Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is an intellectual who speaks to the complex dynamics of the American experience. His most well-known books, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, and In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, take a wide look at black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges our democracy face. He is an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his writings, the country’s complexities, vulnerabilities, and the opportunities for hope come into full view. Hope that is, in one of his favorite quotes from W.E.B Du Bois, “not hopeless, but a bit unhopeful.”

He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies, a program he first became involved with shaping as a doctoral candidate in Religion at Princeton. He is the former president of the American Academy of Religion. His books on religion and philosophy include An Uncommon Faith: A Pragmatic Approach to the Study of African American Religion, African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction and Exodus! Religion, Race and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America, which was awarded the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Book Prize. Glaude is also the author of two edited volumes, and many influential articles about religion for academic journals. He has also written for the likes of The New York Times and Time Magazine.

Known to be a convener of conversations and debates, Glaude takes care to engage fellow citizens of all ages and backgrounds – from young activists, to fellow academics, journalists and commentators, and followers on Twitter in dialogue about the direction of the nation. His scholarship and his sense of himself as a public intellectual are driven by a commitment to think carefully with others in public.

Glaude’s most recent book, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, was released on June 30, 2020. Of Baldwin, Glaude writes, “Baldwin’s writing does not bear witness to the glory of America. It reveals the country’s sins, and the illusion of innocence that blinds us to the reality of others. Baldwin’s vision requires a confrontation with our history (with slavery, Jim Crow segregation, with whiteness) to overcome its hold on us. Not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew.”

Some like to describe Glaude as the quintessential Morehouse man, having left his home in Moss Point, Mississippi at age 16 to begin studies at the HBCU. He holds a master’s degree in African American Studies from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Religion from Princeton University. He began his teaching career at Bowdoin College. In 2011 he delivered Harvard’s Du Bois lectures. In 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Colgate University, delivering commencement remarks titled, “Turning Our Backs” that was recognized by The New York Times as one of the best commencement speeches of the year. He is a columnist for Time Magazine and a MSNBC contributor on programs like Morning Joe, and Deadline Whitehouse with Nicolle Wallace. He also regularly appears on Meet the Press on Sundays.

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Judy Shepard draws from personal tragedy to promote a greater understanding of LGBTQ issues and empower audiences to embrace human dignity and diversity through outreach and advocacy in their own communities. In 1998, Judy lost her son Matthew to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate that shocked and captivated the nation. Turning tragedy into a crusade for justice, this leading voice in the LGBTQ rights movement has since established The Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on her son’s legacy. Later, she spearheaded The Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded the federal hate-crime law to include crimes based on gender and sexual orientation. The author of the best-seller, The Meaning of Matthew, Judy offers an intimate look at how her life and the entire fight for equal rights changed when her son was killed. With a name now synonymous with activism and equal rights, Judy and her husband Dennis leave an indelible imprint with their words, compassion and raw honesty as they urge audiences to make their schools and communities safer for everyone, regardless of race, sex, religion, or gender identity and/or expression.

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Dr. Michelle Cromwell is an equity-centered educator, scholar-activist, conflict coach, circle facilitator, and yogi. Michelle is unapologetically equity-centered and brings almost two decades of experience as an equity, diversity, and inclusion scholar-practitioner, master conflict coach, and dialogue facilitator with emphasis on conflict resolution, organizational transformation, crisis management, and radical equity-centeredness. Their research, writing and praxis is focused on using dialogue and conflict transformation techniques to build trust, analyze and disrupt organizational chaos, and allow for reconciliation and healing where there is historic prejudice, misuse of power, racial trauma and mistrust as it relates to race, gender or class-based conflicts. Michelle has a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a specialty in Ethnic Conflicts, and an M.S. in Dispute Resolution both from Nova Southeastern University in Florida where they were inducted as a Distinguished Alumni in 2018 for work in social justice and restorative practices. Dr. Cromwell’s B.S. in Social Work is from the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago.

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Xusana Davis serves as the State of Vermont’s first Executive Director of Racial Equity. She was appointed to the position in June 2019 by Governor Phil Scott. In her role, Xusana works with state agencies to identify and address systemic racial disparities and support the state’s efforts to expand & diversify Vermont’s population. She relies on data and community feedback to inform this work, and on the State Equity Plan to guide it. [Act 9 of 2018]

Prior to joining the State of Vermont, she was Director of Health & Housing Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and before that, the Director of the Black Latino Asian Caucus of the New York City Council.

She holds a Juris Doctorate with a concentration in International Human Rights Law from New York Law School, where she also directed a civil liberties education program for low-income youth and youth of color. She studied Anthropology and Philosophy at Fordham University, earning the Rev. J. Franklin Ewing, S.J. Award for writing on the relationship between global human rights violations and the proliferation of HIV/AIDS.

Xusana is a first-generation U.S.-born Latina and believes in open access to government for all people, regardless of their background or place of origin. She is fluent in Spanish, and her name is pronounced like the phrase “Seuss on a."

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Dr. Paul Deslandes is Professor and Chair in the Department of History at the University of Vermont. He has been highly involved in LGBTQ+ issues on campus since his arrival at UVM in 2004. He is a historian of modern Britain whose research focuses on gender, sexuality, body politics, and consumerism. In addition to two books on these topics, he is the author of numerous essays on LGBTQ identities, pornography, and methodological approaches to the history of sexuality. He currently serves as chair of the Celebrating Diverse Voices at UVM exhibit selection committee and is engaged in promoting history education at the high school level through his work as Chief Reader for the College Board’s AP European History program.

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Dr. Suresh Garimella became the 27th president of the University of Vermont on July 1, 2019.

A seasoned administrator and an accomplished educator and researcher, Dr. Garimella previously led complex and expansive portfolios at Purdue University, a top-ranked, flagship research university. As Purdue’s inaugural Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships, Dr. Garimella led a $660 million per year research enterprise, achieving five consecutive years of record research funding. He also oversaw Discovery Park, a unique set of facilities and institutes where disciplines converge to solve global challenges related to health and life sciences, sustainability, food, energy and defense, and security. He was responsible for Purdue’s international programs and its global and corporate partnerships, focused on strengthening relationships to advance innovation, research, education and commercialization. He previously served as Purdue’s Chief Global Affairs Officer (2013-2014) and Associate Vice President for Engagement (2011-2013). Dr. Garimella held the Goodson Distinguished Professorship in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, and holds an appointment as Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at UVM.

Dr. Garimella conceived of and implemented an ambitious $250 million Life Sciences Initiative focused on Pillars of Excellence in integrative neuroscience and immunological sciences, complementing Purdue University’s existing strengths in drug discovery and plant sciences. In addition, he and Purdue’s Provost partnered to develop the Integrative Data Science Initiative, which is focused on applying data science research to pressing fundamental and socially relevant issues while establishing an educational ecosystem of data fluency to prepare students for the rapidly expanding future of a data-driven knowledge economy.

In 2018, Dr. Garimella was appointed by President Trump to the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation and also serves as an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on policy matters related to science, engineering and educating the next generation of scientists.

The co-author of over 525 widely cited archival publications and 13 patents, Dr. Garimella is an expert in micro- and nano-scale transport phenomena, thermal management and energy efficiency in electronics systems, and renewable and sustainable energy systems technology and policy. He founded the Cooling Technologies Research Center, a graduated National Science Foundation I/UCRC, in 1999 and directed it for two decades. He has supervised over 90 graduate students, 27 of whom are now faculty members in prestigious universities.

Dr. Garimella served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State from 2010 to 2011, analyzing cross-cutting issues at the intersection of energy security and climate change. He was a State Department delegate to the International Energy Agency (IEA). From 2011 to 2016, Garimella was a senior fellow of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), a regional partnership announced by President Obama in 2009 to promote clean energy, advance energy security, fight energy poverty, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support strategies for sustainable landscapes and build capacity for climate change adaptation.

Dr. Garimella serves in editorial roles with leading energy-related journals. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and has received numerous awards in recognition of his educational, research and service contributions.

Dr. Garimella received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

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Dr. Randall Harp is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Vermont and the Fulbright Canada/Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow and Joint Chair in Contemporary Public Policy for 2020–2021. He does research in the philosophy of action, the philosophy of behavioral and social science, in ethics, and in social metaphysics. He is interested in what it means to be an agent, and in how our agency changes in collective and social contexts. He is also interested in how the behavioral and social sciences model actions and agents. He has particular research interests in the ethical implications of how information about us and our networks can be used to predict and influence our behavior.

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Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant is the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Vermont (UVM). Throughout her 30-year career in higher education, she has established programs, policies, and practices fundamental to the advancement of inclusive excellence and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Her three decades of career service span a broad range of academic and administrative roles at UVM including Vice President for Human Resources, Diversity, and Multicultural Affairs, Chief Diversity Officer, Associate Provost, Associate Dean, and Director. Her wealth of professional experience and volunteer involvement on the boards of non-profit organizations and civil rights committees have earned her a reputation as a cultural architect able to build and sustain real and lasting change.

In 2020, the Vermont Women in Higher Education Association created a new award for Justice named for Dr. Heading-Grant and her years of dedicated leadership and service in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. She is also the recipient of numerous awards including 2020 Eastern Region Human Resources Excellence Award, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), 2019 Women Worth Watching Award from Profiles in Diversity Journal, the 2018 University of Vermont Alumni Achievement Award, and the 2018 National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Individual Leadership Award. Dr. Heading-Grant is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Social Work Department of the College of Education and Social Services and a member of the graduate faculty at UVM.

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Dr. Lisa M. Holmes, Associate Professor of Political Science, specializes in U.S. politics with a focus on judicial politics, constitutional law, and gender and law. Her work has recently been published in P.S.: Political Science and Politics, The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, and Judicature. She is also co-author of the forthcoming 12th edition of Judicial Process in America, published with SAGE/CQ Press. Her current project examines why the judiciary is a more salient issue for Republicans than it is for Democrats in contemporary U.S. politics. Professor Holmes received UVM’s Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012.

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Dr. Jinny Huh is Associate Professor of English, Director of the Critical Race & Ethnic Studies (CRES) Program, and the Director of Equity and Strategic Initiatives in the College of Arts & Sciences. Professor Huh received her PhD from the University of Southern California and was an Institute of American Cultures Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA. Her research and teaching interests include comparative race studies, critical race theory, detective fiction, critical adoption studies, and race and reproduction.

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Dr. Nancy Mathews leads the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, serving as its Dean since 2014. Previous to this position, Dean Mathews spent nearly 20 years as Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served as Director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service from 2010-2014, chair of the Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development program from 2009-2010, and director of the 10-year Reaccreditation for the University from 2007-2009.

Prior to her move to UW-Madison in 1995, she served as the Assistant Unit Leader for the USGS Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Texas Tech University. Dr. Mathews received her B.S. in biology from Penn State in 1980 and her M.S. in 1981 and Ph.D. in 1989 from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry, with post-doctoral training at the University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Dr. Mathews has published widely in the field of wildlife ecology and specializes in conservation biology and animal behavior, with a particular expertise in white-tailed deer behavior and chronic wasting disease.

In addition to her administrative leadership, she served on the board of directors of the International Crane Foundation for nine years, as an elected Trustee to the Higher Learning Commission, and as a Fellow in the CIC Academic Leadership Program. Dean Mathews’ leadership of the Rubenstein School has focused on building academic excellence, with an enduring commitment to environmental justice, to prepare students to lead in a rapidly changing world.

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Dr. Bindu Panikkar is an Assistant Professor at the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources. She works at the intersection of environmental justice, environmental health, and science technology and society studies. She is a fellow of the Gund Institute of the Environment, and an Associate Director of the Institute of Environmental Diplomacy and Security at University of Vermont.

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Patricia Prelock, Ph.D., was named Provost and Senior Vice President of the University of Vermont effective November 18, 2019, after having been appointed Interim Provost the prior April. From 2009 to 2019, she served as Dean of the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Nursing and Health Sciences, which is home to her faculty appointment of Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is also a Professor of Pediatrics in the UVM Larner College of Medicine. Dr. Prelock served as Chair of the UVM Department of Communication Sciences from 2002 to 2009. She earned a B.S. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Kent State University, an M.A. in Speech Pathology also from Kent State, and a Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Prelock is a recognized expert in the nature and treatment of autism spectrum disorders and has been awarded more than $11.3 million dollars in university, state, and federal funding as a PI or Co-PI to develop innovations in interdisciplinary training supporting children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, to facilitate training in speech-language pathology, and to support her intervention work in Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has over 188 publications and 535 peer-reviewed and invited presentations/keynotes in the areas of autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, collaboration, interprofessional education (IPE), leadership, and language learning disabilities.

Dr. Prelock has received numerous teaching, research, and service awards including the University of Vermont’s Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000, and UVM’s University Scholar designation in 2003. She was named an American Speech-Language Hearing Association Fellow in 2000, was President of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association in 2013, and received Honors of the Association in 2016. In 2019, she was named Associate Editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Prelock is a Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language and a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice in speech-language pathology.

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Jaydeen Santos is the Assistant Director at The Mosaic Center for Students of Color (MCSC). Jaydeen has been with the MCSC since 2009. Before working in the MCSC, Jaydeen was the Assistant Director for Diversity and Partnerships in the UVM Admissions Office. She graduated from UVM in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, minor in Psychology. In 2012, she earned a Master of Education degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration on undergraduate student health and wellness.

At the MCSC, Jaydeen primarily meets with students and takes the time to get to know them, their stories, learn about their experiences at UVM, and then provides relevant advice. She is a supportive advisor who deeply cares for BIPOC students and enjoys helping them breakdown barriers to their success at the institution. She wants all students to feel that they are part of a bigger community where people care about them as individuals.

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Dr. Sherwood Smith works at the University of Vermont (UVM). Since summer 2014, he has served as Senior Executive Director for the Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Division which includes: The Center for Cultural Pluralism, Interfaith Center, Mosaic Center for Students of Color, Prism Center, and Women & Gender Equity Center. As faculty (2000-2014), with an appointment in the College of Education and Social Services Department of Leadership & Developmental Sciences, he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on Multicultural Education, Development of Prejudice, Cross Cultural Issues in Human Development and White Identity Development. Through the Center for Cultural Pluralism, serving as director for the past 17 years, he coordinates and provides professional development for faculty and staff on issues of cultural and social justice. He has been faculty with the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) in Portland, Oregon (2000- 2018).

Sherwood is also a Co-Founder & Partner of CQ Strategies, LLC (www.cqstrategies.org), a collective of 5 partners providing training and consulting services on cultural competency, implicit bias, and organizational change. CQ Strategies has worked with more than 65 organizations, colleges, and city departments since 2010. Sherwood has spoken on Vermont Public Radio and WCAX Television, co-edited 2 books, several book chapters and been a presenter at many national conferences.

Sherwood served as a Peace Corps Fisheries Volunteer in Tanzania, Director for the School for International Training’s Program in Kenya and as an Assistant Director for Residence Life at Penn State University Campus in State College, Pennsylvania. He has visited 20 countries and most recently was a guest speaker at University of Inner Mongolia and Jufu Normal University in China (2012).

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A second generation Afro Cuban-American, Luis Versalles was born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota. His bilingual and bicultural life experience fuel his passion for racial, linguistic, and cultural equity in education for all students. From local public schools, Luis went on to become the first college graduate in his family, earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on Second Languages and Cultures from the University of Minnesota. This experience motivates his work coaching leaders to better understand the complexities families of color face to navigate systems of schooling, primary through higher education. As Executive Director of Education at Courageous Conversation™, Mr. Versalles leads a team of equity transformation specialists who guide organizations in the domains of Leadership, Culturally Relevant Learning and Teaching, and Family/Community Engagement and Empowerment. He specializes in aligning organizational strategic plans using the Systemic Racial Equity Transformation Framework™ to facilitate racial equity system-wide.

Luis began his professional career as a Spanish and ESL instructor in metro Twin Cities schools, teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. As an administrator, he served as Program Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal of the Richfield Dual Language School, and was instrumental in establishing it as the state of Minnesota’s first suburban two-way immersion school. Versalles’ leadership in two-way immersion education has been broadly recognized including the Joyce Bilingual Preschool Bridging Gaps, Bridging Cultures Award in 2010, and the Association of Two-Way and Dual Language (ATDLE) Promoting Bilingualism Award in 2016. He has presented at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition; the Louisiana Department of Education; the Teachers College, Columbia University Summer Institute; the Unbound Education Standards Institute; and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Panel on Structural Racism in Education.

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Lynn C. White Cloud holds a Master’s of Arts (Curriculum, Instruction & Administration in Higher Education) from Boston College, a Bachelor of Science (Elementary Education and Responsive Teacher Program) from the University of Vermont, and was a first-generation college student. Lynn has twenty years of experience leading strategic planning and mentoring initiates for university-wide, unit, and community-partnered diversity, equity and inclusion priorities. Lynn participated in the HERS Institute for Women’s Leadership, and was awarded NASPA’s award for The Network for Educational Equity and Ethnic Diversity. Lynn is committed to the vitality of liberal education, the public good, transformative learning, and equity. Lynn currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs for the College of Education and Social Services at UVM, is a member of the CESS senior leadership team, and oversees the Office of Student Services. Lynn has held leadership positions for thirty-five years, including positions as the: Assistant Executive Director of the Guarini Institute for International Education at Dartmouth College, Assistant Dean of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation for Service, Spirituality and Social Justice at Dartmouth College, and the Assistant Dean of the College, and Directors of Student Activities and the College Union at Gettysburg College, among others. Lynn has provided leadership on institutional task forces, and in enrollment management, student success and retention, diversity and equity initiatives, international education, staff development, advising models, community-based learning in partnerships around the world, residential life, facility design and management, student conduct, and care/case management and emergency response. As a woman of indigenous descent, Lynn has served on Native American Councils and BIPOC workgroups, and facilitated complex community partnership projects with tribal communities. Early in her career Lynn was a teacher in public and magnet schools in New Orleans, Dallas, and Boston as well as a university practicum supervisor of student teachers.

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Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon is the Senior Advisor for Strategic Diversity Assessment & Research at UVM. He received an M. Ed. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction Secondary Education History from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Boston College. In addition to his work at UVM, Paul is also a Partner with CQ Strategies, LLC, a local consultancy that helps organizations become more culturally proficient through training, education, resources, and on-going support.

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Keith Young was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the historically black Virginia State University. Afterward, Young returned to Asheville and focused on community organizing in low-income communities. He was elected to Asheville City Council in 2015 and served 5 years in that role where he helped facilitate many policy shifts toward equity and inclusion. He also spearheaded and drafted the city’s reparations legislation. Since then he has consulted on public policy throughout the country. Young is a public policy expert and author of the book, 12 Powers of Influence. He is also a member of Harvard Kennedy’s Community of Practice for implementing public policy.

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