Equity coaches are faculty and administrators who are well versed in the literature on bias in the academic work environment and the strategies for mitigating it, as well as in best practices for facilitating equity-based conversations. They will serve as facilitators for workshops on inclusive faculty hiring, sponsored by ADVANCE and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.
Coaches have a proven track of engagement on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in their own unit and/or professional associations; openness to engaging with campus constituents; good communication skills; and the ability to problem-solve quickly. Coaches receive intensive training/coaching from ADVANCE/ODI related to bias awareness/reduction, evidence-based best practices, and group facilitation. After completing the training, each coach is asked to facilitate 3-4 workshops in pairs depending on availability, campus interest, and skill.
We anticipate that Equity and Diversity Officers, former/current ADVANCE Professors, and others involved in campus DEI activities may be particularly well-suited for this role. In addition, we hope that faculty and administrators who serve as Equity Coaches may be well-suited for serving in campus leadership roles, including as Equity or Diversity officers, in the future.
List of trained equity coaches from previous cohorts here.
List of the current cohort of equity coaches 2023-2024 here.
Questions? Please email Dawn Culpepper, ADVANCE Associate Director, at dkculpep@umd.edu
Tej Anand
Clinical Professor, Practice, Decision, Operations, and Information Technologies
Tejwansh (Tej) Singh Anand is a Clinical Professor of Practice and the Academic Director for the MS in Information Systems programs at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Tej is also a visiting lecturer at the School of Professional Studies, Columbia…
Lester Andrist
Program Director, Master of Professional Studies, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dr. Lester Andrist is the director for the graduate degree programs in Public Safety Leadership and Administration, where his responsibilities include leading, coordinating, recruiting, and teaching, to name just a few. The courses Dr. Andrist teaches include Leadership in Diverse…
Nneka Chisholm-Edwards
Coordinator for Staff Development; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, University LIbraries
Nneka Chisholm is the UMD Libraries’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer and a doctoral student at UMBC in the Language, Literacy and Culture department. Ms. Chisholms’ research relates to the media's influence on the Black women’s sexual…
Crystal U Davis
Associate Professor of Dance, Head of MFA in Dance Program, College of Arts and Humanities
Crystal U. Davis is a dancer, movement analyst, and critical race theorist whose work has been renowned by an eclectic community of adjudicators and audiences from Donald McKayle to the royal family of Jodhpur, India. Her research explores implicit bias in dance and how privilege manifests…
Traci Dula
Associate Director, Honors College , Office of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Traci Dula is a two-time Terp alum and is the Associate Director for Academic Policy and Administration for the Honors College. Throughout her various roles in higher education, which spans both academic and student affairs arenas, she has been dedicated to matters of…
Alison Flatau
Professor and Chair, Aerospace Engineering
Alison Flatau received her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering, and then taught Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Iowa State University for eight years prior to serving as…
Cristina Goncalves
Director of Finance, Equity Administrator, School of Public Policy
Cristina Goncalves is the Director of Finance and Equity Administrator in the School of Public Policy.
Alana C. Hackshaw
Associate Clinical Professor, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, School of Public Policy
Dr. Hackshaw is an Associate Clinical Professor and serves as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the School of Public Policy. Her research interests include exploring the impact of racial equity plans on local governance and Black immigrant and Black American political incorporation…
Kim J. Nickerson
Assistant Dean, Diversity Officer, Equity Administrator, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dr. Kim J. Nickerson plays a leadership role in maximizing the educational and career outcomes of students, faculty and staff in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, as well as helping foster an environment that values diversity, equity,…
Trevor Parry-Giles
Professor, Associate Dean, Equity Administrator, Arts and Humanities
Dr. Parry-Giles’s research and teaching focus on the historical and contemporary relationships between rhetoric, politics, law, and popular culture. He is the award-winning author or editor of four books…
Amanda Shaffer
Diversity Officer, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Amanda Shaffer currently serves as Diversity Officer for AGNR where she is responsible for managing, coordinating, and providing guidance in support of AGNR’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) programs in the college, MAES, and UME.…
Mary K. Taylor-Lewis
Senior Faculty Specialist, Sr. Coordinator Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, College of Education
Mary Taylor-Lewis (she/her) serves in a professional track faculty role for the College of Education as Senior Coordinator for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Diversity Officer. Mary has worked across the education sector in varying capacities focused on student development and…
Kerry W. Tripp
Principal Lecturer, Family Science, School of Public Health
Kerry Weil Tripp is a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School and practiced law in San Francisco and Baltimore. Her research looks at family law and public health issues through a legal lens. She teaches graduate and undergraduate law classes, including a study abroad in Havana, Cuba, and an…