About Us

Brandon Barnes 

Adjunct Faculty in Interdisciplinary Programs 

Teaching Fellow

Mr. Brandon Barnes (he/him/they), is Adjunct Faculty in the programs for Gender and Sexuality Studies and for Interdisciplinary Studies at North Central College. An alumnus of North Central College (B.A., Sociology '17 & M.A., Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing '20), Mr. Barnes has several years of experience as an instructor, speaker and content creator focusing on the Black, Queer, Womanist & Sex Positive tradition of Critical Race Theory, Standpoint Theory, Hood Feminism, Hip-Hop Feminism and Intersectional Feminism. Mr. Barnes seeks to promote the intellectual labor and activism especially of Black and Queer intersectional thought leaders. His teaching philosophy and multimodal syllabi and curricular development is informed by these leaders’ thought and practice with special attention to intersectionality as social inquiry, womanist theological ethics, creative writing for new media among Black, African, Caribbean, and Latina/o/x Diaspora performers and policy advocates.

Keyla Navarrete 

Adjunct Faculty in Sociology, Athropology and Criminology

Teaching Fellow

Keyla Navarrete is adjunct faculty in the sociology department at North Central College where she teaches qualitative methods and issues of race and ethnicity. Her pedagogical philosophy strongly centers diverse perspectives and advances racial equity. Keyla completed her undergraduate degree at the Ohio State University in 2018. She received her Masters of Arts in sociology at from Loyola University Chicago in 2020 and is a current doctoral student at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests include ethnic and racial issues, policing, and international migration.  

Charles Corwin 

Visiting Assistant Professor in Sociology

Director of Civic Engagement and Faculty

Dr. Corwin is Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at North Central College and teaches in both the Department of Sociology and the Environmental Studies program. He also is a lecturer at School of the Art Institute Chicago, where he teaches multiple classes on environmental sociology. He earned a master’s degree from Kansas State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, both in urban and regional planning. His dissertation research focused on the relationship of farmer knowledge networks and adoption of conservation practices in north central Illinois. His recent work looks at how farmer identity and agricultural group involvement affect farmer decision making. 

Mia Rogers 

Psychology and Shimer Humanities 

Academic Mentor

Hi! My name is Mia Rogers and I’ll be serving as an Academic Mentor in the Civic Humanities Project. I’m currently a Sophomore at North Central College double-majoring in Psychology and Shimer: Humanities. On campus, I’m a member of the College Honors Program and I am serving as a Teaching Assistant. My interests/hobbies include philosophy, reading, nature, hiking (really any outdoor activity), music, rock climbing, soccer, cooking, kayaking, and snowboarding. I joined the Civic Humanities Project because I’m very passionate about learning and exploring the topics we’ll be discussing during classes. Further, I’m a lover of life and people, thus I look forward to working with students to help them grow not only as scholars but as individuals.

Janis Fitzsimmons

President, Center for Success in High-Need Schools 

Director of Recruitment and College Readiness

Dr. Fitzsimmons is President and Executive Director of the Center for Success in High-Need Schools Inc., an 18-year old partnership of liberal arts and comprehensive college and university schools of education and PK-12 schools in Illinois that provides a forum for dialog and subsequent action to recruit, prepare and retain extraordinary teachers and leaders for all schools - especially those serving marginalized and low-income students. A published author of two recent books on teacher leadership, former college administrator and faculty, principal and teacher in three under-resourced schools in the southern Chicago county collar region and founder of the Urban Ed Lab at North Central and The Junior/ Senior Scholars and Promise Teacher Corps serving historically marginalized youth for 35 years and preparing pre-service education candidates to be successful teachers in high need schools. Fitzsimmons has managed federal, state, foundation and corporate grants totaling over $17 million.  Fitzsimmons is also the publisher of an eighteen-year-old educational journal, Voices for Educational Equity. 

Stuart Patterson 

Chair, Shimer Great Books School 

Director and Faculty

Dr. Patterson completed his undergraduate degree at St. John's College, Santa Fe in 1992 and worked for 5 years as an Activities Therapist in an acute care psychiatric hospital before acquiring his Ph.D. in Liberal Arts from Emory University in 2006. From 2004 to 2017, Dr. Patterson was Assistant and then Associate Professor of Liberal Arts at Shimer College in Chicago, IL. In 2017 he became Chairperson of the Shimer Great Books School of North Central College in Naperville, IL when the latter acquired Shimer College. In 2009 he was named "Master of the Shimer Curriculum" for having taught the college's entire required, 16-course core program based on the "Hutchins Plan" of a great books undergraduate curriculum originated at the University of Chicago.