Mindy Velasco ’19 (Los Angeles, MA) serves as California Program Manager for the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership.
Antioch University Los Angeles MFA Poetry Faculty Carol Potter had four poems published: “Tickled Pink” and “When the archeologists” in Unbroken, “The Requisite Bad Hair” in The Laurel Review, and “I know it was not nice of me” in Hotel Amerika.
Vanessa Smith ’03 (Antioch University Los Angeles, BA) started a new job as the Shriver Family Law Attorney at Legal Access Alameda. In this role, she is supervising volunteer attorneys who represent low-income individuals at hearings in child custody cases. “I have wanted to work in the nonprofit legal sector since I was a student at Antioch and then at law school,” said Smith. “This job represents finally reaching this goal.”
Dr. Yves P. Gakunde ’20 (New England, PhD in Environmental Studies) and ’12 (New England, MS in Sustainable Development and Climate Change) assumed the position of Purchasing and Contract Services manager for the City of Keene after previously working as environmentally preferred purchasing program coordinator. He will assist the city in working toward its sustainability goals.
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
Since our founding 1852, Antioch University has remained on the forefront of social justice, inclusion, and equality – regardless of ethnicity, gender, creed, orientation, focus of study, or ability.
Antiochians actively reflect these shared values to inspire positive change in the world. Common Thread is where we document the stories that showcase our communities actions, so the change we work for can be shared widely.
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