CULTIVATING
FACULT Y
COLL ABORATIONS
WITHIN THE
LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE
Leadership Alliance Regional Research Conference
October 19, 2013
Howard University • The Blackburn University Center
Letter from the Leadership Alliance Executive Director
Welcome to the Inaugural Leadership Alliance Regional
Research Conference!
The theme of this conference, Cultivating Faculty Collaborations Within the
Leadership Alliance, is a product of faculty discussions that revealed an interest
in and need to build relationships that foster new opportunities. Faculty made it
clear they want to be more involved in identifying students for mentorship in
undergraduate and graduate programs, to expand a scholarly network, and to
share research interests that have the potential to establish new collaborations
Medeva Ghee
Executive Director
and inform proposal development.
Leveraging the institutional resources of Alliance members within the mid-Atlantic region, the collective
efforts and contributions of Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County realized the vision of creating a space to foster conversation,
networking, and shared experiences among a dynamic assembly of faculty, students, administrators and
notable policy makers. This new initiative builds on a solid foundation to sustain and innovate efforts to
identify, mentor and train diverse scholars to become the leaders and role models of the 21st century scholarly
and research workforce.
We are inspired by the continued support of our Alliance institution senior administrators who value the
importance of investing in a culture of collaboration to support the intellectual growth of the faculty as well
as the need for meaningful practices to ensure our campus communities reflect a diverse and welcoming
environment for students, faculty and administrators. We welcome the participation of Under Secretary U.S.
Department of Education Martha Kanter, an avid supporter and proponent of higher education initiatives, in
this discussion to provide context at the national level. We look forward to faculty discussions and student
research presentations that will inform a new narrative to unite diverse perspectives and capitalize on
innovative research and scholarship.
On behalf of the Alliance community, I want to acknowledge and thank our Alliance colleagues who worked
tirelessly and diligently to make this conference possible. Through such efforts, we are confident that the
networking, mentoring and thoughtful discussions you experience during this conference will set the stage
for future collaborations and opportunities that will transform our institutions and create a more inclusive
and diverse academy.
Agenda
8:00 – 9:30 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
East Ballroom
9:30 – 9:45 am
Welcome Remarks
East Ballroom
Medeva Ghee, Executive Director, The Leadership Alliance
Joseph P. Reidy, Associate Provost, Howard University
9:45 – 10:45 am
Provosts Perspectives: Cultivating Collaborations to Promote Diversity
in Academia and the Research Workforce
East Ballroom
Panelists:
Joseph P. Reidy, Associate Provost, Howard University
Philip M. Rous, Provost, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Keith Jackson, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs,
Morgan State University
Jonathan Bagger, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Programs,
Johns Hopkins University
Moderator:
Liza Cariaga-Lo, Associate Provost for Academic Development and Diversity,
Brown University
10:45 am
Break
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
The Fundamentals of Faculty Collaborations
Concurrent Breakouts by Discipline
Digital Auditorium, 1st Floor
Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences
Panelists:
Joel Schildbach, Professor of Biology, Johns Hopkins University
Doug Robinson, Professor of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University
Rachel Brewster, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences,
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Mark Burke, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Howard University
Moderator:
Juliette Lecomte, Professor of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University
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Math and Engineering
Forum, 1st Floor
Panelists:
Joel Morris, Professor of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering,
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Asamoah Nkwanta, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Morgan State University
Moderator:
Mark Hernandez, Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and
Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
Galler y Lounge, 1st Floor
Panelist :
Angela Howell, Associate Professor of Sociology, Morgan State University
Moderator:
Pamela Scott-Johnson, Associate Professor and Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts,
Morgan State University
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12:45 – 1:45 pm
Lunch and Keynote Address
East Ballroom
Speaker:
Martha Kanter, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education
2:00 – 3:30 pm
Student Poster Session
Hilltop Lounge, 2nd Floor
3:45 – 4:30 pm
Where Do We Go From Here?
Galler y Lounge
Speaker:
Valerie P. Wilson, Deputy Division Director for Graduate Education,
National Science Foundation
Keynote Speaker
Martha J. Kanter was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 29, 2009, to be the
under secretary of education and was confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 2009. Kanter
reports to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and oversees policies, programs and activities
related to postsecondary education, adult and career-technical education, federal student aid,
and six White House Initiatives-Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Educational Excellence
for Hispanics, Educational Excellence for African Americans, Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
To spur education, economic growth and social prosperity, Kanter is charged with planning
and policy responsibilities to implement President Obama’s goal for the U.S. to have “the best
educated, most competitive workforce in the world by 2020” as measured by the proportion
of college graduates over the next decade. Under Secretary Kanter and her team are keenly
focused on improving college access, affordability, quality and completion to implement
President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative.
In her first two years as under secretary, the successful implementation of the Direct Student Loan program resulted in a 50-percent
increase in college enrollment, growing from 6 to 9 million students today who are Pell Grant recipients. Kanter and her team are
working closely with postsecondary partners from across the nation to boost American innovation and competitiveness with an
ambitious college completion agenda, teacher quality reforms, adult education program improvements, modernization of careertechnical education and a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, which has announced the first $500 million of a
$2 billion federal investment to increase quality, graduation and employment opportunities for community college students.
From 2003 to 2009, Kanter served as chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, one of the largest community
college districts in the nation, serving more than 45,000 students with a total budget of approximately $400 million. She is the first
community college leader to serve in the under secretary position. In 1977, after serving as an alternative high school teacher in
Massachusetts and New York, she established the first program for students with learning disabilities at San Jose City College
(Calif.). She then served as a director, dean and subsequently vice chancellor for policy and research for the California Community
Colleges Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento. In 1990, she returned to San Jose City College as vice president of instruction and
student services until she was named president of De Anza College in 1993, serving in this position for a decade until her appointment
as chancellor.
Kanter has been recognized for her work numerous times, including being named Woman of the Year by the 24th Assembly
District, Woman of Achievement by San Jose Mercury News and the Women’s Fund, and Woman of the Year for Santa Clara
County by the American Association of University Women. In 2003, she received the Excellence in Education award from the
National Organization for Women’s California Chapter. In 2006, she was honored for diversity and community leadership by the
Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women, and in 2007, the American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley honored
her with the John W. Gardner Leadership Award. In 2008, Kanter received the Citizen of the Year award from the Cupertino
Chamber of Commerce. In 2009, Notre Dame High School in Silicon Valley honored her with the Woman of Impact award and,
in 2010, Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay nominated her for the Business Hall of Fame. In 2011, Kanter was
appointed to the U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
a federal advisory committee to the Department of State that supports worldwide humanitarian development and values by
coordinating efforts and delivering expert advice on issues of education, science, communications and culture.
Under Secretary Kanter holds a doctorate in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. Her dissertation
addressed demographic, institutional and assessment factors affecting access to higher education for underrepresented students in
California’s community colleges. In 1994, she opened the first Advanced Technology Center in California’s community college
system, and promoted local and state policies to advance Foothill-De Anza’s legacy of excellence and opportunity for California’s
expanding and increasingly diverse student population. She received her master’s degree in education with a concentration in
clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brandeis University.
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List of Participants
FACULTY/ADMINISTRATORS
Jonathan Bagger
Vice Provost For Graduate and Post Doctoral
Programs and Special Projects
Johns Hopkins University
Earnestine Baker
Ret. Executive Director of the Meyerhoff
Scholars Program
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Tyrone Barksdale
Special Projects Analyst
Howard University
Geneva Baxter
Associate Academic Dean
Spelman College
Jabbar R. Bennett
Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Brown University
Anastacia Berzat
Scientific Program Manager
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
Rachel Brewster
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Baltimore, Maryland County
Don Brunson
Assistant Dean of the Graduate School
Vanderbilt University
Mark Burke
Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Howard University
Luis Raúl Cámara-Fuer tes
Director of the Honors Program, Professor
of Behavioral Sciences
University of Puerto Rico
Liza Cariaga-Lo
Associate Provost of Academic Development
and Diversity
Brown University
Deborah Collins
Associate Director
Leadership Alliance Executive Office
Robynn Cox
Assistant Professor of Economic Sciences
Spelman College
Yvette Dalton-McCoy
Associate Director of Graduate Diversity Programs
Tufts University
Janet Davidson
Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences
Chaminade University of Honolulu
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Alison DeLong
Associate Professor of Biology
Brown University
Juliette Lecomte
Professor of Biophysics
Johns Hopkins University
Arnaldo Diaz
Associate Director of Recruitment
and Special Programs
University of Pennsylvania
Patricia Lee-Robinson
Associate Provost and Director of the Office
of Student Opportunities
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Maria DoVale
Executive Assistant/Project Coordinator
Leadership Alliance Executive Office
Carmen Maldonado-Vlaar
Chair, Department of Biology
University of Puerto Rico
Christopher Falzone
Research Professor of Chemistry
Johns Hopkins University
Joel Morris
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dale Fr yxell
Professor of Psychology
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Asamoah Nkwanta
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Morgan State University
Medeva Ghee
Executive Director
Leadership Alliance Executive Office
Chinonye “Chi-Chi” Nnakwe
Director of Graduate Diversity Recruitment
University of Chicago
Louise Hainline
Professor of Psychology
Brooklyn College
Kenneth Perr y
Chair, Department of Computer Science
Morehouse College
Jef frey Handy
MBRS/RISE Freshman and Sophmore Coordinator
Morehouse College
Leslie Pond
Head, Postdoctoral Program
Education Office
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
Stella Hargett
Interim Chair, Sociology, Professor of Sociology
and Anthropology
Morgan State University
Mark Hernandez
Professor in the Department of Civil,
Environmental, and Architectural Engineering University of Colorado Boulder
Meda Higa
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Pennsylvania
Christine Hohmann
Associate Professor of Biology
Morgan State University
Angela Howell
Associate Professor of Sociology
Morgan State University
Keith Jackson Interim Provost & Vice President
of Academic Affairs
Morgan State University
Roosevelt Ratlif f, Jr.
Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Claflin University
Joseph P. Reidy
Associate Provost, Professor of History
Howard University
Douglas Robinson
Professor of Cell Biology
Johns Hopkins University
John Rose
Dean of Diversity and Compliance
Hunter College
Philip Rous
Provost and Senior Vice President of
Academic Affairs
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Joel Schildbach
Professor of Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Mar tha Kanter
Under Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
Nancy Schwar tz
Associate Dean, Professor of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biophysics
University of Chicago
Barbara Kahn
Coordinator for Graduate and
Undergraduate Programs
Leadership Alliance Executive Office
Pamela Scott-Johnson
Associate Professor and Interim Dean College
of Liberal Arts
Morgan State University
Anika Simpson
Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Morgan State University
Darlene Conley
Social Sciences
Morgan State University
Vivian Chioma
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Rochelle Smith
Director of Diversity, Summer Programs
and Community Outreach
Washington University in St. Louis
Kimberly Cur tis
Biological Sciences
Howard University
Amanda Holmes
Behavioral Sciences
Howard University
Brittny Davis
Physical Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Catrina Johnson
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Simon Howard
Behavioral Sciences
Tufts University
Oluwabusayo Lana
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Peter Mercredi
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vanessa Markgraf
Biological Sciences
Johns Hopkins University
Selena Rice
Biological Sciences
Johns Hopkins University
Rober t Moore
Biological Sciences
Howard University
Ber trand Tchoumi
Graduate Student
Morgan State University
Maeva Nyandjo
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
VerSean Truell
Social Sciences
Morgan State University
Uchenna Okoro
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Cedric Uytingco
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vani Ravichandran
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Oscar Reyes
Biological Sciences
Johns Hopkins University
Laurel Southard
Director of Undergraduate Research
Cornell University
Sophia Suarez
Assistant Professor of Physics
Brooklyn College
Sheila Thomas
Assistant Dean of Diversity, GSAS,
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard University
Rahmelle Thompson
Program Director, Dr. John Hopps, Jr. Defense
Research Scholars Program
Morehouse College
Jocelyn Turner-Musa
Associate Professor and Interim Chair of Psychology
Morgan State University
Angelino Viceisza
Assistant Professor of Economics
Spelman College
Bruce Wade
Professor of Sociology
Spelman College
Catherine Will
Manager, Student Recruitment & Programs
Johns Hopkins University
Darr yl Williams
Associate Dean, School of Engineering,
Professor of Engineering
Tufts University
Katherine Wilson
Professor of Cell Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Valerie P. Wilson
Deputy Division Director for Graduate Education
National Science Foundation
Joycelyn Akamune
Social Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Ifeolu Akinnola
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Jacob Alvarez
Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Alexander Ballard
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Niambi Brewer
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Omar Akbar
Social Sciences
Morgan State University
Honoree’ Brewton
Behavioral Sciences
Howard University
Maleka Brown
Behavioral Sciences
Howard University
Kyle Bur ton
Biological Sciences
Howard University
Kelley Butler
Biological Sciences
Howard University
Edward Samson
Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
LaTonya Simon
Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Zoe Spaf ford
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Stephen Vicchio
Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Pauline Xu
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Saiah Yates
Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Student Presentations
Ifeolu Akinnola
Institution: Harvard University
Poster Title: Gene Therapy: Retinitis Pigmentosa
Jacob Alvarez
Institution: Stanford University
Poster Title: Determining the Cause of Performance Decline
of a PEM Fuel Cell
Alexander Ballard
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: A Study of KLF1 in Erythropoietin Treated TF1 Cells
as a Model of Anemia of Inflammation
Niambi Brewer
Institution: New York University
Poster Title: Identification of Additional Lipid Regulators
of Primordial Germ Cell Migration
Maleka S. Brown
Institution: Howard University
Poster Title: Promoting Academic Success Despite Environmental
Challenges: Cultural Socialization as a Protective Factor
Vivian Chioma
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: The Prevalence of Dopamine D2 Receptors in Striatal
Cholinergic Interneurons
Oscar Eduardo Reyes Gaido
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Poster Title: Enterocytes can Absorb Dietary Cholesterol
Through Endocytosis
Simon Howard
Institution: Tufts University
Poster Title: Examining the Cross Race Effect, Exposure
Duration, and Processing Style in Lineup Administration
Catrina Johnson
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: The Contribution of ELF3 to the TLR-driven
Catabolic Responses in Articular Chondrocytes: Potential
Role in Cartilage Destruction in Osteoarthritis
Oluwabusayo Lana
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Traumatic Brain Injury: Quantifying Atrophy of
the Hippocampus and Cortex
Vanessa Markgraf
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Poster Title: Probing Intermolecular Interactions Between
A Domains and Carrier Proteins in Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases
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Peter Y. Mercredi
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Reevaluating the Role of PI(4,5)P2 for HIV-1 Gag
Membrane Binding
Maeva Nyandjo
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)
Deficiency May Inhibit Tumor Growth Despite the Presence of IL-6
Uchenna Okoro
Institution: New York University
Poster Title: Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies
Targeting Abnormal Protein Conformations Associated with
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Vani Ravichandran
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Overexpress Yourself: It’s Good for the Heart!
Selena Rice
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Poster Title: Characterization of THB1: A 2/2 Hb from
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Edward Samson
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Poster Title: Time, Movement, and Sensory Feedback
LaTonya Simon
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Synthesis and Characterization of Photodegradable
Oxime Derived Microparticles
Zoe Spaf ford
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: The Spatial Organization of Skilled Behavior Within
an Identified Neural Circuit
Cedric Uytingco
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: Characterizing Olfactory Bulb Circuitry Using Intrinsic
Flavoprotein Fluorescence Imaging
Stephen Vicchio
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Poster Title: A Combinatorial Study of Dealloying Au/Ag/Pd Metal
Alloys for the Improvement of Fuel Cell Catalysts
Pauline Xu
Institution: New York University
Poster Title: Quantitative Phosphoproteomic Analysis Using
High-Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Speaker Bios
Jonathan Bagger
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Jonathan A. Bagger, a Johns Hopkins faculty member since 1989, was appointed vice provost for
graduate and post-doctoral programs and special projects on March 1, 2008. He continues to spend a
third of his time as Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Physics and Astronomy in the university’s Krieger
School of Arts and Sciences. Bagger’s research interests center on high-energy physics at the interface of
theory and experiment. His present work is focused on supersymmetry and supergravity between the
weak and the Planck scales. Together with Julius Wess, he is the author of the monograph Supersymmetry
and Supergravity. Dr. Bagger graduated from Dartmouth College in 1977. After a year at the University of
Cambridge as a Churchill scholar, he continued his graduate study at Princeton University. He received
his Ph.D. in 1983 and took a postdoctoral research position at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. From 1986 to 1989, he was
associate professor at Harvard University.
Rachel Brewster
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Rachel Brewster is an associate professor of biological sciences in the Molecular and Cell Biology
program at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Brewster’s laboratory is interested in understanding
the mechanisms that underlie central nervous system birth defects, such as spina bifida, which results
from impaired neural tube formation. In addition, they have recently begun to investigate how the brain
responds to low oxygen (hypoxia or anoxia), with the ultimate goal of identifying potential therapeutic
targets for stroke. Dr. Brewster completed postdoctoral work in the Department of Embryology at the
Carnegie Institution of Washington as well as postdoctoral work at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular
Medicine at New York University. She received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan.
Mark Burke
Howard University
Dr. Mark Burke is an assistant professor in the department of Physiology and Biophysics at Howard
University’s College of Medicine. He is also an external member of Diffusion Imaging Group, Copenhagen
Denmark and Fellow of the Behavioural Science Foundation, St. Kitts. He earned his Ph.D. from McGill
University and a B.A. from SUNY Plattsburgh. The primary focus of his research is the neuroanatomical
development process and plasticity in primates. A number of longitudinal studies using MRI in humans
have focused on developmental changes in childhood through adolescence but do not focus on postnatal
and early childhood development. Early neuroanatomical studies in humans suggest a period of rapid
synaptogenesis and synaptic retraction during early childhood. Dr. Burke along with colleagues in
Denmark investigates through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and histological techniques,
normal post-natal development and aging process of the vervet monkey brain. MRI/DTI will provide us with a template of
developmental changes that can then be applied in the clinical setting. Dr. Burke’s lab also studies the neuropathology of fetal
alcohol exposure and pediatric SIV infection in primates.
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Liza Cariaga-Lo
Brown University
Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo is Associate Provost for Academic Development and Diversity at Brown University.
From 2007-2012, Dr. Cariaga-Lo was Assistant Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity at Harvard
University. She was previously Assistant Dean at the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the
Director of the Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity, as well as Clinical Professor, Child Study
Center at Yale School of Medicine. She received her master’s and doctorate in Education and Developmental
Psychology from Harvard University. Besides teaching courses related to minority health and developmental
psychology, Dr. Cariaga-Lo has also taught African American Studies and Asian American Studies
courses and consults widely on cultural diversity and multicultural education issues. Her areas of research
include education program evaluation, minority student development, ethnic minority health care, and public policy affecting
children and families. She has just completed work on a book about the identity development of Asian Americans and is working
on a children’s book about growing up in a multicultural environment.
Medeva Ghee
Leadership Alliance
Dr. Medeva Ghee, a graduate of North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in zoology,
earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from New York University School of Medicine. Her
postdoctoral research was conducted in Paris, France with a team of researchers associated with the
National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), where she employed biochemical and gene therapy
technologies to investigate the impact of protein aggregation in Parkinson’s disease. In 2005, Dr. Ghee
worked with the William J. Clinton Foundation as a Laboratory Systems Specialist for the HIV/AIDS
Initiative. In this capacity, she provided technical assistance and strategic advice on the development of
laboratory plans and systems to support national HIV/AIDS prevention care and treatment programs
in the Initiative’s partner countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Ghee joined the Leadership Alliance in 2006 and was appointed the
Executive Director of the Leadership Alliance in July 2011. Dr. Ghee also has a Teaching Associate appointment in Public Health
at Brown University and teaches a course that leverages multidisciplinary approaches to support HIV/AIDS care and treatment
programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Actively engaged in research aimed at mentoring and supporting students through critical
transitions along the academic pathway, Dr. Ghee has been invited to serve as an external consultant for federal mentoring
programs and has given keynote lectures regarding mentoring strategies for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members
and senior administrators. At Brown, she serves as a mentor for both undergraduates and graduate students. The Samuel M. Nabrit
Black Graduate Student Association with the Ruth J. Simmons Award for Leadership honored her mentoring efforts.
Angela Howell
Morgan State University
Dr. Angela Howell is an associate professor of Sociology at Morgan State University. Her research interests
include African American identity, youth culture, social constructions of reality, religious expression,
race, ethnicity and gender, public anthropology, educational institutions, and literacy. Dr. Howard
received a M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Brown University, and a B.A. in Sociology from Morgan
State University.
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Keith Jackson
Morgan State University
Dr. Keith Jackson is currently the Interim Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs. He earned two B.S.
degrees, one in physics from Morehouse College and one in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute
of Technology. Dr. Jackson then moved to California where he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from
Stanford University in 1979 and 1982, respectively. After obtaining his graduate degrees, he began working for
Hewlett Packard Laboratories. In 1983, he served as a professor at Howard University, working in the Solid
State Electronics group. Beginning in 1988, Dr. Jackson worked for Rockwell International (now Boeing) in the
Rocketdyne division where under the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program he performed research on
diamond thin films, high-powered chemical and Free Electron Lasers (FEL) and water-cooled optics. In 1992, he
began working for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as associate director of the Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO). His research
interests were in the Extreme Ultra-Violet (EVU) lithography, x-ray lithography, electroplating and injection molding. In 2005, Dr. Jackson
became Vice President of Research and Professor of Physics at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). On January 4th
2010, he moved to Baltimore, Maryland and joined the faculty of Morgan State University as Chair of the Department of Physics.
Juliette Lecomte
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Juliette Lecomte is a professor of biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. Her lab studies NMR
Spectroscopy and Protein Structure. Most water-soluble proteins are capable of folding spontaneously into
the three-dimensional structure necessary for their function. This organized state of the molecule, the native
state, is stabilized relative to the inactive, unfolded state by a collection of non-covalent interactions. The
association of proteins with their physiological partners, such as organic substrates, nucleic acids, and other
proteins also depends critically on non-covalent interactions. The focus of Lecomte’s group is to understand
the forces and their role in native state thermodynamics as well as the binding processes. Dr. Lecomte
received a Ph.D. from Carnegie-Mellon University and a B.S. at Université de L’état à Liège.
Joel Morris
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Joel Morris is a professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at University of Maryland,
Baltimore County. Dr. Morris’ research focuses on topics including stochastic and deterministic system
theory with applications to communications and statistical signal processing, joint-time frequency/
time-scale analysis and applications, robust signal processing, fading channel communications, and
adaptive signal processing and applications. Dr. Morris received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from
Johns Hopkins University, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and
a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Howard University.
Asamoah Nkwanta
Morgan State University
Dr. Asamoah Nkwanta is an associate professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics at
Morgan State University. He has been working on RNA sequence problems since 1996. His main interest
is using combinatorial methods to design RNA sequences for secondary structure prediction. His RNA
prediction research focuses on certain lattice (or random) walks that are used in a way to code strands
of RNA that would be essential for the identification of specific viral RNA molecules. He is currently
working on a lattice walk model for RNA sequence prediction with applications to RNA sequences related
to HIV, malaria and yellow fever. Further interests of his are in analyzing simple sequence repeat patterns
in DNA sequences, as well as evaluating RNA folding rates. Dr. Nkwanta received a Ph.D. in Mathematics
from Howard University, a M. S. in Mathematics from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a B. S. in Mathematics
from North Carolina Central University.
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Joseph P. Reidy
Howard University
Dr. Joseph P. Reidy earned his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and his master’s and Ph.D.
degrees from Northern Illinois University. His specialty is nineteenth-century United States history.
From 1977 to 1984 he was an editor with the Freedmen and Southern Society Project at the University of
Maryland, College Park. Since 1984 he has taught in the Department of History at Howard University.
He is currently a professor of history and an Associate Provost, and was Associate Dean of the Graduate
School from 1998 through 2001. He has published extensively on slavery, the Civil War, and slave
emancipation in both scholarly and popular journals and has received a number of fellowships and
awards, most recently a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College Teachers. Dr.
Reidy presently directs the Black Sailors Research Project at Howard University, an investigation into the experience of black
sailors in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.
Douglas Robinson
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Douglas Robinson is a cell biologist, geneticist, and biophysicist who investigates how cells form the shapes
required for the specialized functions necessary for human health. His lab studies Dictyostelium cytokinesis with
a rich spectrum of experimental approaches, ranging from genetics and biochemistry to biophysics and
computational biology. His group also investigates comparative cellular morphogenesis. Researchers are
determining how principles uncovered in Dictyostelium cytokinesis work in other cell shape change events,
including mouse oocyte maturation, and fruit fly (Drosophila) egg chamber development and entosis, in which
one cell engulfs another. Dr. Robinson received a M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the Department of Genetics at Yale
University School of Medicine, and a B.S. in Genetic Biology with Honors and Distinction from Purdue University.
Philip J. Rous
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Philip Rous is the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at UMBC. Dr. Rous joined
UMBC in 1990 having held postdoctoral positions at the University of Cambridge and in the department
of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Rous served as Undergraduate Advisor and as
Associate Chair of the Physics Department. Dr. Rous has also served as Dean of the College of Natural
and Mathematical Sciences. Dr. Rous received a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the Imperial College of
Science & Technology in the United Kingdom and conducted postdoctoral research at Imperial College,
the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Cambridge. His research is in the field of
theoretical condensed matter physics, and he has contributed to the fundamental understanding of
the crystallography of surfaces, the dynamics and structure of negative ion states at surfaces, and nanophysics. Dr. Rous has a
strong interdisciplinary background and the results of his research have been published extensively in materials science, physics
and chemistry journals. Dr. Rous has played a leadership role in supporting research into innovative models supporting student
success, through the HHMI National Experiment in Undergraduate Science (NEXUS), the NSF Innovation Through Institutional
Integration award, and a planning grant from the Gates Foundation.
10
Joel Schildbach
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Joel Schildbach is a biology professor and director of undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger
School of Arts and Sciences. His lab studies the structural biology of bacterial conjugation, a method of
DNA transfer that can occur between even distantly related bacterial species, facilitating the dissemination
of drug resistance and virulence factors throughout bacterial populations. Dr. Schildbach received a Ph.D.
in Immunology from Harvard University and a B.A. in Microbiology from Oregon State University. He
completed postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Biology.
Pamela Scott-Johnson
Associate Professor and Interim Dean of College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Pamela Scott-Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interim
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Morgan State University. Dr. Scott-Johnson’s current research
focuses on psychosocial factors that impact weight, weight perception, and body image; impact of
socioeconomic status on the relationship between overweight and ethnicity; misperception of weight
status and family / peer social support for weight; and gender differences in perceived weight-based
stigmatization and social support. Dr. Scott-Johnson received her B.A., Spelman College; M.A., Princeton
University; Ph.D., Princeton University.
Valerie Petit Wilson
National Science Foundation
Dr. Valerie P. Wilson is the Deputy Division Director for Graduate Education. Prior to her position at
the National Science Foundation, Wilson was Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity
and Clinical Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University. Concurrently, for
seven years, she was also Executive Director of the Leadership Alliance a consortium of leading teaching
and research institutions dedicated to preparing underrepresented students for careers in academic,
government and private sectors through research and clinical doctoral training. Under her guidance, the
Leadership Alliance became a 2007 institutional award recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence
in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, among other awards received by the consortium.
Prior to her tenure at Brown, she was Deputy Center Director and Chief of Operations of the Center for Bioenvironmental
Research and Clinical Professor of Environmental Health at Tulane University (1998-2003). Dr. Wilson holds a B.S. degree in
Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from The Johns Hopkins University.
11
Regional Conference Planning Committee
Earnestine Baker
Ret. Assistant to the Vice President, Institutional Advancement/
Executive Director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Tyrone Barksdale
Special Projects Analyst, Howard University
Medeva Ghee
Executive Director, The Leadership Alliance
Juliette Lecomte
Professor of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University
Pamela Scott-Johnson
Associate Professor & Interim Dean of College of Liberal Arts, Morgan State University
Catherine Will
Manager, Student Recruitment & Programs, Johns Hopkins University Katherine Wilson
Professor of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University
12
Leadership Alliance Coordinators
The institutional and organizational members of the Leadership Alliance and the Executive Office work collaboratively to establish
programs and policies that support the mission, create and implement the strategic plan, and fulfill Alliance goals.
Brooklyn College
Louise Hainline
Professor of Psychology
Brown University
Jabbar Bennett
Associate Dean, Graduate School
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Patricia M. Lee-Robinson
Associate Provost and Director of the
Office of Student Opportunities
Claflin University
Roosevelt Ratliff, Jr.
Assistant Vice President
for Leadership Development
Columbia University
Andrea Morris
Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity
Cornell University
Laurel Southard
Director of Undergraduate Research
Dartmouth College
F. Jon Kull
Dean, Graduate Studies
Dillard University
John E. Wilson
Co-Director, Minority Health and
Health Disparities Research Center
Harvard University
Sheila Thomas
Assistant Dean for Diversity
and Minority Affairs
Howard University
Wayne A. I. Frederick
Interim President
Hunter College
John Rose
Dean for Diversity & Compliance
Johns Hopkins University
William Egginton
Vice Dean for Graduate Programs
Montana State University
- Bozeman
Julian Collins
Director of AIRO Program
Morehouse College
Anne Watts
Associate Vice President
for Academic Affairs
Morgan State University
Pamela Scott-Johnson
Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts
New York University
Debra Szybinski
Executive Director, Office of Faculty
Resources/Faculty Resource Network
Novartis Institutes
for BioMedical Research
Anastacia Berzat
Scientific Program Manager
Princeton University
Karen Jackson-Weaver
Associate Dean for Academics
and Diversity
Spelman College
Cynthia Neal Spence
Associate Professor, Sociology
and
Director, UNCF/Mellon Programs
Stanford University
Chris Golde
Associate Vice Provost
for Graduate Education
Tougaloo College
Candice Love Jackson
Associate Provost/Assistant Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Tufts University
Yvette Dalton-McCoy
Associate Director,
Graduate Diversity Programs
University of Chicago
William A. McDade
Deputy Provost for Research
and Minority Issues
University of Colorado Boulder
Mark Hernandez
Professor, Civil, Environmental
and Architectural Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Earnestine Baker
Ret. Assistant to the Vice President, Institutional
Advancement/Executive Director of the
Meyerhoff Scholarship Program
University of Miami
Michael S. Gaines
Professor of Biology and Assistant Provost
of Undergraduate Research and Community
Outreach
University of Pennsylvania
Arnaldo Diaz
Associate Director Recruitment & Special
Programs, BGS Adjunct Assistant Professor of
Pharmacology
University of Puerto Rico
Luis Raul Camara
Director of the Honors Program, Professor
of Behavioral Sciences
University of Virginia
Cheryl Apprey
Director, Graduate Student
Diversity Programs
Vanderbilt University
Don C. Brunson
Assistant Dean, Graduate School
Washington University in St. Louis
Shelley Milligan
Associate Provost
Xavier University of Louisiana
Gary Donaldson
Chair, American History
Yale University
Michelle Nearon
Assistant Dean and Director of the
Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Executive Office
Medeva Ghee - Executive Director
Deborah Collins - Associate Director
Barbara Kahn - Coordinator for Graduate
and Undergraduate Programs
Maria DoVale - Executive Assistant/
Project Coordinator
Leadership Alliance Members
Member Institutions
Associate Member
Brooklyn College
Brown University
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Claflin University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Dillard University
Harvard University
Howard University
Hunter College
Johns Hopkins University
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
Montana State University-Bozeman
Morehouse College
Morgan State University
New York University
Princeton University
Spelman College
Stanford University
Tougaloo College
Tufts University
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Miami
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puerto Rico
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Washington University in St. Louis
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University
Executive Office
133 Waterman Street • Box 1963 • Providence, RI 02912
401-863-1474 • www.theleadershipalliance.org