Our Speakers

Keynote Moderator

Khalilah Rashada, Academic Advisor, College of Arts & Sciences

Khalilah Rashada is an Academic Advisor within the College of Arts and Science at the University of Michigan-Flint. As an alumnus of U of M, she holds a BS in Education and a MA in Communication. Within the university, she aims to help all students succeed through advising and by creating initiatives including the university's academic recovery program. In her free time, she enjoys all things fine arts including singing, musicals, and museums.

Spark Session Speakers

Samara Hough, Director, Center for Gender & Sexuality

Samara Hough is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with professional experience in nonprofit and higher education sectors. She currently serves as Director of the University of Michigan Flint Center for Gender and Sexuality where she leads advocacy efforts across the campus community to support women, survivors and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Samara is an active board member of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and Co-chair of the Genesee County Sexual Assault Response Team. She received her bachelor's in Women Studies and Psychology from the University of Michigan and her Master's in Social Work from Wayne State University.

Laura Macias-Brown, Lecturer, Social Work

Laura identifies as a woman of color who has great faith and connection to her spirituality. She is a proud single mother of one son, Gabriel and is a part of an amazing family. While her spirituality is at the core of her life, her family has been a source of encouragement and strength.

Laura Macias earned a BA in English at the University of Michigan-Flint and continued her education at the University of Michigan receiving her MSW in December 1999. Laura has over a decade of experience teaching in higher education. She joined the Social Work Department at the University of Michigan-Flint September 2016 as the Academic and Professional Mentoring Coordinator. She brings over 20 years of experience working in the micro, mezzo, and macro field of social work. While at the University of Michigan-Flint she has the privilege of mentoring a diverse body of social work students. Along with this, she is in the last portion of earning her doctoral degree in psychology with an emphasis in industrial organization.

Pamela Ross McClain, Associate Professor, Education

Dr. Pamela Ross McClain is first and foremost of person of faith. She is the wife of fellow career educator, Dr. Nathaniel B. McClain, and the proud mother of two sons Ross and Jaiden McClain. She is the adoptive mother of a recent addition to her family, Doc McClain, her one-year-old Doberman Pinscher.

Dr. Pamela Ross McClain is currently an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Michigan-Flint in the School of Education and Human Services where she directs the Educational Leadership graduate programs. She has enjoyed being a professional educator in urban communities where she has served as a middle school teacher, youth program director, central office administrator, and university faculty member.

She is a grassroots community engagement advocate. She is interest in community-engaged research that centers issues of race, culture, diversity, and inequality in educational systems. Dr. Ross McClain characterizes herself as a community servant and public scholar who is committed to improving the quality of educational leadership, teaching, and learning in urban schools

Sapna Thwaite, Associate Dean, School of Education and Human Services

Dr. Sapna Thwaite is an associate dean and associate professor of education at the University of Michigan-Flint. Her background and training is in educational psychology. She is a proud second- generation immigrant of Indian descent and was the first member of her family born in the United States. In her spare time, she loves to read crime thrillers, bake desserts, and spend time outdoors with her 7 year old daughter, husband, and golden retriever.

Featured Artists

Frankie McIntosh, Student, UM-Flint

Frankie is a senior at the University of Michigan-Flint studying Criminal Justice and Sociology (double-major) and Computer Science (minor). She is a poet, social justice advocate, and founder of Mifullness Poetry, which utilizes poetry writing circles as a means to encourage mental wellness for teens, in the Flint area and beyond.

Joyce Piert, PhD, Educational Consultant and Passion Coach

Dr. Joyce Piert is the embodiment of Creative Love, flowing forth from the Primordial Waters. Joyce, also known as Dr. P, is an Educational Consultant and Passion Coach. As an Educational Consultant, she partners with organizations to support and strengthen families through African-Centered Curriculum development. She also is an experienced Passion Coach and provides her clients with life-enhancing skills through unique Meta Awareness modalities. As a community and intellectual activist, Dr. P has been instrumental in the creation of several businesses that address the academic and interpersonal needs of youth and young adults. Dr. P is the author of several books: Alchemy of the Soul: An African Centered Education and Warrior Queen. Dr. P is committed to the enhancement of life chances for children, youth and adults from urban communities. As well as an educator and mindfulness advocate, Dr. P is an author, painter, and poetess. However, most significantly she loves to play!

Roshanda Womack, Pastor, Storyteller, Counselor

Shani Womack from Flint, Michigan, is a Clinical Counselor, who works on the campus of Mott Community College. She is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene and Co-pastor of a netizen church called "The Underground" with her husband, Todd. The two have been married for 23 years and have three amazing son’s, Ngozi 20, Osei 17, and Ande 13. Shani is also a singer, songwriter, and a passionate storyteller. She specializes in writing and telling her own family stories and Jamaican folktales.