Dr. Kristin Austin (she/her) is a lover of talking, tacos, and Target. A professional helper and lifelong learner, Dr. Austin has accumulated nearly twenty years of experience in the higher education sector, rotating as a senior-level administrator, or a full-time faculty member, all within functional areas that promote diversity, access, inclusion, and retention. Starting with her first professional role as an admissions counselor, Dr. Austin designed and implemented a comprehensive multicultural student recruitment campaign, the first of its kind at the university. From there, she continued crafting progressively responsible career experiences at domestic and international universities while always centering the personal and academic success of underrepresented student populations.

Simultaneous to pursuing research and professional endeavors that emphasize equity, Dr. Austin also began offering inclusion and diversity education to small businesses and teams via her non-profit, K.E.Advancement, Inc. Rooted in a posture of cultural humility, Dr. Austin's goal is to catalyze individuals and structures to question, "Who is at the table? Who is missing from the table? and who is unaware the table exists?" Dr. Austin currently serves as Director of I.D.E.As. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) at Rewriting the Code, Inc., a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to retaining college women in technology majors in order to increase the representation of women in technology careers.

 

Dr. Austin holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership & Administration, a Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and a Bachelor's degree (her favorite degree) in Social Work. For the past 12 years, she has also been enrolled in Parent University, where she has been blessed to learn from 3 small, and forgiving professors, ages 12, 10, and 6. Dr. Austin is also married to a fellow education professional. For these reasons, her favorite get-a-way is to Target…. alone.

Venus L. Ricks has a B.A. in Sociology from Susquehanna University and a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her work is focused on leadership through the lens of civic responsibility, anti-oppression, equity, and justice. She uses a socialization to liberation model in creating equitable spaces for minoritized bodies to thrive. Ms. Ricks’ experience crosses several sectors—higher education, workforce development, psychological research, and the nonprofit sector—working with groups and individuals in being anti-oppressive in their homes, workspaces, and communities.

Arthur Mitchell is the Executive Director for the STEM Equity Alliance (STEM EA), a nonprofit dedicated to three goals: creating systems whereby STEM subjects are taught using culturally responsive approaches; increasing the diversity of STEM educators; and creating a more durable STEM pipeline for groups which are underrepresented in STEM career fields. Through the STEM EA he provides clients and partners key strategic direction and leadership development in systems change aligned to cultural proficiency and equity goals. STEM EA has partnered with the PA Department of Education to create a statewide network to increase STEM teacher diversity through the creation of school district and higher education strategic planning and action teams. He also serves as a technical advisor for equity for the Washington STEM and Washington LASER networks where he has helped them refine their strategic plan to intentionally center on equity and helped to build the capacity of their regional networks. Arthur is also the inaugural STEM Equity Fellow for the Philadelphia Regional Institute for STEM Educators (PRISE). In addition to his work with at STEM EA, he is a co-founder of the National Institute for Inclusive Competitiveness (NIIC), a national hub of strategists playing a critical role creating the regional economic infrastructures needed to increase asset ownership, entrepreneurship, and productivity for America’s Most Vulnerable Populations. The NIIC’s mission is to accelerate economic productivity in targeted vulnerable communities in partnership with HBCU and regional economies. Through the NIIC Arthur leads a collaboration with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) where they developed and manage the Takeda STEM HBCU Innovation, Industry, and Immersion (I3) program, sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. I3 is a pipeline to the doctorate program for STEM students from HBCUs.

An educator with Aerospace Engineering – Teaching – Program Administration career trajectories in roughly equal arcs, Cheryl Rush Dix is dedicated to establishing access and opportunity for STEM education. Her tenure in a large urban Pennsylvania district included developing science initiatives to enhance district-wide, inquiry-based science education for 10,000+ PreK-12 students through major corporate grants, accomplishing a long-held district goal of shifting a struggling, ninety-percent poverty, ninety-percent minority school into ninety-percent proficiency on the state science assessment. She currently serves STEM education and her community as a Fulbright Research Alumna, NSF project investigator, and Trustee for the Erie County Community College.

Hello! My name is Amanda Davis-Buie, and I am the founder of Strength, Love, and Motivation, LLC – a private practice that provides counseling and consultation services and workshops and trainings. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio, a Licensed Behavioral Specialist in PA, and a National Certified Counselor. I have been successfully counseling clients through various therapy modalities, facilitating their self-growth for over fifteen years. I aim to introduce clarity and self-motivation as I have a passion for empowering others. I also have a passion for learning and sharing what I learn. Equity and understanding are baselines for the change needed in our society, so one focus of the work that I do is equity. Within equity, I examine attitudes that lead to discord, cultural dissonance, the measure of humanity, identity development, and what is needed to combat separatists’ way of thinking.

I am blessed with a foundation that has guided me in the direction of helping others find their voice and the clarity they may be seeking. I have always been a listener, and I discovered many years ago that when someone is genuinely listened to, it allows their mind to calm and their body to relax. Once the body is ready, communication can occur, and work can begin.

Hello! My name is Amanda Davis-Buie, and I am the founder of Strength, Love, and Motivation, LLC – a private practice that provides counseling and consultation services and workshops and trainings. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio, a Licensed Behavioral Specialist in PA, and a National Certified Counselor. I have been successfully counseling clients through various therapy modalities, facilitating their self-growth for over fifteen years. I aim to introduce clarity and self-motivation as I have a passion for empowering others. I also have a passion for learning and sharing what I learn. Equity and understanding are baselines for the change needed in our society, so one focus of the work that I do is equity. Within equity, I examine attitudes that lead to discord, cultural dissonance, the measure of humanity, identity development, and what is needed to combat separatists’ way of thinking.

I am blessed with a foundation that has guided me in the direction of helping others find their voice and the clarity they may be seeking. I have always been a listener, and I discovered many years ago that when someone is genuinely listened to, it allows their mind to calm and their body to relax. Once the body is ready, communication can occur, and work can begin.

Shileste Overton Morris serves as the director of the Center for Schools and Communities, and the Chief Programs Officer at the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, an education service agency. The Center provides local, state, national and international services to build capacity in schools, districts, county and state agencies and other children, youth and family serving organizations. Through the provision of professional development, coaching and technical assistance, the Center supports the improvement of educational and life outcomes for individuals from birth through post-secondary. The Center’s work focuses on a continuum of efforts around early childhood care and development, social and emotional learning, educational equity, positive youth development, family support and community service integration, school safety, juvenile justice and youth violence prevention.

Dr. Overton Morris has worked at and with both public and private institutions including nonprofit organizations, foundations and state government agencies building strategic partnerships and leading innovative work. Overton Morris has led strategic planning efforts for her organization and other community based organizations. Overton Morris has worked with the United Way of New York City, facilitating the Community Mapping process with residents of Mott Haven to improve literacy rates and Clayton County, Georgia School District to assess and implement Social Emotional Learning. Dr. Overton Morris provided leadership and consultation to the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the development of a hybrid course for principals and superintendents focused on equity and leadership. She has developed and presented training focused on equity, social justice, family school and community partnerships, social entrepreneurship and other topics relevant to school and community improvement.

Overton Morris also serves on a number of national, state and local boards, including the National Healthy Teen Leadership Alliance, the Center for Educational Equity, SEL 4US Equity and Inclusion Committee, the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools, the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN), and the Foundation for Enhancing Communities Women’s Fund.

Overton Morris has authored several publications, including “Girl Grudges: Learning to Forgive and Live,” written to help clinicians, parents and youth development staff who work with adolescent girls regarding female aggression. She has developed a strong repertoire in topics related to strategic leadership, parent engagement, marginalized populations and issues focusing on cultural competence, equity and education leadership. Dr. Overton Morris has been recognized by a number of organizations for her commitment to education, community and service.

Overton Morris completed her Doctor of Education at Shippensburg University, defending her dissertation research, focused on the process and perceptions of an equity initiative to address racial disproportionality in school discipline in an urban district. She has a master’s degree in public administration and a certificate in nonprofit administration from Pennsylvania State University, as well as a bachelor’s in communications from Temple University. Overton-Morris is a graduate of the education policy leadership fellow program sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership and possesses certifications and training in a number of education related and youth serving areas.

TaLisa Ramos-Watts (she/her/ella) is a Licensed Social Worker and Mental Health Therapist at the Harvest 3 Gathering, LLC and Social Work faculty member at Elizabethtown College. For the past 13 years TaLisa has dedicated herself to cultivating an environment of equity and inclusion in higher education, healthcare, and behavioral health care settings. Her areas of unique focus are cultural and intergenerational trauma, to which she utilizes a comprehensive and client centered approach through ancestral healing, trauma informed care, and internal family systems. TaLisa is passionate about breaking the stigma of mental health in BIPOC communities. She applies a holistic approach to de-colonize the therapy space, empowering clients to reclaim what healing looks like in their culture while reconnecting clients to the roots of their identity and the sacred wisdom of their ancestors. In July of 2021 TaLisa was appointed as the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, located in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Advocacy and Reform where she is charged with leading statewide initiatives and intergovernmental DEI education initiatives.

Marcelle Giovannetti is a full time Assistant Professor in Messiah University’s Graduate Counseling Program in Pennsylvania. She also works part-time as a clinician in private practice and is the owner of Courageous Hope Counseling LLC. She has presented on numerous occasions at national, regional, state and local conferences. She is an educational training for the PA certification board. Marcelle is a doctoral candidate at Shippensburg University in PA, pursuing a degree in Counselor Education and Supervision. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Elizabethtown College and earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Shippensburg University. She has a postgraduate certificate in Social Justice from Harvard University. Her areas of clinical expertise in counseling include substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, trauma and multicultural counseling. Marcelle is a certified Drug & Alcohol counselor (CADC), an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in PA and a certified EMDR therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II). She currently serves as Vice President on the board of directors for the PA Certification Board and is Chair of the Ethics Committee. She was recently appointed to the American Counseling Association ethic committee. She is passionate about social justice, working with marginalized groups and advocating for equitable access to education, treatment and care.

Dr. Tawanna Jones Morrison, is a professional growth facilitator and scholar-activist whose work in community with Black girls supports social change. Her national conference presentations bring attention to the impact of trauma, injustice, and bias on teaching, learning, and centers tools for affective development, individual and organizational change. Her professional growth sessions create SHIFT, supporting school and community organizations in going beyond performative social justice and trauma-informed practice, to becoming locations for healing, growing. and learning.

Dr. Jones Morrison earned her bachelor’s degree in Special Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania; her master’s and Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her doctoral studies in School Systems Leadership at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Patrick Fennell believes that the lens through which a person sees themselves and the world around them empowers them to define and achieve success individually and collectively. Driven by that belief, he founded Empowerment Solutions, LLC, as well as, Empowerment Institute, Inc., a non-profit corporation. For over 25 years, Patrick has led the development and enhancement of an inclusive culture and climate across a variety of organizations, fields and industries. As a result, people of all ages and backgrounds have learned from each other, gained an appreciation for one another, and fulfilled their purpose at work, in school, within their communities and in life together.

He attains sustainable results through his ABCD principle – Attitude Awareness and Accountability yield Better Choices, which lead to your Destiny. Patrick is a master-level facilitator, speaker and coach who is consistently called upon because of his interactive and holistic approach to training and coaching by providing information that can be applied, sharing engaging stories and facilitating experiential activities. His style, enthusiasm and ability to connect with people is infectious and appeals to a variety of audiences.

For more information about his trainings or programs, please visit his website at www.empowerment-solutions.com, call him at 917.642.5882 or email him at patrick@empowerment-solutions.com.