Speakers

Plenary - Keynote with Dr. Lori Patton Davis

Dr. Lori Patton Davis is a highly respected, nationally recognized, and accomplished scholar in the field of higher education. She is a tenured full professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at The Ohio State University and Chair of the Department of Educational Studies. Dr. Patton Davis is also past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, the first Black woman to be elected to this leadership role. She is best known for important cross-cutting scholarship on race and racism in higher education, campus diversity initiatives, Black students, particularly, girls and women in educational and social contexts, and college student development. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and other academic publications appearing in highly-regarded venues such as The Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, Review of Educational Research, and Urban Education. Her research has been cited in multiple publications and funded by grants from the Spencer Foundation, Lumina Foundation, American Psychological Foundation and an array of other entities. She was the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division J Equity and Inclusion Officer for six years. The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) members elected her to a two-year term as the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion on the Association’s national governing board. She has received many national awards for her scholarly contributions and has been recognized in the EdWeek Hess Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings as one of the top 200 influential educators in the US. She is a frequently sought-after expert on a wide range of education topics. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Huffington Post, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, and dozens of other media outlets have quoted her and featured her research. She has also advised university presidents and other senior administrators, philanthropic foundation executives, culture center directors, and educators in urban K-12 schools.

10 AM Sessions

Safe Zone Core

Tanya Willard (She/Her/Hers), Coordinator of EIU GSD Center & Amanda Feder (She/Her/Hers), SACIS

Confronting the Misrepresentations about African Americans’ History within Curricula

Dr. John H. Bickford is a former Mid-Prairie (Iowa) Middle School Social Studies Teacher and a current Professor of Social Studies/History Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Foundations at Eastern Illinois University. His undergraduate degree in History, graduate degree in Education, and doctoral degree in Secondary Social Studies Education are all from the University of Iowa. He teaches and researches about the sources and strategies that facilitate students' history literacy, historical thinking, and historical argumentation. He can be contacted at: or @SSHistoryEduc

Freshman Connection Mentorship Program

Dr. Heidi Larson: Since the academic year of 2013-2014, Dr. Larson and a team of counseling graduate interns have partnered with Mattoon High School to implement B.I.O.N.I.C (Believe It Or Not I Care), a school wide mentoring program. Dr. Larson has utilized her experience to implement a peer mentorship program on a collegiate level at EIU. Dr. Larson collaborates with a number of individuals to manage the program, including three faculty program coordinators and three graduate interns.

Aileen Tierney is a second-year graduate student in the Counseling and Higher Education program with a concentration in School Counseling. She is one of the three graduate supervisors who oversees 10 student mentors.

Max Smith is a second-year graduate student in the Counseling and Higher Education program with a concentration in School Counseling. He is one of the three graduate supervisors who oversees 10 student mentors.

Audrey Kim is a second-year graduate student in the Counseling and Higher Education program with a concentration in School Counseling. She is one of the three graduate supervisors who oversees 10 student mentors.

Poverty in the Elementary Classroom

Dr. Carrie Dale is an associate professor at Eastern Illinois University. She teachers both undergraduate and graduate level courses, with a particular emphasis on entry-level courses. ELE 3050 is a service-based course that has a 30-hour volunteer field requirement as part of the course. The students learn about community support for children in the classroom, including presentations from a wide variety of speakers, and then go out into the community to experience it. Like many things, however, this course has been impacted by the pandemic.

Kat Stephens is an undergraduate student at Eastern Illinois University. She is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and was a student in Dr. Dale’s ELE 3050 class this past semester, fall 2020. She is an active participator in her classes, loves to write and considers herself a lifelong learner. She is from Weldon, IL and participates in the Panther Marching Band here at Eastern.

Sit, Stay, Support! Exploring Canine-Assisted Activities with Individuals with Disabilities

Dr. Christina Edmonds-Behrend is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at Eastern Illinois University. She earned an Ed.D. from Illinois State University and is active in Delta Kappa Gamma, a society for women in education, holding local and state positions. Her research interests include reading strategies for K-12 learners, social and communication skills for adults with disabilities, and canine assistance activities. She is active in her local canine rally group and is currently training two dogs for therapy work.

Dr. Anne O. Papalia holds a Ph.D. in Special Education from The Pennsylvania State University, an M.Ed. in Counseling from Alfred University, and an M.Ed. in Special Education and a B.S. in Special Education/ Elementary Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Dr. Papalia’s academic interests are in Learning Disabilities, Reading, Duane’s Syndrome, and Animal Assisted Therapy. Her outside interests involve training and certifying therapy dogs. Dr. Papalia has been active in the Therapy Dog Reading Program for children and training service dogs for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has also trained and shown dogs in American Kennel Club (AKC) obedience and agility.

Transition from High School to College/University for Individuals with Disabilities

Jennifer Stringfellow is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois University in the Special Education Department. She has taught at EIU since 2009. Her research interests include teacher preparation, self-determination for individuals with disabilities across the life span, and developing academic and behavior instruction for students with significant disabilities.

April Jackson is the Director of the Student Disability Services office at Eastern Illinois University. She has served in this position since 2019. Prior to working at EIU, Ms. Jackson served as a Special Education Director for Unit 4 Schools in Champaign, IL. She has worked as a Principal, Assistant Principal, and teacher for students with emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, and low incidence disabilities. Ms. Jackson continues to provide consultation and professional development for various topics relating to Special Education.

Jennifer Buchter has worked with young children and families across multiple systems including child welfare, Head Start, early childhood special education, mental health, and advocacy. Her research areas include social skill interventions, inclusion, and preparing educators for long, successful, rewarding careers. She currently is a professor of special education at Eastern Illinois University.

11 AM Sessions

Celebrating Creativity in Elementary Classrooms

Dr. Amy Davis is an assistant professor of elementary literacy in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Foundations at Eastern Illinois University. She has worked with multilingual students both children and adults in acquiring English as a second language. Her research interests include students’ expression through creative outlets.

Increasing Access to Inclusion for Students with Disabilities

Cori More is an Assistant professor at Eastern Illinois University. Her research interests include strategies to promote access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, especially young children with Autism spectrum disorder, social emotional strategies, and teacher preparation.

Jennifer L. Stringfellow is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois University in the Special Education Department. She has taught at EIU since 2009. Her research interests include teacher preparation, self-determination for individuals with disabilities across the life span, and developing academic and behavior instruction for students with significant disabilities.

No Dogs Allowed: Service Dog Advocacy Skills

The Impact of On-Campus Resources on Trans* Student Success

Cloe Bourdages, pronouns she/her, is a second year graduate student in the College Student Affairs program. She currently works in the Housing and Dinning Department as an Associate Resident Director of Taylor Hall.

Dr. Heather Webb, Thesis Advisor, Director, Student Accountability & Support, Eastern Illinois University

12 PM Sessions

Community Collaboration for Increasing Inclusion

Ident-i-me; Divers-u-see: Respecting race and culture through personal affirmation within group affiliation

Dr. Carole Collins-Ayanlaja is a teacher, researcher, educational leader, and a member of MEI. She is the proud mother of one son, a college student. Her K-12 educational career, prior to joining EIU, spanned 22 years. She served as an urban teacher, assistant principal, principal, district director, chief academic officer, and superintendent.

As Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Eastern Illinois University, Dr. Collins Ayanlaja instructs and mentors graduate candidates preparing for the principalship and superintendency. She is engaged in research focused on the intersectionalities of race, gender, and the school superintendency; the experiences of African American parents with schools, as advocates for student success; and the role of higher education in building capacity of African American males for academic success and community mobility.

Life off of the Syllabus: Empathy and Understanding between Faculty and Students

Dr. Michael Gillespie is Associate Professor of Sociology at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, which he joined after completing his Ph.D. at Western Michigan University.

Dr. Gillespie has the distinguished honor to teach the required applied statistics course in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology. This course, for which students most often only enroll because it is a program requirement, is therefore met with much anxiety and skepticism by Sociology and Criminal Justice majors. However, integrating statistical literacy with a pirate, props, M&M chocolate candies, and real world applications, Dr. Gillespie develops for his students a critical eye toward social statistics that, in hopes, lives and breathes outside of the classroom.

Inspired by Paulo Freire, Parker Palmer, and bell hooks, teaching sociology and statistics with a critical pedagogical orientation is an opportunity, not an impediment, to combine his passions for education, statistics, and sociology. Working with a diverse group of students who have their own biography, struggles, and passions is inspiring. When these worlds collide, as Carl Sagan writes, ‘something incredible is waiting to be known’.

Quarantine and Isolation Experiences in College Students

Brooke Gibson is a hometown native from Charleston, IL, getting her master’s degree in Student Affairs. Her undergraduate institution is Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Before Eastern, Brooke attended Parkland College in Champaign, IL, as a collegiate student-athlete that was part of the 5th place nationally ranked team in the nation for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Being a psychology major, Brooke has experience with research from her undergraduate institution and performed the study "Impacts of parental marital status and conflict on social capital" that was accepted to the American Family Therapy Academy Conference in June of 2020, in Virginia, but unfortunately, was cancelled due to the COVID-10 global pandemic.

With prior research experience, Brooke is excited to conduct her study on a hot topic issue such as the COVID-19 pandemic to bring awareness to other individuals. Her current position with Student Accountability and Support handles incidents with students that are being placed in quarantine or isolation either on or off campus. Being the primary liaison for these students, Brooke has decided to conduct her research and look further into student experiences with quarantine and isolation amongst college students to gain information about their physical and mental needs.

During her free time, Brooke loves to walk her dog, Wyatt, and spend time (virtually) with her friends, family, and husband, Trevor. She is a huge nacho lover, loves to binge watch Bravo! TV, you can find her working out, and she enjoys baking. When she is finished with school, she hopes to move away from Charleston and start her professional career working with new students and families.

Queering Faith: The Bible

Rev. Betzy Warren (She/Her/Hers), EIU Wesley Foundation Campus Minister/Director & Jade Mellen (She/Her/Hers)

1 PM Sessions

A Collaborative Approach to Anti-Oppression Work at a Predominately White Institution

Madeline Farrell is an experienced sexual violence advocate. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and History from Illinois State University and is in the process of obtaining her master’s degree in Diversity and Equity in Education for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Madeline has dedicated her professional career to providing confidential support and advocacy to survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Madeline’s experience includes becoming the first full-time confidential advisor for the Women’s Resources Center at UIUC, as well as serving in the Greater Milwaukee Area as a Dual Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Advocate at The Women’s Center. She is excited to be a part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign prevention efforts, as well as create partnerships and support systems with students, faculty, and staff to foster safety and empowerment for all.

Akua Forkuo-Sekyere (she/her) is an advocate and confidential advisor at the Women’s Resources Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Akua approaches the work of gender-based violence through a public health and anti-oppression lens. She is passionate about further understanding the systematic barriers that individuals and communities who have experienced trauma face and aims to support and empower individuals and communities to access and create well-being resources.

Beyond Bystander

Nora Kollar (She/Her/Hers), Graduate Student

Instructor Unconditional Positive Regard as Inclusive Practice in a Pandemic World

Dr. Catherine Polydore is a full professor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and Assistant Dean of the Honors College. She received her Ph.D. in educational psychology from Texas Tech University, and has taught at the k-12 level both here and abroad. Her research interests include effective teaching strategies, culturally responsive teaching, and education equity. Dr. Polydore enjoys contact with students and has been involved with JumpStart2Give, TRIO mentoring and the Faculty Fellows program. She is originally from the beautiful Caribbean island of Dominica.

Professionals of Color in Predominantly White Institution

Brandy Matthews is an alumni of Eastern Illinois University, who graduated in 2020. She is currently getting her masters in Student affairs.

Trans 101

Jackie Hirn (She/They), Graduate Student

2 PM Session

Fraternity/Sorority Diversity Training: Deliberative Dialogue - “Get in Where You Fit In”

Dr. John Davenport began his Student Affairs Career at Eastern Illinois University. He had the pleasure of serving as a Graduate Assistance for the inaugural opening of the NPHC house built by housing. He is currently serving in the role of Assistant Vice-President/Dean of Students at Illinois State University. His duties include coordinating the Critical Incident Response Team, Redbird Care Team and the Inclusive Community Response Team. John is an ardent student advocate, advising multiple registered student organizations while remaining active in his community through his fraternity (ΚΑΨ) and several service organizations in the Bloomington-Normal area.

Dr. Gina Lee-Olukoya is a student affairs professional who specializes in facilitating out of classroom experiences across multiple higher education platforms. Arriving at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011 to serve as an Associate Dean of Students, with supervision to Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Veteran Student Support Services, Tenant Union, and New Student Programs, as well as supporting the Student Assistance area for students in crisis. Gina has authored a recent chapter in Hazing: Destroying Lives entitled, Unspoken Sisterhood: Women in African American Sororities -Weeding the Good from the Bad. She also is the author of Sisterhood: Hazing and Other Membership Experiences of Women Belonging to Historically African American Sororities. As an active member of her sorority, (ΔΣΘ), and current member of the Champaign Urbana Alumnae Chapter, Gina has served her sorority as chapter Risk Management Coordinator.

Alejandro Suñé, M.S., M.S currently serves as the Interim Assistant Director with oversight for Student Org Development & Administration. He has been serving in an interim capacity since 2019 when he served as the Interim SORF Advisor. In addition to working with student orgs, Alex is also assisting with the development of the department and providing guidance on marketing. In his formal role, Alex serves as the Associate Director for Student Success & Engagement. He joined the SSE team in 2018 where he serves as the Advisor to Illinois Student Government and coordinates Student Spirit Engagement and the Collegiate Readership Program. An active member in his fraternity, ΔΣΦ. Alex assists with volunteer initiatives and he currently serves as a Deputy Regional Commissioner and Advisor to the Alpha Lambda Chapter at Millikin University.

Akilah Jones is currently the Senior Specialist (Associate Director) for Student Conduct and Community Responsibilities at Illinois State University. Prior to coming to ISU, she was the Assistant Director/Program Manager for the Formal Conflict Resolution Program at University of Michigan in the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) and Resident Director at George Mason University. Akilah graduated from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) with her BS in Health Administration in 2003 and her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University in 2005.