Speaker Biographies
Nicole N. Aljoe
Nicole N. Aljoe
Conference Co-Chair | Professor of English & Africana Studies; Faculty affiliate, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; Faculty affiliate, NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks; Dean’s Leadership Fellow for Public Engagement, Diversity, and Research, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Northeastern University
Co-Chair of the Women of Color in the Academy Conference
Professor Aljoe’s research focuses on 18th and early 19th Century Black Atlantic and Caribbean literature with a specialization on the slave narrative and early novels. In addition to teaching in these areas, she has published articles on these topics in American Literary History, The Journal of Early American Literature, and African American Review. In her monograph Creole Testimonies: Slave Narratives from the British West Indies, 1709-1836 (Palgrave 2012) and in the co-edited collections Journeys of the Slave Narrative in the Early Americas (UVA Press, 11/2014) and, most recently, A Literary History of the Early Anglophone Caribbean: Islands in the Stream (Palgrave/Springer, April 2018), she explores the myriad ways in which subaltern voices appear in the archives. Currently, she is at work on two new projects that extend this research in productive ways: the first examines representations of Caribbean Women of Color produced in Europe and England between 1780 and 1840. And the second explores relationships between narratives of black lives and the rise of the novel in Europe and the Americas in the 18th century.
Patricia Davis
Patricia Davis
Conference Co-Chair | Associate Professor of Communication Studies, College of Arts, Media and Design, Northeastern University
Patricia Davis (Ph.D. University of California, San Diego) is a critical/cultural studies scholar whose research and teaching lies at the nexus of rhetoric and media studies. She studies public memory, identity, race, gender, and representation. Her book, “Laying Claim: African American Cultural Memory and Southern Identity” (University of Alabama Press, 2016) won the Best Book Award from the American Studies Division of the National Communication Association in 2017, and from the Critical/Cultural Studies Division of the National Communication studies Association in 2018. Her essays have appeared in The Southern Communication Journal, Text and Performance Quarterly, Rhetoric Review, and The Journal of Intercultural and International Communication, as well as a number of edited collections. She is currently working on a book foregrounding the corporeality of black women’s bodies with respect to rhetorics of respectability. She has taught courses on public memory, media ethics, race and gender in the media and popular culture, and communication and diversity.
Isabel Martinez
Isabel Martinez
Conference Co-Chair | Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology; Director, Latinx, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Northeastern University
Dr. Isabel Martinez is a Latinx youth immigration scholar whose research has primarily focused on the transnational lives of unaccompanied immigrant teenagers from Mexico/Central America. She is currently developing the New York Latinx Comedy Project, an oral history project that situates Latinx voices within a history of the NYC stand-up comedy industry. She is the founding director of the Unaccompanied Latin American Minor Project (U-LAMP) and is the Fall 2022 CMAS Visiting Scholar at UH.
Mary Jo Ondrechen
Mary Jo Ondrechen
Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern University
Prof. Ondrechen’s research group specializes in theoretical and computational chemistry and computational biology. Areas of interest include: 1) Understanding the fundamental basis for enzyme catalysis; 2) Functional genomics – prediction of the functional roles of gene products (proteins); 3) Modeling of enzyme-substrate interactions; 4) Drug discovery; and 5) Bioinformatics.
With the sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of hundreds of species of interest, Structural Genomics (SG) projects have now reported over 12,000 new protein structures. The next question is: What do these structures actually do? Prof. Ondrechen’s group is developing methods to predict protein function from structure.
Joyya P. Smith
Joyya P. Smith
Vice President, Diversity, Access, and Inclusion, Suffolk University
Joyya Smith serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Access, and Inclusion at Suffolk University and is committed to institutional community building, educational equity and inclusive excellence. She has worked in a variety of roles ranging from Director of TRIO programs to adjunct professor in all types of educational settings.
At Suffolk University, Joyya supports institutional programming geared towards increasing awareness and application of best practices through initiatives such as the Ambassador for Inclusion Professional Learning Community, Affinity@Suffolk Employee Resource Groups, Culture and Connections Experiential Learning Trips, and the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Initiative. In addition to her administrative duties, Joyya facilitates the DEI certificate course for the Center for Continuing and Professional Education unit. Additionally, she works collaboratively with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts to implement Inclusive Leadership events in the New England region.
Joyya is a self-professed life-long-learner and is a member of several professional associations; the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) to name a few. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and holds Bachelor and Master degrees from Georgia Southern University (BA in Psychology and M.Ed. in Education) and a Doctorate from Argosy University/ Atlanta. In her spare time, Joyya volunteers with the Cummings Foundation Site Visitor Team, enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
Diedra M. Wrighting
Diedra M. Wrighting
Executive Director, ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development
Diedra Wrighting is a scientist and educator dedicated to creating environments that foster community, belonging, and persistence. As executive director of ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development at Northeastern since 2019, she collaborates across the university to create dynamic and impactful programming that assists faculty to thrive. Her current research focuses on how mentoring relationships foster belonging and persistence in STEM fields. In 2016, Dr. Wrighting became a certified mentor trainer by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research and the National Research Mentoring Network. She facilitates workshops on being an effective mentor and getting the most out of mentoring relationships. These workshops promote awareness of identity and culture to foster belonging and career persistence for aspiring researchers of diverse backgrounds. Dr. Wrighting holds a BS in biology from Howard University and a PhD in genetics from Harvard Medical School.
2024 Plenary Session Speakers
Our keynote speakers, panelists, and workshop leaders were carefully selected for their varied experience and expertise to reflect these themes. We look forward to hearing their perspectives. The goal is for participants to walk away with strategies and best practices that will set the stage for their individual action plans.
Crystal Williams
Crystal Williams
President, Rhode Island School of Design
Crystal Williams believes that education, art and design, and commitments to equity and justice are essential to transforming our society. Williams has more than two decades of higher education experience as a professor of English as well as serving in catalytic roles overseeing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Boston University, Bates College, and Reed College. An award-winning poet and essayist, Williams has published four collections of poems and is the recipient of several artistic fellowships, grants, and honors. Her work regularly appears in leading journals and magazines nationwide. As RISD’s 18th president, Williams is helping to drive meaningful change centered on expanding inclusion, equity, and access to enhance a genuinely rich learning environment that consists of diverse experiences, viewpoints, and talents.
Christie Chung
Christie Chung
Executive Director, Mills Institute, Professor, Psychology, Northeastern University
Christie Chung, Ph.D. is an award-winning academic leader, executive director, TEDx keynote speaker, and professor in cognitive psychology. Chung currently serves as the Executive Director of The Mills Institute and is dedicated to creating transformative programs, research, and partnerships that advance educational access, equity, and women’s leadership. She has served in many senior leadership roles and is committed to empowering leaders to reach their full potential. Chung has research expertise in cognitive aging, emotional memory, and cross-cultural cognition, and is an advocate of leadership, diversity, and AI advancement. Chung received her Honours B.Sc. in Psychology from University of Toronto, her M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and her Postdoctoral training in Behavioral Neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Lyssa Palu-ay
Lyssa Palu-ay
Dean, Justice, Equity and Transformation, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Lyssa Palu-ay is Dean of Justice, Equity and Transformation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Palu-ay’s research interests include critical race theory, history of institutes of art and design and the experiences of BIPOC students in art school. She served as an advisor to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Racial Equity Strategic plan, the Governor’s Council to Advance Representation in Education and American Council on Education Learning Success Lab. She has presented and published on topics related to the Asian American experience, critical race theory, equitable pedagogical approaches and BIPOC mentoring efforts in higher education.
Lorna Rivera
Lorna Rivera
Director, Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development & Public Policy; Associate Professor, Leadership in Education, University of Massachusetts Boston
Dr. Lorna Rivera is Director of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development & Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Associate Professor in Higher Education Doctoral Program. Rivera has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Northeastern University. Her work focuses on the social determinants of health and the education of Latinx students. Rivera is a P.I. on two projects with the Boston Public Health Commission, and Co-PI on a Community-Based Participatory Research project in Vieques, Puerto Rico funded by the E.P .A. Rivera is co-editor of the book, “Critical Perspectives on Latino Education in Massachusetts,” forthcoming UMass Press.
Corliss Thompson
Corliss Thompson
Associate Dean, Graduate School of Education; Teaching Professor, Education, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
Corliss Thompson, Ph.D. is a Teaching Professor who serves as the Associate Dean of Graduate School of Education in the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. Dr. Thompson previously served as the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs in the GSE and Special Assistant to the Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Thompson was a program evaluator and elementary school teacher. Her scholarly expertise is within the field of teacher education and social and cultural foundations of learning.
Idia Thurston
Idia Thurston
Director, Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice, Professor, Health Sciences and Applied Psychology and Africana Studies, Northeastern University
Idia Binitie Thurston, PhD (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor of health sciences and applied psychology, and Associate Director of the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research at Northeastern University. She directs the CHANGE lab, where she collaborates with students, youth, families, and community organizations to develop and disseminate strengths-based, culturally-responsive tools that reduce stigma, enhance wellness, and promote resilience. She is passionate about mentoring, dismantling structural and systemic barriers, and promoting career pathways for students and faculty underrepresented in health sciences and psychology. She is a mom of three kids and loves exploring new coffee shops.
Noor Ali
Noor Ali
Assistant Teaching Professor, Graduate School of Education, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
Dr. Ali has widely published on social justice, critical race theory, identity, marginalization, leadership, and curriculum. In her book, Critical Storytelling: Narratives of Muslim American Youth, Dr. Ali explicates her micro-theoretical framework MusCrit while centering the counter-narratives of Muslim American women. Dr. Ali earned her EdD from Northeastern. She teaches in the Ed.D., MAT, M.Ed. Programs at the Graduate School of Education, leads the Ed.D. Transformative School Leadership Concentration, and Equity Framework for the MAT Program. A K-12 teacher for 17 years, she is the principal of Al-Hamra Academy. Dr. Ali has served on the DEI Taskforce for her town and on the Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, an organization that supports mental health. Dr. Ali has worked extensively with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and serves as a Commissioner on the Accreditation Commission of Independent Schools.
Dzidzor Azaglo
Dzidzor Azaglo
Performing Artist, Community Liaison, Community Partnerships Coordinator of the Reckonings Project, Northeastern University
Dzidzor (pronounced Jee-Joh) is a Ga-Ewe folklore performing artist and led by her curiosity. Her unique approach blends call-and-response with a rich tapestry of sound, fusing poetry, storytelling, and auditory elements to create an immersive experience that grounds the audience in their own bodies.
Through her performance art, Dzidzor dismantles the conventional notion of a passive audience, instead beckoning them to step forward and become integral participants in the experience. Her body of work is a tapestry woven with threads of curiosity, exploring profound inquiries about divinity, community, home, blackness, and identity. She sensitively acknowledges those ensnared by a system that has historically overlooked black and brown individuals. She leans into Octavia E. Butler’s question, “What do we need to do now, to create the world we want to live in?” Dzidzor explores the possibility within bodies to unshackle themselves from internalized oppression, both in the mind and body, through practices of rest, deliberate stillness.
Dzidzor has performed at the ICA Boston, Old North Church, Isabella Stewart Gardener, Marsh Chapel, Harvard, University of Ghana and so much more.
Presently, Dzidzor is engrossed in her latest venture, ‘Wilderness’, an experimental performance piece that probes the essence and complexity of black womanhood, existence, and spirituality in the context of religious teachings and the divine. Simultaneously, she serves as a Community liaison for the Reckonings Project and pursues a master’s in Divinity at Boston University. Her passion for the curiosity of sound and experimentation has the distinguished title of ‘rhythm architect’, bestowed upon her by Knoel Scott of the Sun Ra Arkestra.
Stacy Blake-Beard
Stacy Blake-Beard
Clinical Professor, Business Administration, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Dr. Stacy Blake-Beard is a faculty member at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Prior to Dartmouth, Dr. Blake-Beard was faculty at Simmons College School of Business and Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Dr. Blake-Beard’s research focuses on issues women face in developing mentoring relationships, particularly in international contexts. Her research has been supported by receipt of several grants and fellowships, including awards from the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation and Fulbright. Dr. Blake-Beard is coeditor of two books: Handbook of Research on Promoting Women’s Careers and Mentoring Diverse Leaders: Creating Change for People, Processes and Paradigms.
Melinda L. Boehm
Melinda L. Boehm
Director, Research Development, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Melinda Laroco Boehm joined Northeastern in Feb. 2022 from the University of California, Merced where she led a centralized RD team to support faculty research strategy and grant-getting. As an RD professional at Northeastern, Melinda partners with faculty and leadership on strategic research advancement and grantseeking from federal granting agencies (including NIH, NSF, NASA, USDA, DOD, and AFOSR) as well as numerous state agencies. Melinda continuously works to assess the current research landscape trends and distill actionable steps to meet collective research goals for Bouve. Melinda also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP). She received her PhD in Medical Sociology (Case Western Reserve University ’14) where she received a nationally competitive Fellowship from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to focus on understanding senior public housing residents’ foodscape navigation and catechize issues surrounding elusive longer-term behavior changes of health interventions in urban foodscapes.
Vanity Campbell
Vanity Campbell
Associate Program Officer, Office of the President, University of California
Vanity Campbell has spent the last decade committed to developing interdisciplinary team-based initiatives and promoting growth in extramural funding in research development roles at the University of California, Merced and the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She joined the Research Grants Program Office at the University of California, Office of the President in May 2023 where she is an Associate Program Officer for Special Initiatives. In this grantmaking role, she manages the Climate Action Initiative which funds action-oriented research to address California’s climate challenges. Her role supports Request for Proposal development, scientific peer-review, post-award management, program evaluation, and grantee outreach. Campbell holds a B.S. in Microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.P.H. with a focus on Health Management and Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Shanae Chapman
Shanae Chapman
Founder, CEO, & Managing Director, Nerdy Diva
Shanae Chapman is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and author. Shanae is the Founder and CEO of Nerdy Diva, a consulting firm, whose mission is to inspire creative problem solving in tech and society, with a focus on increasing access and opportunity for everyone. She leads tech training, instructional design, and consulting for clients across the US, including LinkedIn and Nielsen Norman Group. She received the 2023 Northeastern University Women Who Empower Innovator Awards for Social Impact and Alumni Entrepreneurship. Shanae serves as a mentor for Northeastern University’s Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship (WISE) program and Experiential Network (XN) program.
Shanae is a graduate of Northeastern University with a Master’s in Informatics. She holds a Bachelors of Arts from Saint Louis University in Communication, Emphasis in Communication Technology, and Certificate in African American Studies, and certificates in Web Design from Webster University, and Leadership from MIT.
Christie Chung
Christie Chung
Executive Director, Mills Institute, Professor, Psychology, Northeastern University
Christie Chung, Ph.D. is an award-winning academic leader, executive director, TEDx keynote speaker, and professor in cognitive psychology. Chung currently serves as the Executive Director of The Mills Institute and is dedicated to creating transformative programs, research, and partnerships that advance educational access, equity, and women’s leadership. She has served in many senior leadership roles and is committed to empowering leaders to reach their full potential. Chung has research expertise in cognitive aging, emotional memory, and cross-cultural cognition, and is an advocate of leadership, diversity, and AI advancement. Chung received her Honours B.Sc. in Psychology from University of Toronto, her M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and her Postdoctoral training in Behavioral Neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Adrianna Crossing
Adrianna Crossing
Assistant Professor, School Psychology, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Dr. Adrianna Crossing (she/they) is an assistant professor (tenure track) at Northeastern University, where they hold a joint appointment between the Department of Applied Psychology and the Department of Health Sciences. Their research spans critical theory applications in psychological research, social justice training in school psychology, and diversifying the pathways to mental health careers. A Nationally Certified School Psychologist, Dr. Crossing teaches foundational counseling skills to school psychology graduate students. They also teach MPH students the fundamentals of race, ethnicity, and health, leveraging their expertise in the overlap between racism and behavioral health.
Angelique M. Davis
Angelique M. Davis
Professor, Political Science, Seattle University
Angelique M. Davis, J.D., is a Professor of Political Science and African and African American Studies at Seattle University. She focuses her research on racial gaslighting, dehumanization, apologies and reparations, and the socio-legal construction of race. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington in 1999. She served as a federal law clerk and practiced law until joining the faculty at Seattle University in 2005. Professor Davis served as a Commissioner on the Seattle Civil Service Commission (2013-2022), owns Exhale Professional Development and Consulting Services, and is a coach and workshop facilitator for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).
Priya Shimpi Driscoll
Priya Shimpi Driscoll
Professor, Education, Mills College, Northeastern University
Priya Mariana Shimpi Driscoll is a Professor of Education and Interim Associate Dean of Research and Partnerships at Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago and joined Mills College in 2009. Her research program examines the role of cultural and environmental experiences in young children’s social and linguistic development. Professor Shimpi Driscoll mentors student researchers in her Language Development Lab, where she examines multilingual development and children’s learning in home, school, and museum contexts. She currently advises educational technology companies on curriculum development and child-robot interaction. A robot she helped to create was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Inventions.
Clareese Hill
Clareese Hill
Assistant Professor, Art and Design, College of Arts, Media and Design, Northeastern University
Clareese Hill is a practice-based researcher exploring the validity of the word “identity” from her perspective as an Afro-Caribbean American woman through collaborating with emerging technology and meditative praxis. She has performed lectures at Aalto University in Finland, Göteborgs Universitet Akademin Valand, Sweden, The Royal College of Art, London, Goldsmiths University of London, University of Sussex, CUNY Graduate Center, The Chicago Art Department, and Smack Mellon in Brooklyn. She was also a 2020 Rapid Response for a Better Digital Future fellow (Phase One). Clareese has published academic essays in various peer-reviewed journals. Clareese holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a practice-based research Ph.D. from Goldsmiths, University of London.
Kenlyn Jones
Kenlyn Jones
Associate Professor, Fashion Design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Kenlyn Jones is an Associate Professor of Fashion Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the ALAANA Faculty Mentor for MassArt. Her research and creative endeavors focus on promoting diversity and inclusivity within the academic community through the lens of art and design. Prior to her academic career, Kenlyn worked as a technical designer for several home and fashion companies, including TJMaxx, LLBean, Company C, and White Mountain Footwear. She earned her BFA in fashion design from MassArt and her MA in fashion journalism from the Academy of Arts University.
Micky Lee
Micky Lee
Professor, Media Studies, Suffolk University
Micky Lee is a Professor of Media Studies and the Associate Dean of Core Experience at the College of Arts and Sciences, Suffolk University. She is a feminist political economist who studies information, technology, and finance; global communication; and Asian popular culture. She has published and edited ten books and about forty journal articles and book chapters in the aforementioned subjects. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Culture from the University of Oregon.
Lyssa Palu-ay
Lyssa Palu-ay
Dean, Justice, Equity and Transformation, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Lyssa Palu-ay is Dean of Justice, Equity and Transformation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Palu-ay’s research interests include critical race theory, history of institutes of art and design and the experiences of BIPOC students in art school. She served as an advisor to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Racial Equity Strategic plan, the Governor’s Council to Advance Representation in Education and American Council on Education Learning Success Lab. She has presented and published on topics related to the Asian American experience, critical race theory, equitable pedagogical approaches and BIPOC mentoring efforts in higher education.
Thalia C. Ramirez
Thalia C. Ramirez
Doctoral Student, School Psychology, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Thalia C. Ramirez is a first-year doctoral student in school psychology at the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. In her work, she aims to advance anti-oppressive, culturally responsive, and liberatory research and behavioral health practice that is focused on marginalized youth and communities. She is particularly interested in restorative justice practices in schools, childhood adversity, and youth participatory action research. Thalia is delighted to present alongside her advisor, Dr. Adrianna Crossing, and her colleague, Felicia Waldron, two brilliant mentors and collaborators who elegantly model scholarship for a more just and caring world.
Marjorie Salvodon
Marjorie Salvodon
Professor, Humanities; Associate Dean, Experiential Learning, Global Education & Public Impact, Suffolk University
Marjorie Attignol Salvodon was trained as a scholar of contemporary Francophone Studies and has taught French-language grammar, culture, film and literature. She now teaches in the Women’s and Gender Studies, Black Studies and First-Year Seminar programs, and since fall 2023, she serves as Interim Director of Black Studies and Associate Dean of Experiential Learning, Global Education & Public Impact in the College of Arts & Sciences at Suffolk University. She has translated contemporary novels by feminist authors, Nina Bouraoui and Évelyne Trouillot: TOMBOY (co-translated with Jehanne-Marie Gavarini, UNP, 2007), THE INFAMOUS ROSALIE (UNP, 2013), DÉSIRÉE CONGO (UVAP, 2024).
Felicia Waldron
Felicia Waldron
Doctoral Student, School Psychology, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University
Felicia Waldron is a doctoral candidate within the School Psychology program at Northeastern University. Her research interests include Black Psychology and Liberation Psychology approaches in supporting Black youth in educational environments, multicultural counseling, bilingual assessment, and anti-racist decolonial psychology practices.
