blog posts

• Judith Kom Nguiffo

  May 28, 2024 3:00 am10 views

  Judith is a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in Diversity and Equity in Education. Her research interests include access to equitable computer science education for minority students, immigrant students' achievement, and teachers' working conditions. Her work involves program evaluation, survey design and delivery, management of large datasets, and data analysis to support policymaking.

  Advisor: Dr. Curtis Mason

  Expected Graduation: 2025

  Educational Background:

  • EdD (in progress) – Educational Policy, Organization & Leadership – Educational Administration and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign 
  • Certificate (2016)- Education Policy and Program Evaluation, Georgetown University
  • MS (2006)- Economics and Statistical Engineering, ENSEA Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
  • Bs (2003) – Statistics, ENSEA Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-kom-nguiffo

• Mario D. Marquez, MPA

  Aug 18, 2023 1:00 pm32 views

  Mario D. Marquez is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, with a concentration in Diversity and Equity, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mario is currently a Management Analyst with the District of Columbia Government. He previously served an adult school in Washington, DC where he oversaw dual-enrollment, workforce development, career coaching, and alumni services. A native of the Inland Empire, Mario earned a Master of Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. He spent the early stages of his career supporting college access programs, community-based public health organizations, and transportation planning agencies. Mr. Marquez volunteered with Queer Alliance at UCR, Associated Students, Inc. at CSUSB, and The Next Step/El Próximo Paso’s Board of Trustees. His professional interests include school choice models, performance management, public education finance, and nonprofit governance; and his research interests concern access policies, excluded populations, and postsecondary education.

  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariodmarquez

• Chiquita R N Toure, Ed.D Student

  Jan 16, 2023 3:45 pm37 views

  Chiquita Toure is a doctoral student in Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Diversity and Equity . As an educator- librarian her research interests include ethnic diversity in literature for grades PK12  soft censorship among school librarians, history of African American public education, oral history and Black Girlhood narratives. She has served in the Columbus City School disrict for over 27 years.

  Advisor: Dr Sharon Lee

  Expected graduation date: 2026

  Educational Background:

  Ed.D. student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Concentration: Diversity and Equity

  M.Ed., School Library and Information Technologies, Mansfield University ,Mansfield, Pennslyvania

  M.Ed., Educational Policy Studies, Policy Analysis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

  B.S., Elementary Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

   

• Aaron Schlessman (he/him)

  Aug 25, 2022 1:45 pm52 views

  Aaron is a doctoral candidate in EPOL with a concentration in Diversity and Equity. He has nearly 20 years of experience in training and education, first as a training supervisor with the U.S. Navy then as a high school teacher, administrator, and instructional leader. Academically, he has completed all coursework and exams and has moved into the disseration phase. His primary interest is in establishing clear guideposts that can help to operationalize anti-racism for classroom teachers so they have a path to follow to ensure that their approach with all students is as racially equitable as possible. 

  Graduate Advisor: Dr. Denice Ward Hood 

  Expected Graduation Year: 2023

  Academic Background: 

  B.A. Justice Studies - Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois

  M.Ed. Educational Policy, Organization, & Leadership - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

  Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aschlessman

• Kelsey W. Knutson, Ed.D Student (she/her)

  Jun 13, 2022 4:30 pm208 views

  Program of Study, Research Interests & Professional Profile:

  Kelsey Knutson is a doctoral student of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, concentrating in Global Education and Diversity and Equity at the University of Illinois. Kelsey's continued research and studies center on inequities in access to digital learning, teacher-student relationships and the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, grading bias in multicultural and multiracial classrooms, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and sustainable international education policy. Kelsey has recently entered the world of education consulting and is in a 6-month doctoral internship for the education sector of the U.N., specifically the Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems and Teacher Development departments, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. Kelsey is a full-time social studies teacher, D.E.I. facilitator and coordinator, and newly appointed travel and foreign exchange director in Phoenix.

  Advisor: Dr. Hyun-Sook Kang

  Expected Graduation: 2025

  Academic Background:

  • Ed.D., (In-progress) Global Studies; Diversity & Equity, in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
  • M.Ed., Education, Arizona State University, 2016
  • B.A., Global Studies: Human Rights & Justice; Spanish, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2013

  LinkedIn: /kelseyknutson or Kelsey W. Knutson's LinkedIn

• Shamez Mukhi

  May 19, 2022 10:30 am35 views

  I am pursuing Ed.D in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Diversity & Equity. My Ed.D research will focus on the role of the civil society in providing underprivileged children (in poverty) equitable access to primary education in Pakistan. I am based in Karachi and work for a private university as Director Student Life.

  Advisor: Jon Hale

  Expected Graduation: 2024

  Academic Background:

  MA. Global Diplomacy - SOAS, University of London, England

  MSc. in Computer Science - University of Kent, England

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamez-mukhi-b5226212/