ifots Campus facilitators

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Dr. Gabriele Strohschen is Professor Emerita and a Frédéric Ozanam Fellow at DePaul University. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Northen Illinois University along with numerous certifications (e.g., Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, Langevin Learning Services, the Kentucky Department of Education, the State of New York, Literacy Volunteers of America, and United Way). She served as inaugural director of the online graduate program in adult education at National Louis University and as director for graduate programs at DPU’s School for New Learning in Chicago and Thailand. She taught life skills for adults at the Center for Disabled Student Services with the Chicago City Colleges; graduate courses at the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations of Northern Illinois University; and taught in the cohort-based Adult, Continuing & Literacy Education doctoral program and the interdisciplinary, field-based baccalaureate program in the College of Arts and Sciences at National-Louis University. Consulting with the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training, she developed an award-winning workforce education program within a public-private sector partnership. As Visiting Professor, she taught at universities in China, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, and Thailand. In Japan, India, and the USA, she supported dissertation development for doctoral students. For two decades, her action research, faculty training, and program development and evaluation activities are centered in China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Thailand, and the USA. Based on her work, she presented and published nationally and internationally. During the US occupation, she consulted with UNESCO and the Afghan Ministry of Education to evaluate education programs for women onsite in several locations in Afghanistan. She served as board member and president of professional adult education associations. Locally over the years, she was engaged as a member of the Education Taskforce of Cook County Commissioner Deere and the Chicago Public School Region 1 Community Action Council, as well as on many grass-roots and not-for-profit boards of directors, co-creating education programs for youth and adults. Prior to working in academia, she was a community organizer, resource developer, and director of youth and adult education and workforce development programs in CBOs in Chicago’s Latino immigrant and Black neighborhoods for which she received the Outstanding Educator Award from US Congressman Danny K. Davis, Chicago. After retirement, she returned to her work in community activism, currently working on several civic projects addressing immigration, education, poverty, and property tax issues.

gstrohsc@depaul.edu

Dr. Kenneth Elazier received his EdD from National-Louis University in Adult, Continuing & Literacy Education, a MS in Workforce Education & Development from Southern Illinois University, and a BA in Special Education from Benedictine University. He holds Illinois elementary and secondary teaching certifications with LBSI, LD, SED Endorsements, an Online Teaching Certification from the Virginia Community College System, and several Master Training diplomas from Langevin Learning Services, Inc. Canada. He currently teaches adults for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at Hampton and William & Mary Universities. He has expertise as a visiting professor in competency-based graduate programs at DePaul University and taught active-duty military personnel in the Southern Illinois University Workforce Education & Development program at Naval Air Station-OCEANA. During the pandemic, he served as an advisor/coach for the Re-Employing Virginians grant program for Workforce Development at Thomas Nelson Community College. As Illinois certified, K-12 special educator/case manager, he taught in regular, charter, and alternative schools at the elementary and secondary levels. For the Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, he developed and administered School-to-Work programs. His experience conducting corporate train-the-trainer workshops across the USA and Canada is coupled with delivering professional development workshops for diverse audiences: Adult Education faculty for the State of Georgia and teachers at Paul Simon JobCorps in Chicago. For Motorola University he provided workforce training program evaluations in Kenya and South Africa. He developed  teacher training program evaluations for DePaul University’s Thailand campus. He also conducted literacy program evaluations for UNESCO in Afghanistan. Dr. Elazier is a published co-author of several professional journal articles and book chapters and has presented at numerous professional associations in the USA and Thailand. 

kenelazier@gmail.com

Dr. Vincent Wiggins is the current Director of the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence at Southern California University of Health Sciences. He served as Dean of Career and Continuing Education Programs at Harry S. Truman College and Dean of Instruction at Harold Washington College in Chicago, where he worked with faculty and staff to support students’ academic success. He earned his Doctorate of Education in Curriculum Design at DePaul University. His focus is on students’ academic success in higher education by using instructional technology and self-directed learning, as he researches multiple delivery modes for learning that include hybrid and online learning. He is certified in Adult Education, Professional Leadership Training, IT Project Management, and Six Sigma and serves as a Master Online Teacher (MOT), Quality Matters Peer Reviewer, and Certified Online Learning Administrator (COLA). In his roles in management and as an educator, he has developed training programs and facilitated workshops for students, faculty, and staff. Conference presentation on pedagogy, andragogy, and technology included the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE), the International Society for Self-Directed Learning, and The Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico – Albuquerque. His academic background underpins his innovative approach to education, blending traditional pedagogical theories with modern technological advancements to create a more dynamic and inclusive learning environment. He is recognized for his innovative approach to education and commitment to inclusive learning environments. His educational credo aligns with the principles of philosophical foundations of education, emphasizing real-world relevance in curriculum design. He advocates for educational content that resonates with the learner's community experience, moving away from conventional textbook approaches. In his pursuit of creating effective learning environments, he focuses on fostering flexible learning spaces, diverging from traditional classroom formats. Dr. Wiggins serves his profession as a member on the Board of Directors for the Association of College Administration (ACAD) and as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Youth Empowerment and Policy Project (YEPP). His leadership roles in these organizations further demonstrate his dedication to shaping future educational policies and practices.

wiggins.vincent@gmail.com

Dr. Pi-Chi Han, Chair and professor for the Graduate Institute of Adult Education at the National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan. She conducts research, teaching, and consulting that helps public, private, and NGO organizations develop global talents. She serves as a senior advisor for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at the HRD Working Group (HRDWG), and Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE). She taught at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA, and as a visiting scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, China. Her research focuses on intercultural effectiveness competencies, female marriage migrants and leadership development, cross-cultural mentoring, and Confucian leadership.

Rey Ty is a scholar-practitioner. Rey is a faculty member in the Department of Peace Studies, International College, Payap University, Thailand. He teaches research methodology, political science, human rights, and cultural dimensions of peacebuilding at the Ed.D. level. He is a project leader of the Religion, Culture, and Peace Laboratory (RCP Lab), chairing the Annual International Conference on Religion, Culture, and Peace Education as well as serving as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Religion, Culture, and Peace Education. He is a member of the Research Institute Board of the Journal of Research for International Educators. He is an advisory board member of World Beyond War. He is engaged in interreligious collaboration and gender-sensitive advocacy for the rights of indigenous peoples, migrant workers, refugees, and stateless persons. He conducted his empirical research on interfaith collaboration, human rights, and peace education for his doctoral at Northern Illinois University. He has one Master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Asian Studies/Political Science) and another Master’s degree from Northern Illinois University (Political Science with subfields in American Government and Politics, Political Philosophy, Comparative Politics, International Politics, and Research Methodology).  His research and publication focus on the challenges, contradictions, and historical changes in the political economy of societies and of the world, advocating for justice and peace. Specific themes include decolonial peace education, climate change, environmental action, gender, human rights, interfaith peacebuilding, migrant labor, postcolonialism, refugees, statelessness, and other issues.

Ronald Duncan is a customer service specialist working through multiple platforms in education, publishing, spiritual understanding, and the theory of the arts. He has a bachelor's degree from DePaul University and an M.A. from Emerson College in Boston, MA.

Dr. Marquis B. Holley is an Assistant Research Professor in the Institute for School and Community Partnerships (ISCP) at the University of South Florida. He is a certified educator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He has research foundations in Critical Thinking, Multicultural Education and DEI concepts on a local, national, and global scale. His research highlights the misuse and abuse of Black and Brown faculty and staff professionals in higher education. Additionally, he examines the in/out of school suspension rates for Black/African American students (K-12), and how this (dis)connects with student success and/or failure in schools, such as the school-to-prison pipeline, expulsion rates, and discipline disparities. Dr. Holley is a CRT scholar, and fuses Arts-Based and Action Research to employ community engagement with students, faculty, parents, administrators, school resource officers, and other community stakeholders for empowerment, representation, participation, and innovation in education. 

Dr. Cindy Stevens is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of Prior Learning Assessment at Lewis University.  She teaches and mentors adult, nontraditional, and military students, as well as traditional students at the remedial, undergraduate, and graduate levels in inner city and rural settings in higher education.

In her work at the university she sits on ten different committees where she advocates for adult and nontraditional students. She is a member of the Chicagoland PLA Consortium, she serves on the International Forum of Teaching and Studies Journal Board of Reviewers, the International Conference on Religion, Culture, Peace, and Education Review Board, Midwest Academy of Management

Conference Review Committee, and she is currently on a Dissertation Committee at Gwynedd Mercy University. In addition, she is volunteers as an outside trainer for Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.

Cindy graduated from Northern Illinois University with an Ed.D in Adult and Higher Education and an M.S.Ed in Adult Continuing Education. Her research interests include adult education, prior learning assessment, experiential learning, nontraditional education, college-level learning, and developmental education with a specific interest in literacy.  

She has been teaching at the college level since 2004 and her teaching spans locations from Northern Illinois University, National Louis University, DePaul University, Colorado State University, and Lewis University.

Her presentations and publications are on credit for prior learning, and teaching and learning in contexts of transformational and community-based service projects.

Mwannesi Wade (she/her) is a passionate and experienced Sr Instructional Designer, Project Manager and DEIAB Specialist at FEMA. She has over 15 years of experience providing global learning product development, delivery and leadership across multiple mediums and formats including XR/VR and AI (including ChatGPT) with a DEIAB Compliance focus. She is the Chief Education Officer on the Board of Directors at MKP Staffing and Learning Solutions, an Author and a Mom to two great kids!

Dr. Karanam Pushpanadham is the Professor of Educational Management in the Department of Educational Administration at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. He is the Member of Senate at National Institute of Fashion Technology, India and also the academic committee member of NAAC, UGC, NCERT, and NIEPA. Prof. Karanam is a Visiting Professor at various universities including the International Institute of Education, Stockholm University, Sweden and Aarhus University, Denmark.

Dr. Frederick V. Engram Jr. is Assistant Professor Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University. His previous academic appointments include Michigan State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, Radford University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Northeastern University. He is known for his work in critically assessing the ways that racism and anti-Blackness impact African Americans in both systems of higher education and the criminal justice system. He is an HBCU grad – having received his undergraduate degree in criminology from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC – and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc.