https://ncoredev.ou.edu/What-is-NCORE Parent Page: What is NCORE id: 29283 Active Page: Current NAC Membershipid:29284
National Advisory Council
NAC Committees and Members

The function of the NCORE® National Advisory Council (NAC) is to assist in setting a vision for the conference by making recommendations concerning the conference program, keynote speakers, and special events. Each committee can have up to 10 members. As the name suggests, its function is advisory.

The NAC is composed of the members of eight committees:

•    Accessibility in the Academy  
•    Athletics in the Academy  
•    Executive Diversity Officers and Executive Leadership  
•    Faculty Interests and Needs  
•    Human Resources, Recruitment, and Professional Development  
•    Student Affairs and Affiliated Professionals  
•    Student Participation and Leadership  
•    Transnational and International

These eight committees, individually and collectively, provide ideas, recommendations, and critical feedback to improve and enhance the reach, relevance, and effectiveness of NCORE®. Together, the NAC works with the Executive Committee of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies, the conference's self-organized caucuses, NCORE staff, and other key stakeholders in inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging through social justice and sovereignty.

NAC Committee Charges      NAC Guidelines

 

National Advisory Council Committees and Members

ACCESSIBILITY IN THE ACADEMY

Forming soon.

ATHLETICS IN THE ACADEMY

Forming soon.

EXECUTIVE DIVERSITY OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

This committee is charged with making recommendations to facilitate the professional interests and needs of those in positions of executive leadership in areas related to diversity and equity in higher education, including those who are CDOs for their college or university, or who are looking toward moving into such leadership positions. These recommendations will include both ideas for conference programming and network building to address issues, concerns and policies, and professional contacts. This committee will also focus on future needs of CDOs and other evolving leadership roles based on current trends and research.

Lamont Sellers, MA (Committee Chair)
Associate Vice President for Diversity, Office for Diversity, University of South Dakota (2023)
Lisa Greenhill, EdD (Committee Vice Chair)
Senior Director for Institutional Research and Diversity, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (2024)
Jennifer M. Booz, MA
Chief Diversity Officer, University of Alaska Anchorage (2025)
Tamara Johnson, PhD
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,  Harper College (2026)
David Luke, PhD
Chief Diversity Officer,  University of Michigan-Flint (2026)
Kamilah Majied, PhD
Professor and Founder of Majied Contemplative Consulting,  California State University Monterey Bay and Majied Contemplative Consulting (2026)
Natalie Mason-Kinsey, JD
Chief Diversity Officer, California State University Northridge (2024)
Joe-Joe McManus, PhD
Executive Advisor,  Delta Developmental (2026)
Lisa Mednick Takami, EdD
Supervisor, Professional Development & Learning, El Camino College (2023)
Bobbie Porter, EdD
Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity, California State University, Fullerton (2024)
Brian Smith, EdD
Assistant Dean School of Humanities and Social Sciences,  Tri County Technical College (2025)
Thomas Witherspoon, EdD
Chief Diversity Officer,  University of Tampa (2026)

FACULTY INTERESTS AND NEEDS COMMITTEE

This committee is charged with making recommendations to identify and met the developmental needs and interests of faculty in higher education as these relate to the mission of NCORE and the NCORE conference. This developmental focus will encompass the full scope of faculty roles in teaching and curriculum development, research and publications, as well as community service. Identifying and addressing current needs in light of emerging trends, this committee will recommend experts to present their research findings, lead developmental workshops and organize other conference opportunities to enhance faculty competencies for educational access, equity and social justice, global and intercultural identities and other pertinent diversity issues at all educational levels.

Beth Durodoye, EdD, NCC (Committee Chair)
Chair, Department of Leadership, Technology and Human Development, Georgia Southern University (2023)
Alisha Davis, PhD (Committee Vice Chair)
Assistant Professor, Allied Health Sciences, Grand Valley State University (2024)
Gyasmine George-Williams, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of La Verne/GGW Consulting (2024)
Eric Jurgens, MA
Instructor, Liberal Studies, College of Menominee Nation (2026)
Jennifer Kelly, MFA, MLS
Professor, Reference Librarian, and Faculty Chair of Professional Development,  College of DuPage (2025)
Browning Neddeau, EdD
Asst. Professor of Education, Liberal Studies Department, California State University, Monterey Bay (2026)
Parvati Ryan, EdD
English Professor and Author, San Diego Community College District and Southwestern Community College District (2024)
Cal Simpson, DBA
Assistant Professor of Marketing and Management,  Indiana University East (2026)
Claire Valderama-Wallace, PhD, MPH, RN 
Assistant Professor, Nursing, California State University - East Bay (2023)
Eunice Williams, MS, EdD
Vice President/Chief Diversity Officer,  Onondaga Community College (2026)

HUMAN RESOURCES: ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF RECRUITMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

This committee is charged with making recommendations for conference programming that focus on best practices in policies, practices and procedures related to recruitment, hiring, training, professional development and other pertinent needs for both administrators and staff of color, as well as others interested in increasing their levels of cultural competence. This committee will identify keynote speakers, institutes, workshops and other events and networking opportunities that would be of interest to administrators and staff members working to improve equity and inclusion on their campuses.

Raymond Plaza, PhD (Committee Chair)
Director, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Santa Clara University (2023)
Gabriel Javier, MA (Committee Vice Chair)
Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Wisconsin - Madison (2024)
Matthew Cahn, PhD
Vice Provost of Academic Affairs,  California State University, Northridge (2026)
Rosite Delgado, MS, MBA, CDP 
Director of Equity and Inclusion, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (2023)
Zandra Genous-Tate, MS, MBA, CDP
Director, TRIO Programs,  Clark Atlanta University (2026)
Sabrina Jackson, SHRM-CP, CDP 
Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ultimate Medical Academy (2025)
Yvette Lucero-Nguyen, MPH
Director, Center for Women's and Gender Equity and The Stryker Institute for Leadership Development,  University of Northern Colorado (2024)
Carmen Rivera, PhD
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs,  Colorado State University (2024)
Yashwant Prakash Vyas, MPA
Diversity Education and Strategic Initiatives Director, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, The University of Mississippi (2025)
Roberta Wilburn, EdD, ThD
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in Education & Diversity Initiatives, Graduate Studies in Education, Whitworth University (2023)

STUDENT AFFAIRS AND AFFILIATED PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEE

This Committee is charged with making recommendations to identify and met the development needs of student affairs professionals and others working in affiliated areas (i.e. residence life, coordination of student government, etc.). Using research of current trends and conventional student development theories, this committee will identify potential speakers, presenters, trainers and workshops that would be of interest to these professionals. The goal would be to shape workshops that directly educate and engage student affairs professionals in how to shape their constituent groups’ learning with theory and research-based workshops on topics of diversity.

David L. Humphrey Jr., PhD (Committee Chair)
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,  University of Colorado Boulder (2023)
Heather Gardley, MA (Committee Vice Chair)
Assistant Director, Student Life and Leadership Programs, California State University - East Bay (2023)
John Álvarez Turner, MAEd
Interim Director Pride Center, University of Georgia (2026)
Cori Bazemore-James, PhD
Assistant Vice Provost, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (2024) 
Sara Blair-Medeiros, MEd
Assistant Director for Outreach, University of California, Davis (2024)
Luz Burgos-Lopez, MS
Assistant Dean of Students, University of Connecticut-Storrs (2023)
Gerald Jones, EdD
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Tallahassee Community College (2025)
Nathan Nguyen, MEd
Director LBGT Student Services,  Western Michigan University (2026)
Leticia  Ribeiro da Silva dos Santos,  MS, PhD
Staff Psychologist,  Iowa State University (2026)
Tondra Richardson, MBA
Director, Office of Educational Equity, University of Phoenix (2025)
Danette Saylor, PhD
Director, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclustion, Tulane University (2026)

STUDENT PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

This committee is charged with making recommendations for improving and enhancing the participation of both undergraduate and graduate students in the NCORE conference. These recommendations can and should consider ways to involve students in preconference workshops, to develop effective student outreach and orientation to the NCORE conference, and to create conference spaces for students to network both with other students and with faculty, administrators and staff who could act as mentors.

Denise Williams-Klotz, PhD (Committee Chair)
Assistant Director, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Iowa State University (2024)
Norma Altidor, MS
Coordinator, Residence Life & Education, University of Central Florida (2024)
Lauren Cove, MEd
Residential Community Director, Southern Methodist University (2024)
Crystallee Crain, PhD
Founder & Principal Consultant,  California State University - East Bay & Prevention as the Intersections (2026)
Felisciana Peralta, MEd
Executive Director,  Pudget Sound EDS(2023)
Kasey Rhone, MA
Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion,  Northeastern State University (2026)
priya v, AA
Student, Yale University, Foothill College (2025)
Tomicka Wagstaff, EdD
Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, College of the Holy Cross (2024)
Brian Zuluaga
Associate, Centre for Public Impact (2023)

TRANSNATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE

This committee is charged with exploring and highlighting global and transnational research in critical race theory and its impacts on higher education. The committee will also explore how issues of colonialization, immigration, migration, citizenship and refugee movements impact racism, ethnic biases, colorism, and biases based in nationality, language, and religion across the boundaries of nations and especially in global higher education. Other tracks will include looking critically at issues of global/international studies programs, study abroad programs, and trends towards "global citizenship," with a critical eye, focusing on both their unintended consequences of increasing the prevalence of bias and stereotyping, as well as their overgeneralization and oversimplification of race, ethnicity and color issues. As with other committees, members will be expected to present recommendations for conference programming: speakers, institutes, workshops and networking opportunities.  

Valerie De Cruz, MEd (Committee Chair)
Director, Greenfield Intercultural Center, University of Pennsylvania (2023)
Carl James, PhD (Committee Vice Chair)
Professor & Research Chair, Education, York University (2025)
Jesus Angulo, EdD
Ethnic Studies Lecturer,  Mission College (2026)
Li-Chen Chin, PhD
Assistant Vice President for Intercultural Programs, Student Affairs, Duke University (2023)
Tatiana Diaz, MA
Assistant Vice President for Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Gwynedd Mercy University (2023)
Enakshi Dua, PhD
Full Professor,  York University (2026)
Beatriz Gonzalez, PhD, LMHC
Chief Diversity Officer & Vice Provost, University of La Verne (2023)
Amoaba Gooden, PhD
Vice President,  Kent State University (2026)
Heather Kind-Keppel, EdD
Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (2024)
Amalia Mesa, BA
Managing Director,  SpeakOut - The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture (2024)
Minnu Paul, MBA
Director of Global Education,  Methodist University (2026)
Nina Shoman-Dajani, EdD
Assistant Dean, Moraine Valley Community College (2024)