Jessica Abughattas ’18

Community Organizer, Spoken Word Activist Dr. Kavon Ward (PhD in Leadership and Change, GSLC) has teamed up with fellow activists in California to launch Anti-Racist Movements (ARMs) Around the South Bay (LA). The mission of ARMs is focused on “Mobilizing families to raise anti-racist children and enact change in our community through organized action”. The group provides a space for involvement and education to engage in deep conversations about privilege and race to enact change. Kavon brings years of demonstrated experience in community leadership to the group and has extensive expertise in nonprofit organizational development, grassroots organizing, governmental relations, and volunteer

Dr. Maya Townsend (PhD in Leadership and Change, GSLC) recently co-published “The Road to Successful Change is Lined with Trade-Offs” in Strategy+Business, an award-winning management magazine focused on strategy, operations, human capital, and governance.

Dr. Brittany Pines (PhD in Leadership and Change, GSLC) has successfully garnered a new Department of Education Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Title V grant to benefit students of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) where she is Project Director of an existing Title III grant entitled EXITO: Exit on Time in STEM. This new grant entitled, CASA: Creating Access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for All, allows NEIU to create a freshman/sophomore STEM cohort that embeds Ethics, History, and Financial Literacy into the cohort but taught through a STEM lens in a collaborative, co-teaching way. In addition, the grant allows NEIU

Community Builder, and Educational Strategist, Dr. Ileya Grosman (PhD in Leadership and Change, GSLC) has just authored “Will COVID-19 Be a Disruption or an Interruption” for Medium an online network of scholars and practitioners. The piece examines the impacts of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and provides deep reflection regarding the ways in which it will drive transformation throughout communities, within individuals, and amongst leadership practices. Acknowledging that change and disruption are continual, she questions the takeaways of this historic moment in time. Ileya’s scholarship, practice, and expertise focuses on fostering relational connections and educational engagement driven by the power of communication