Advancing Women in Higher Education |
Yvette Huet, State Chair
| Ashley B. Allen, state chair-elect
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Dr. Huet is Director of the UNC Charlotte ADVANCE Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office and Professor of Kinesiology. She is the UNC Charlotte PI of the 2018 NSF AGEP-NG award. Her current research interests include women of color in the academy and health disparities. She earned B.S. degrees in Human Biology and Microbiology from the University of Kansas; her Ph.D. (with Honors) in physiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center (First Latina graduate and recipient of National Science Foundation Minority Graduate and Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowships) and a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Monsanto Company. She has served in various other leadership roles including Interim Chair and Graduate Director.
Dr. Ashley Batts Allen is Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC Pembroke and Associate Professor of Psychology. Her research is in self-compassion as it relates to trauma. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Duke University. As Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, she assists faculty evaluation, professional development, research engagement, and external funding. She is passionate in her support of undergraduate research and serves as PI for the REACH program which supports minority students in their pursuit of careers in the professoriate.Roderica D. Williams, Treasurer
| shauna harris, secretary
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Dr. Roderica Williams serves as the director for the Student Support Services program and adjunct instructor at Mars Hill University. Throughout her teaching career, Dr. Williams has taught various courses including leadership development, and her disciplinary research centers on the relationship between leadership and academic success. Her work is grounded in her commitment to equity in practice, service to others, and dedication to constant growth and development. She is the recipient of several awards and recognition for her work including the Trailblazing Award from Mars Hill University in 2022.
Dr. Shauna Harris has over 15 years of experience working in higher education and student affairs. Her professional experiences have included housing and residence life, women’s leadership initiatives, student leadership and engagement, advising, and student recruitment and retention. Her scholarly work has centered on identity development in biracial women, mid-management supervision, and student engagement on campus. She has been committed to creating inclusive environments that foster a sense of belonging as well as working with various stakeholders to create systems, programs, and services centered on equity, efficiency, and engagement. She graduated from Clemson with a B.A. in History. She received her M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina and her Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from the University of Georgia.Crystal Chambers, Programming Chair
| Vanessa Drew-branch, board member
Dr. Drew-Branch is an Associate Professor of Human Services Studies and African and African American Studies and an affiliated faculty for the Poverty and Social Justice Studies program at Elon University. She has been teaching college-level DEI courses since 2007 and has created and facilitated DEI sessions for educators, private sector companies, and community members. Her teaching areas include mental health assessment, advocacy practice, human diversity, and social work practice skills. Her research and practice has expanded to include maternal mental health, grief, and loss. Dr. Drew-Branch is also a Sacred Passage End of life doula. Dr. Drew-Branch also actively contributes to life at the university, through a number of service roles on campus including (among others) serving on the Academic Service Learning Committee, the ECAS Social Science Curriculum Committee, and on other advisory and search committees. |
Dr. Crystal Renée Chambers, J.D., Ph.D. chambersc@ecu.edu is a Professor of Educational Leadership at East Carolina University where she examines matters of race and gender equity in higher education, particularly the areas of college choice and faculty advancement. Dr. Chambers is the author/ co-author of over 50 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and monographs as well as the editor of eight book and journal volumes, including the forthcoming Black Women’s Pathways to Executive Academic Leadership: Lessons from Lived Experiences (UWP, 2023). Dr. Chambers is a 2018 Carnegie Fellow and is a co-PI on THRIVE@ECU, an NSF ADVANCE Adaptation grant and has served as a Coach and faculty expert with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. She is a 2016 ECU Graduate Faculty Mentor and East Carolina University Women of Distinction Award recipient, and a fellow of the BRIDGES Leadership for Women (2020) and UNC System Executive Leadership Institute (2021-2022).
Connie Gores, membership Chair
| Erica jastrow, Board Member
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Dr. Connie J. Gores is Partner in the Success Associates, where she provides executive coaching, leadership training, and consulting for individuals and organizations. She served as President of Southwest Minnesota State University for six years. Connie has a deep and enduring commitment to women’s leadership, including serving as Chair of the national ACE Women’s Network Executive Council, Chair of the Virginia ACE Network Board, and Chair of the Senior Leadership Seminar in Virginia. She earned her B.A. from North Dakota State University, her M.Ed. from Colorado State University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. She is delighted to live near her two adult daughters and three wonderful grandchildren in North Carolina.
Dr. Erica Jastrow, RN MSN has almost 20 years of experience in higher education. She was the director of several prelicensure nursing programs at a North Carolina Community College before transitioning to the role of Assistant Professor and RN to BSN program director at William Peace University in December 2020.Nichole Lewis, Board member
Nichole R. Lewis is the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs and University Advancement for Elizabeth City State University. There, she is responsible for professional development for the division and serves as the executive champion for the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan. She is an alumna of the University of North Carolina’s Executive Leadership Institute, NASPA’s Assistant Vice President Institute, and the Higher Education Leadership Foundation’s executive leadership program. Prior to coming to ECSU, Lewis served as director of the Women’s Center at NCCU where she is credited for rebranding the Center, to expand offerings aimed at building cultural capital, leadership development skills, and developing an active bystander intervention peer educator program. She also served as Executive Director of Professional and Leadership Development at a private HBCU in North Carolina. | Heather McCullough, Communications Chair
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Dr. Heather McCullough is the Director of Learning and Technology for the University of North Carolina System. She partners with faculty, students, and staff to create change around information services and teaching and learning support. This work is driven by her ability and enthusiasm to shepherd large, complex projects in dynamic environments and with multiple stakeholders. Dr. McCullough is active in numerous professional organizations and is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide range of topics related to higher education, leadership, and learning innovation. She earned a Ph.D. in French Literature from Indiana University and an M.S. in Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.tracie Salinas, board member
| Masonne Sawyer, Conference Chair
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Dr. Tracie McLemore Salinas is the Chair of and Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Appalachian State University. While completing her PhD in mathematics education at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Tracie developed an interest in the interactions of culture and place, specifically in mathematics and STEM education and later in academia more broadly. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Chancellor's Academic Leadership Development Program and as a Principal Investigator on multiple projects supporting first-generation, rural, and other underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Currently, she is a co-principal investigator on the ADVANCE Appalachian project, funded by the National Science Foundation, and supports interactions with the Aspire Alliance iChange Network.
Masonne Sawyer is the Vice President of Holistic Success Services at Forsyth Technical Community College. She has a BS degree in Social Sciences from Gardner-Webb University as well as a MS Degree in Psychology from Capella University. Ms. Sawyer is an accomplished holistic student support services professional with extensive Community College experience having served in numerous roles at Forsyth Tech since 2004. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Trinity Center and LEAD Girls of NC. She is the recipient of several awards including Staff Person of the Year, the President’s Award and was recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Hall of Honor and a League for Innovation 2024-2025 League Excellence Award recipient.Erica Still, IR Chair
| April Tallant, Professional Development Chair
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Dr. Erica Still joined the Department of English at Wake Forest University as an Assistant Professor in 2007. In 2018, she became Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion in the undergraduate College, where she oversees faculty recruitment and hiring practices as well as development and execution of programs to increase diversity and support for inclusivity. She is the author of Prophetic Remembrance: Black Subjectivity in African American and South African Trauma Narratives. Her ongoing research interests include examining the intersection of leadership and gender narratives in contemporary African American Literature. She earned her B.A. at Temple University and her Ph.D. from The University of Iowa.
Dr. April Tallant is Associate Dean of Brinson Honors College at Western Carolina University, a registered dietitian, and a tenured associate professor of Nutrition & Dietetics. Dr. Tallant combines her passion for access to healthy foods, and service to the region, through research and community engagement. She serves on the Board of Directors for Community Table in Sylva, NC, a non-profit organization that provides nutritious meals to those in need, and Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, that works to improve health and well-being in western NC communities. She is 2nd vice-president of the Alpha Iota Chapter of NC Delta Kappa Gamma Society that promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. She earned her B.S. and M.H.S. at WCU, and her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee.
| The NC ACE Network thanks and acknowledges the support provided by the UNC System Office of the President. |
