of Linguistics, studies bilingual speech processing. She directs the Speech Acquisition Lab, where she collaborates with undergraduate and graduate student researchers, and teaches undergraduate- and graduate level-courses on language acquisition, psycholingusitics, and research methods. She directs the University of Utah Office of Undergraduate Research, which provides undergraduate research advising, education events, research grants, and professional research opportunities for undergraduate students, as well as mentor development programming for faculty. The Office is committed to leveraging the cutting-edge research of our faculty to benefit all undergraduate students through high-quality mentored research experiences.
Jude McNeil
Director, Office for Inclusive Excellence
The University of UtahDeeply committed to make the best university climate and help students succeed, Jude McNeil leads intercultural professional development, climate assessment, and bias incident report collection from the Office for Inclusive Excellence.
Ray Burgman
Director of Programs and Research, HERS
Dr. Ray Burgman’s tenure at HERS is in its seventh year. Ray joined HERS as the Director of HERS Institute and now serves as the Director of Programs and Research. Ray has worked in public and independent higher education settings–community college, liberal arts college, and urban and metropolitan university. Her expertise in strategic leadership and program development fits well with current responsibilities for program service development and delivery, admission, and research and assessment at HERS. Prior to joining HERS, Ray was the Associate Provost at New College of Florida and Associate Professor of Economics and Management and Special Advisor to the President for Strategic Faculty Initiatives at DePauw University. Ray has a PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Florida and a BA in Economics from New College of Florida.
Tramaine Jones
Student Success Advocate
The University of UtahTramaine Jones is a Ph.D. student in Educational Leadership & Policy. Over the last decade, Tramaine’s academic career has been built around working with students — starting as a peer mentor to serving as a Student Success Advocate over the past 5 years.
Emma E. Houston
Training Development Facilitator
Salt Lake County GovernmentEmma E. Houston works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems within the social sector to increase awareness around diversity, inclusion and equity. Her work is designed to create inclusive spaces that celebrates, acknowledges, embraces and understands the overachieving umbrella of diversity, inclusion and equity. Emma helps organizations to define, implement, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion to create a positive impact across the community.
Emma recently accepted a position with the University of Utah as Special Assistant to the Vice President of EDI-Engagement and Program Development.
Michelle Love-Day
Consultant
Jordan School DistrictMichelle Love-Day has been an educator for 19 years. She received her Bachelors in Education (K-8, Minor In Spanish), and Masters in Reading (K-12) from Bowling Green State University (Ohio), and a Masters in Education, Leadership, and Policy from the University of Utah (Utah). Her second language is Spanish and she studied abroad in Alacla, Spain. She taught in North Carolina for 3 years until relocating to Utah in 2005. She was a 2nd grade teacher, Literacy Coach, Principal for 7.5 years, and Associate Director of Educational Equity for 4 years. In March 2020, she began as Consultant for Jordan School District in the Educational Language Services, Teaching and Learning Department.
Her style of hands-on learning, encouragement, and realness has helped students to overcome their barriers to success. Michelle has worked with teachers to inspire and establish great reading practices in the classroom. She shares information and ways parents can work with schools, advocate for their children, and how they can assist in creating a rich diverse literacy environment at home and in school. As she began to see the need for black students in Utah, she created an online virtual academy called RISE! In August, 2020.
Mrs. Love-Day serves on many Boards including the University of Utah College of Education Advancement Board, the Hale Centre Theater Board of Trustees, the Access to Justice Commission, and the Conviction Integrity Board. She enjoys acting on stage and in commercials (Talent Management Group) and is a member of the Actors Equity Association.
She is passionate about schools being student-focused, equitable, and a place where all students feel that they are welcomed and have an adult they can believe in and who believes in them.
Tino Diaz
Director, TRIO EOC
Utah Valley UniversityTino Diaz is a PhD student at the University of Utah in ECS studying inclusion, Indigenous epistemologies of relationality, and social movements. He has a partner and two boys. He is also the director of TRIO EOC at Utah Valley University.
Candida Duran Taveras
Documentary Filmmaker & Birth Worker
Sunlight VidaCandida Duran Taveras is a plus-size, Afro-Caribeña womxn living in West Valley City, UT. She has a B.A. in Film & Media Arts and her life currently revolves around Reproductive & Birth Justice work with an emphasis on documenting and honoring Birthing People of Color. She is an award-winning filmmaker, an artist, a birth worker, and a mother.
Bryan Hubain
Associate Vice President for Student Development & Inclusion
The University of UtahDr. Hubain is a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and provides supervisory oversight to the departments of Basic Needs Center, Career & Professional Development Center, Financial Wellness Center, LGBT Resource Center, TRIO, Veterans Support Center, and Women’s Resource Center. Dr. Hubain also serves on various University committees.
Ivy Farguheson
Assistant Principal
Utah International Charter SchoolIvy Farguheson, an Afro-Latina from the Boston area, is a PhD student at the University of Utah in the Department of Education, Culture & Society. Her research interests include antiracist education, the role of schools on Afro-Latinx racialization and Afro-Latinx history.