Conference Participants

Sadaf R. Ali is a former television and radio news reporter with experience in both mainstream and ethnic media outlets in Ohio and Michigan. She earned her Master of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia College Chicago in 2002, where her work focused on capital punishment and the moratorium in Illinois. She later completed her Ph.D. in Communication at Wayne State University, specializing in risk and crisis communication, securitization, race, and audience attitudes toward messages from traditional and social media sources. Dr. Ali has extensive experience managing and leading study abroad courses in London and Spain and has taught multimedia classes in New York. She has also worked closely with students, mentoring them through the production of a documentary on water issues in Washtenaw County. Her academic service-learning projects include partnerships with WEMU (an NPR affiliate), where she guides and mentors students on initiatives that support their career goals in journalism, broadcasting, and filmmaking. 

Ingrid Ankerson is a full-time Graphic Design faculty member and co-chair of the Digital Media Arts Department at Washtenaw Community College. Before joining WCC in 2011, she spent more than a decade working professionally in the graphic design industry. 

Sara Ballenger, Ph.D. is an elementary principal and adjunct professor at Schoolcraft College’s ARC program, where she teaches curriculum design, literacy, and instructional methodology for grades 3–6 and secondary education. With over 25 years of experience spanning K–12 leadership and higher education, she specializes in fostering critical thinking, instructional excellence, and faculty development. Her work bridges classroom practice and instructional leadership, empowering educators and preservice teachers to implement evidence-based strategies that enhance student learning and professional growth.

Jeffrey L. Bernstein is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Bruce K. Nelson Faculty Development Center.  He writes on issues of civic education and the scholarship of teaching and learning, and on enhancing institutional support for teaching.  He is co-author of Vital Statistics on American Politics (CQ Press) and co-editor of Citizenship Across the Curriculum (Indiana University Press).  These days, he is completely obsessed with finding new ways to foster partnerships between students and faculty on campus.

Dr. Carol Bishop Mills joined Eastern Michigan University as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in Fall 2025, and provides leadership for the university's largest and most diverse college. Dr. Mills received her B.S. from the University of Miami, M.A. from Emerson College, and Ph.D. from Purdue University.  Her research focuses on interpersonal communication, relationship maintenance, and instructional communication. 

Abigail Bissonnette is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in social work. She will be starting her Masters in Social Work program at Eastern Michigan University this fall. 

Hannah Bollin (MA) is a PhD student and Doctoral Fellow in the Educational Studies program at Eastern Michigan University. Her research interests include Black feminist pedagogies and serving LGBTQIA+ youth. Hannah serves as the Site Coordinator for the Project BIG Mentoring Program, a planning committee member for the NEXT Scholars Program, a student leader in The Workshop for Community+Collaboration, and a committee member for the Annual Women of Color Symposium. While at Eastern, Hannah has co-taught courses on curriculum development, women's studies, and mentorship with EMU faculty. 

As a classroom educator of almost 15 years Christopher Carlton knows that he simply doesn't know enough. Christopher is a year one doctoral student and Doctoral Fellow focusing on equity, inclusion, and achievement for all students.

Emily Cherry is the Program Director for an afterschool program at an Ann Arbor elementary school, working to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade. 

Urnisha Dutta is a first-year PhD student and a Doctoral Fellow of the Teacher Education program at Eastern Michigan University. Her work centers on semiotic literacies and multimodal pedagogies as facilitators of inclusiveness in demographically diverse classrooms, particularly reading symbols as counter-hegemonic tools to foster a culturally responsive educational space and challenge dominant lingual norms. Urnisha has a long teaching career, working as an instructor for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and as an early literacy tutor at under-resourced schools, committed to advocating for educational justice. 

AnnaBelle Favre is a psychology major on a pre-Occupational Therapy track at Eastern Michigan University. She is experienced in early childhood and previously worked as a children's librarian. She is an Undergraduate Assistant at the Faculty Development Center and a News Reporter for The Eastern Echo during the week, and on the weekends, she works as a respite care worker and kid's party entertainer. AnnaBelle is also a member of the Honors College and is a Presidential Scholar.

Brendan Fay teaches courses in modern and contemporary art history. He joined the School of Art and Design in 2015.  A Michigan native and University of Michigan alumnus, Dr. Fay completed his dissertation on photography and abstraction at Harvard University, and subsequently held a postdoctoral Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities at Stanford University.

Madi is a first generation student from St. Joseph, Michigan with a background in product photography, social media marketing, and a research emphasis on media literacy. She studies Digital Media Production with a minor in Professional Writing and is involved in multiple areas around campus from the admissions office, EMU athletics broadcasting, and is the social media intern for the EMU commission of sustainability. She transferred from Lake Michigan College and will graduate this semester with a Bachelor's in Science from EMU. 

Steve Glazer has taught at HFC since 2004, serving as Director of Exhibitions of the HFC Sisson Gallery since 2005 and serving as Faculty Chair, Fine and Performing Arts from 2017-2025.  In 2018-2019 he was asked by the Michigan Center for Student Success to facilitate the discussions of Art transfer possibilities throughout a series of meetings in Lansing. Glazer earned his BFA from Eastern Michigan University, MA in Art from Central Michigan University and MFA in Ceramics from Indiana State University.

Kellie Greener is a strong advocate for using technology to enhance student learning while also creating meaningful relationships and supporting student wellness. Kellie was a business educator in Career and Technical Education for six years before taking on the role of Career Center Director/Assistant Principal in 2024. 

Jill Jepsen teaches in the Fine Arts Department at Washtenaw Community College. Jepsen received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Michigan University with concentrations in painting and printmaking. 

Sarah Joseph is the Assistant Director of Wellbeing and Programs at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), where she leverages her background in Exercise Science and specialized certifications to build innovative infrastructure for belonging and student success. She is currently leading an initiative based on Brene Brown's Dare to Lead to enhance staff capacity for courage and connection, providing a model for improving faculty, lecturer, and staff well-being across institutions.

Dr. W. John Koolage is the Department Head for History and Philosophy, and a Professor of Philosophy. His research areas are General and Feminist Philosophy of Science, Cognitive Science, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He regularly teaches Introduction to Philosophy as well as specialist courses in Philosophy's Masters program. As a fun aside, he publishes on academic leadership with a group of folks across the MAC. His most recent work in SoTL is an article on flattening the hierarchy and another on think alouds as part of the writing process.

Dr. Lee has an extensive background in the life sciences, where his research focus involves stem cell biology and regenerative medicine in aging skeletal muscle. Along with his postdoctoral research at the Center for Muscle Biology at the University of Kentucky, and his work at U-M, his animal research experience includes considerable diversity in both small and large animal models across multi-departmental, federally-funded research projects.

Dr. Lee has been teaching at WCC for over 10 years with the Biology Department where his primary focus is utilizing Bio 111: Anatomy and Physiology as a way to explore the language of learning medicine 

Dr. Dyann C. Logwood is an Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University and Founder of the Mentoring for Success Initiative. Her work focuses on Black feminist mentorship, faculty and staff development, critical classroom practices, and student support through innovative mentorship programs. She also serves as Chair of the Mosaic Collective Symposium. 

Courtney Mills serves as the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Eastern Michigan University, where she collaborates on initiatives that strengthen student retention, belonging, and institutional communication. Her current doctoral research focuses on student attachment, career transparency, and post-graduation outcomes. Drawing from this work, Courtney explores practical ways to integrate career readiness into classroom instruction and academic advising to enhance student engagement and long-term success.

Lisa Mitchell is the Program Administrator for the Math Pathways Support Program at Eastern Michigan University. An alumna of EMU, she has been affiliated with the university since 2014, serving as both a part-time and full-time lecturer prior to assuming her current role. Before joining EMU, Lisa taught mathematics to students in grades 6 through 12 at multiple locations across the country.

Rachel Money is a yoga and meditation instructor at Washtenaw Community College whose work is dedicated to helping students cultivate a healthy relationship to stress through movement, mindfulness, and meditation practices. Rachel's courses & teachings focus on stress management, nervous system regulation, and creating therapeutic environments to enhance well-being for both staff and students. She is passionate about yoga, mindfulness, and holistic wellness as a foundational component of academic success and thriving campus communities and has seen these ancient practices benefit hundreds of students. 

Mary Mullalond is a professional faculty member at Washtenaw Community College where she teaches both English and Education courses. She is the program coordinator for WCC’s Teacher Preparation Transfer Programs, serves as the chair of the Faculty Professional Development Committee, and is a faculty advisor for both the Outspace+ queer student club and the Aspiring Educators of Michigan-WCC Chapter student club. Mary earned her first Masters degree in Gender and Cultural Studies at Simmons University and her second Masters in Secondary Education, English at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sandra Murchison is the Director of the School of Art & Design at EMU and the Director of the EMU Parsons Center for Arts & Sciences.  Murchison serves as President of the National Council for Arts Administrators.   

Mary-Elizabeth B. Murphy wears a lot of hats at Eastern Michigan.  She is a Professor of History and administers the Departments of Women’s & Gender Studies and Mathematics and Statistics.  She is incredibly passionate about teaching and supporting community college transfer students.

Alivia Overbee received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Eastern Michigan University in May 2024. She is currently a second-year Master's student in the Experimental Psychology Program with a research focus in developmental neuroscience and educational pedagogy. She began working in the FDC as an undergraduate assistant in December of 2022, and currently is in her second year as the graduate assistant. 

Dr. Kristopher Phillips (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Phillips is a decorated educator who focuses on the development of intellectual virtue and student agency in his teaching. He has developed and utilizes a form of ungrading he calls "dialogical grading." He emphasizes metacognitive reflection, self-evaluation, and centers the development of intellectual autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and student agency through collaborative assessment and qualitative feedback.  

Shawn Quilter is coordinator for the educational psychology area within the Department of Teacher Education. He enjoys teaching research courses and helping students create their own research projects. A constructive peer review activity is a part of every course he teaches because its a valuable assessment opportunity for all students.

With over ten years at EMU, Sara-Lynne Schultz has taught a wide range of math courses from developmental to discrete mathematics. In the tutoring lab, Sara Lynne hopes to promote a positive and encouraging environment of study where students can practice skills and gain an understanding of math.  Sara Lynne is passionate about helping students figure out their college academic journey. 

Christina Marie Sears (MFA, MA, BA) is a Part-Time Lecturer at WCC and teaches English Composition I & II, and serves as a Tutor in the Writing Center. In Fall 2025, she presented on Contract Grading for Faculty Development Fridays, a workshop and lecture series. As a RYT 200/500 Instructor, certified through Yoga Alliance and the International Somatic Movement Educators and Therapists Association, (ISMETA), Christina integrates somatic and wholistic education into all of her teaching practice.  She began dancing at the age of three, and has been a professional dancer for over twenty years, serving on Wayne State University faculty and EMU (for thirteen years,) after beginning her career in Higher Education at Towson University in Maryland. Christina Marie speaks, instructs, performs and presents internationally and has taught in Europe, London, the Caribbean and widely across the USA. Christina Marie has been involved in many Connect Conferences and Faculty Development Institutes over the years, including Writing Across the Curriculum, and Strategic Assessment for Programs in academia. She has won research grants/ funding from Wayne State University, State University of New York, and EMU Graduate Student Travel Award. This workshop session "Fire Up Student Engagement with Wholistic Learning Activities," offers an experiential, philosophical and somatic deep-dive into the benefits of including wholistic engagement in class sessions. 

Rylee Seguin is a first-year presidential scholar at Eastern Michigan University, studying Secondary Science Education. Rylee is passionate about promoting learning environments that empower all students to succeed. Outside the classroom, she volunteers with The Community Family Life Center, supporting youth programs in the Ypsilanti community.

Dr. Rita Shah (she/her/hers) is a Professor of Criminology at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Shah is an experienced educator who takes a critical constructivist approach to teaching. Her goal is to contextualize course topics in larger societal and cultural frames. Dr. Shah has utilized an ungraded approach in her courses since 2021 and has played an instrumental role in bringing the alternative grading conversation to campus broadly.

Katy Shields graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Master's in Mathematics in 2012.   After teaching as an adjunct at EMU, UDMercy, Mott, OCC, and Schoolcraft she was hired full time at Schoolcraft College in 2018.   At Schoolcraft she teaches a wide variety of classes, has been a member of three co-req development committees and serves as the Quantitative Reasoning co-req facilitator.

Dr. Silander is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with over 20 years of experience in the administration, development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based recreation therapy programs and outreach initiatives. For more than 12 years, she has also served as a dedicated educator in higher education, teaching and mentoring students in the field of therapeutic recreation. Currently an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences at Eastern Michigan University, Dr. Silander’s scholarly work centers on student thriving and well-being, with research exploring topics such as social-emotional skill development through recreational therapy, strategies for enhancing student wellness in the classroom, and the broader concept of thriving during the college experience. 

Maurice has been an instructor at WCC for over 17 years in the discipline of Business and Performing Arts. He has developed a strong connection with students and what they expect from their teachers. He will present information on Teaching and Transformation, which includes the classroom, teaching methods and students.