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Staff Biographies
Frank Tuitt, Ph.D. |
| Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence |
| (303) 871-2591 | |
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Dr. Frank Tuitt is the Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver (DU). Dr. Tuitt is a scholar devoted to the examination and exploration of topics related to access and equity in higher education; teaching and learning in racially diverse college classrooms; and diversity and organizational transformation. His research critically examines issues of race, Inclusive Excellence and diversity in and outside the classroom from the purview of faculty and students.
Dr. Tuitt is a co-editor and contributing author of the books Race and Higher Education: Rethinking Pedagogy in Diverse College Classrooms andContesting the myth of a post-racial era: The continued significance of race in U.S. education. Some of Dr. Tuitt’s recent publications include: Enhancing visibility in graduate education: Black women’s perceptions of inclusive pedagogical practice (International Journal of Teaching and Learning); Black like me: Graduate Students’ Perceptions of their Pedagogical Experiences in Classes Taught by Black Faculty in a Predominantly White Institution (Journal of Black Studies); and Enacting Inclusivity Through Engaged Pedagogy: A Higher Education Perspective (Equity and Excellence in Education).
In the past, he has served as the Cabot Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. Dr. Tuitt is a Boston native of Caribbean descent and earned his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2003. In 1997, he earned his MEd in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University, and his BA in Human Relations from Connecticut College in 1987, where he recently finished serving his alma mater as a member of its Board of Trustees.
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Stefanie Ungphakorn Cowan, B.S. |
| Office Manager |
| (303) 871-2507 | |
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Stefanie is a native of Denver, Colorado, where she graduated from Denver North High School and earned her BS in Biology from Regis University. Stefanie is currently pursuing a Master’s in Higher Education with an emphasis in Leadership and Organizational Change.
Before arriving at DU, Stefanie worked for Regis University and has extensive knowledge about serving students with disabilities. In addition to her work at the Center for Multicultural Excellence, Stefanie serves on the Staff Advisory Council, Staff of Color Association, the Profiles of Excellence Nomination Committee, as well as many other campus committees and groups. She also has a passion for LGBTIQA issues and in addition to being Queer and Ally (Q&A) trained, in the spring of 2010, helped to coordinate Westboro Baptist Church counter-protests at Denver area high schools and Jewish centers.
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Johanna M. Leyba, M.A. |
| Assistant Provost for Campus and Community Partnerships |
| (303) 871-7661 | |
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Johanna is a native of Denver, Colorado. She earned a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in ethnic and urban studies from Colorado College in 1994. Her thesis topic was, Identity Formation of Mexican Origin People Living in the United States. In 2002, she earned a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning with an emphasis in Community Development from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Johanna began her professional career as a Summer Minority Intern Scholar at the Coors Brewing Company. As an intern, Johanna assisted with Organizational Development Diversity Training for employees, supported community relation efforts among markets, and helped facilitate the Minority Intern and Scholarship Program. After her internship and completing her undergraduate degree, she focused the next 11 years managing and supporting non-profit programs and organizations that are dedicated to social justice and the advancement of communities of color in the Denver metropolitan area.
As the previous Director of CME, she assisted in the growth and development of the Center. In collaboration with Academic Advisor Melissa Martinez, she created the first-year program entitled Excelling Leadership Institute (ELI). In January of 2008, Johanna became the Assistant Provost for Inclusive Excellence. In this new role, she works closely with the Associate Provost for Multicultural Excellence and the Assistant Provost for Multicultural Faculty Recruitment and Retention to advance the Inclusive Excellence agenda. She currently serves on the Internationalization Board, Board of Trustees Student Affairs Committee, and Women’s Leadership Council and has spear headed a number of campus-wide efforts to improve support for Students of Color.
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Anthea Johnson Rooen, MBA
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Director of College Access and Pipeline Programs
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| (303) 871-2270 | |
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Anthea Johnson Rooen brings over 18 years of experience in diversity, student success, and college access from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ms Johnson Rooen worked as the Associate Director for Student Development, Co-Director for Recruitment and Acting Director for the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 2002–2009. She was responsible for recruiting and retaining historically underrepresented students to the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The MEP offered a number of resources, scholarships and opportunities to all participating students in a welcoming and vibrant academic community. She also served as the adviser for National Society for Black Engineer (NSBE) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Regional Conference Planning Committee in 2005.
Ms Johnson Rooen was the Director of Outreach Programs for the two years at the Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society (ATLAS) Institute from 2009–2011 where she successfully coordinated outreach programs and collaborated with on and off campus partners to expose students to opportunities in technology and college. She has won several awards for her work related to advising and outreach such as the 2007 Service Award from Colorado Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) and Outstanding Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) Staff Member in 2003 and 2009.
Ms Johnson Rooen earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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Debra Mixon Mitchell, Ph.D.
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| Director of Diversity Recruiting |
| (303) 871-6204 | |
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Dr. Mixon Mitchell performs work focused on the recruitment and hiring of university employees to fully utilize the resources gained from diversity and Inclusive Excellence. She is also teaches courses in the University’s Graduate School of Social Work and The Women’s College. Dr. Mixon Mitchell co-authored Beyond the question of color: Diversity issues in child welfare supervision (2009) and was a contributing author to Colorado’s Child Welfare Practice Handbook (1998). Her areas of expertise include intercultural communication, organizational communication, clinical supervision and the development and delivery of competency-based and culturally competent pedagogy.
Dr. Mixon Mitchell maintains a commitment to service within the professional community. She was awarded Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.’s Service & Leadership Award as an intercultural specialist (with expertise in youth development and cultural competence) during the Haitian Orphan Operation following the tragic earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Mixon Mitchell also served on the Governor’s Cultural Competence subcommittee to the Colorado Child Welfare Action committee in 2008-2009. Previous to that she was a member of the Colorado Department of Human Services’ Minority Over Representation committee in 2003. Her service work within the community connects large and small scale projects, and has opened up dialogue about diversity and social justice issues for diverse constituencies.
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Tracey Adams-Peters, M.A. |
| Director of Student and Leadership Development |
| (303) 871-7659 | |
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Tracey is a proud native of Denver with strong ties and dedication to the community. She is a graduate of Denver South High School and earned her BA in African American Studies from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2001. In 2008, she earned a Masters degree in Higher Education from the University of Denver. As the Director of the Center for Multicultural Excellence and African American Service Coordinator, she provides oversight for all programs designed to support undergraduate students, and works closely with African American students, staff, faculty and alumni to ensure the University provides high quality and valuable services. In addition she serves as the division Budget Officer, Advisor to the Asian Student Alliance (ASA), and the Black Student Alliance (BSA). She also works closely with the Associate Provost for Multicultural Excellence.
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Thomas E Walker, Ph.D. |
| Director of Educational Programs & LGBTIQA Services |
| (303) 871-4614 | |
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Thomas previously served as the Assistant Director of Arizona State University’s Intergroup Relations Center, where he coordinated diversity education programs, provided social justice training, and served as a diversity consultant for the ASU and larger community. In his eight years at ASU, he also served as liaison to the LGBTIQ community and Advisor to the LGBTQ Student Coalition. Thomas was active in the Phoenix-area LGBTQ communities, including serving as a co-director of the Bj Budd Memorial Library & Archives. He has been engaged in the diversity and social justice field for two decades, working with NCCJ-Anytown, the National Coalition-Building Institute, the Southern Institute for Education and Research, C Harris Companies, Inc., the Social Justice Training Institute, and the University of Michigan-based Multiversity Intergroup Dialogue (MIGR) Research Project.
Thomas studied at the Victoria University of Manchester, England, earned his bachelor's degree in Interpersonal and Group Communication from Tulane University, and earned both his Master's and doctorate in Intercultural Communication at Arizona State University.
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Evette Allen, MA - Kristin Deal, MEd - Stevie Lee, MA
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| Graduate Research Assistants |
| (303) 871-2942 | Evette Kristin Stevie |
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Evette comes to DU from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. She earned a BA in Communication Studies from Arkansas State University and an MA in Communication Studies from University of North Texas. She is currently a doctoral student in the Higher Education department, Diversity and Higher Learning Track. Her research interests include First Year Students, African American students in higher education, and Social Justice initiatives.
Kristin comes to DU from Glendora, California. She is an alumnae of Westmont College, where she earned her BA in Communication Studies and of Azusa Pacific University where she completed her MEd in College Student Affairs. She is currently a 3rd year doctoral student in Higher Education; and her research interests include graduate student socialization, critical Whiteness studies, social justice education, and student affairs curriculum development.
Stevie is the Native American Student Services Coordinator for CME. She graduated with a BA in sociocultural anthropology at Scripps College, Claremont California. Stevie recently graduated with a MA in Conflict Resolution from DU's Conflict Resolution Institute. Prior to earning her Master's degree, she worked for the non-profit Outward Bound, and has experience working with youth leadership development and at-risk youth as an Instructor and Course Director. She is currently pursuing a PhD through DU's Morgridge College of Education. Stevie is a member of the Dine Nation; and Shiprock, New Mexico is her hometown. She is excited for this upcoming year working for CME, planning events and partnering with organizations to cultivate a growing sense of Native presence on the DU campus.
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| H Ray Keith, Jr - Sujie Kim - Yvette Lerma - Bridget Wetzel |
| Inclusive Excellence Fellows |
| (303) 871-2942 | Ray Sujie Yvette Bridget |
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Ray is pursuing his Master's in Higher Education, with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Chance, at DU's Morgridge College of Education. Before joining CME, he earned his BS in Criminal Justice from Oklahoma City University, and worked as a counselor and high school administrator with underrepresented students. His work at CME focuses on Student Access & Pipeline programs.
Sujie is pursuing a Master's in Higher Education with a focus in College Student Development at DU's Morgridge College of Education. Previously, she earned her BA in English from the Ohio State University.
Yvette earned her BS in Sociology with three minors including Gender and Sexuality Studies, Women’s Studies and Latin@ Studies from the Pennsylvania State University. She is currently a Master’s candidate in the Higher Education Program within the Morgridge College of Education.
Bridget earned her BA in Communication Studies with a minor in Sociology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Higher Education from DU's Morgridge College of Education.
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