Illinois Higher Education Equity Symposium | Conference Services | SIU

Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr, the last living eye witness to Emmett Till’s kidnapping will serve as the Keynote Speaker for the 2nd Annual Illinois Higher Education Equity Symposium on October 19-20, 2023 in Collinsville, Illinois. “The horror happened 67 years ago, but it never left the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. It never will. Parker was just 16 years old when his cousin and best friend, 14-year-old Emmett Till, was lynched. Till's murder spurred outrage and prompted an international call for justice. "We're here now because he still speaks from the grave. His story resonates and brought about a lot of changes," “Just tell the story. It’s history. It’s real. Tell what happened,” he said.

Dr. Dan Mahony has served as a professor of sport management and the president of the Southern Illinois University System since March 2020. He has had a number of positions in his career including an accountant for KMPG, assistant ticket manager at the University of Cincinnati athletic department, program director, department chair, associate dean, and associate provost at the University of Louisville, dean at Kent State University, and president at Winthrop University. He has a BS in accounting from Virginia Tech, an MS in sport management from West Virginia University, and a PhD in sport management from Ohio State University.

Dr. Mahony has published over 60 refereed journal articles, several book chapters, and was a coauthor of Economics of Sport. He has won several awards including the Earle F. Zeigler Award from the North American Society for Sport Management for career achievements in research (2007), the McInness/Ryan Award for Mid-Career Higher Education Leadership from the American Association of University Administrators (2015), the Academic Achievement in Sport and Entertainment Award from Sport, Entertainment, and Venues Tomorrow (2018), Charles Whitcomb Service Award from the Minority Opportunities Athletics Association (2020), and the West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sport Studies Legacy Award (2021). He also received the Daniel Mahony Award for Social Responsibility from the Kent State University College of Education, Health and Human Services in 2015 (was the first recipient of the award and it was named for him). He has been inducted into both the West Virginia University College of Physical Activity and Sport Studies Hall of Fame (2017) and the Pi Kappa Alpha Order of West Range (2018).

He and his wife of over 28 years, Laura, currently reside in Springfield, Illinois. They have a son, Gavin, who graduated with his master’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and a daughter, Elena, who is an undergraduate student at the same institution.

 Dr. James T. Minor became the 10th chancellor in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s history on March 1, 2022. A visionary leader, Dr. Minor brings great enthusiasm and bold aspirations for the collective advancement of SIUE. Dr. Minor comes to SIUE from California State University where he served as the assistant vice chancellor and senior strategist for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs in the Office of the Chancellor. He has advocated for hundreds of millions of dollars in support of graduation initiatives and served as principal investigator for more than $7.5 million in funded programs and research. Prior to his role at California State, he was appointed by the White House to serve as deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Postsecondary Education for the United States Department of Education in Washington D.C. He was responsible for billions of dollars in federal higher education programming. Dr. Minor has a noted resume of teaching and scholarship in educational policy, administration in higher education, academic governance and more. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of WisconsinMadison, as well as a bachelor’s in sociology from Jackson State University and a master’s in sociology from the University of Nebraska.

 Dr. Sheila Caldwell currently serves as the Vice President of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Chief Diversity Officer for the Southern Illinois University System in Springfield, Illinois. She works across the campuses in Springfield, Carbondale, Edwardsville, and East St. Louis to strengthen equity and ensure a level playing field for all students, staff, and faculty members. During her tenure, she has collaborated with SIU team members to develop a system-wide Land Acknowledgement Statement, Antiracism Vision Statement, Inclusive Language Guide, ADEI Leadership Certificate, and conduct a system-wide campus climate survey. Prior to joining Sothern Illinois University in July 2021, Dr. Caldwell served as the inaugural Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer for Wheaton College. She collaborated across the college to create the first Christ-Centered Diversity Commitment Statement, Flourishing for All Diversity Strategic Plan, and Gender Equity Vision Statement. During her tenure she also implemented, expanded, and sustained faculty mentoring programs, inclusive hiring training, and employee strategic advisory councils for Asian, African American and Latinx faculty and staff members.

Most recently, she has received notable awards for championing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The SIU System is the only system in the country to receive the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award. She has been honored by the Urban League as a 2020 Women of Power Honoree and by SHE Chicago for Strong, Humble and Empowering leadership. Caldwell earned a Doctorate in Education from the University of Georgia. She completed Harvard Kennedy School Strategies for Building and Leading Diverse Organizations Executive Education program.

 Jessica Harris, PhD, was named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s (SIUE) inaugural Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in March 2021. Prior to this appointment, Harris served as Assistant Provost for Academic Equity and Inclusive Excellence in the Office of the Provost. An accomplished teacher and scholar of 20th century African American History, she is also a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of History and formerly served as Director of the Black Studies Program. Harris earned both her PhD and Master of Arts in history from Cornell University and her Bachelor of Arts from Dillard University.

 Dr. Paul Frazier holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership, a master’s in educational Mid-Management, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Tech University. Dr. Frazier currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Previously he served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the University of South Alabama. He has taught as an adjunct instructor at Texas Tech University, teaching both undergraduate and graduate level education courses. He served in public education for 24 years as the Executive Director of Student Administrative Services, a high school principal, middle school assistant principal, and alternative school assistant principal. He has also taught History and English on the high school and middle school levels, in addition to coaching several high school sports.

Dr. Frazier has served on various civic and community boards. He has served as a board member for the Region 1 Disportionality Texas Statewide Representative for Child Protective Services, as a board member of the Lubbock American Diabetes Association, is a member of the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity, is a member of Mobile United, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He is a member of the Mobile Area 100 Black Men. He has previously served as a board member for the Texas Diversity Council and is board member for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education.

  Wendi Wills-El-Amin, M.D. is the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is a Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine where she provides care at the Center for Family Medicine in Springfield. Dr. El-Amin is dually appointed to the SIU’s Department of Medical Education where she serves as an academic strategist.

 El-Amin served as Assistant Dean of Medical Education at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville (2007-10). She also served as director of outreach at the Center on Health Disparities and Director of the UVA Cancer Center Health Disparity Initiative (2006-10) and as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and public health (2005-10), all at the University of Virginia. El-Amin was in private practice at Wills Diagnostic Clinic in Houston, TX. (2001-03).

 She completed her residency in family practice and community medicine as chief resident at the University of Texas-Houston (2001). She earned her medical degree at Georgetown Medical School (1998) and a bachelor’s degree in biology at Hampton University in Virginia (1993).

El-Amin is board certified in family medicine and is a member of the National Medical Association, where she chaired the Women’s Health Section (2008 – 2019). She has been a community health advocate and activist. She is the proud mother of three daughters, who she affectionately calls her earth, wind, and fire.

 She is presently a board member of the Community Foundation of the Land of Lincoln. Springfield YMCA, and Springfield Memorial Hospital and Foundation. She is the recipient of the SIUSOM J. Dorsey Teaching Award, Springfield chapter of N.A.A.C.P. Webster award, and was named one of the 2022 Women of Influence from the Springfield Business Journal. She has a passion for addressing health disparities and inequities in healthcare.

 Camille M. Davidson is Dean and Professor of Law at Southern Illinois University School of Law. She joined the law school in July 2020. Most recently, she was a Judicial Hearing Officer for the State of North Carolina where she presided over hearings in the areas of estates, foreclosures, partitions, guardianships, incompetency proceedings, claim and deliveries, adoptions, and legitimations.

Davidson was a tenured law professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development in Charlotte, North Carolina. She taught health law, decedents’ estates, advanced decedents’ estates, property, and bioethics. She also founded the Wills Clinical Lab where she supervised students who prepared estate plans for the low-income elderly population in the community and she taught bioethics at the University of Vilnius, Lithuania.  Davidson’s prior academic experience also includes adjunct teaching positions at Wake Forest University School of Law and Davidson College.

Davidson received the 2015 International Association of Law Schools Collaborative Research Award. She presented her work at the international conference in Segovia, Spain. She was also a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar and pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

 Dr. Edward L. Mienie is the Executive Director and Professor of Strategic & Security Studies in the Department of Political Science & International Affairs at the University of North Georgia. Dr. Mienie has more than 25 years of experience working in international relations and business, media relations, and coalition building. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of South Africa and received his doctorate in international conflict management while teaching and leading the academic exchange program with South Africa at Kennesaw State University. He is fluent in English, Afrikaans, and German. He served in the Diplomatic Corps of South Africa from 1987-1998, including four years as Deputy-Ambassador to Switzerland, four years as the Political Advisor to the Ambassador, and US Government and Congressional Liaison, Washington, D.C., 1989-1992. Dr. Mienie is also a veteran of the South African Defence Force, having served four years’ active duty during the Angolan War in the early 1980s. His research interests include State Fragility; National Intelligence; Role of Public Diplomacy in Conflict Management; and Nuclear Non-Proliferation.

 Dr. Janice Jackson, Chief Executive Officer with HOPE Chicago, is a nationally known and respected educator and leader in the field of public education. She has over 22 years of experience working with the Chicago Public Schools. In 2017, she was appointed as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools and helped to transform the approach to education. In 2021, she was appointed as the CEO of HOPE Chicago, a new nonprofit that has pledged to “raise, invest and deploy” $1 billion in scholarships and aid for local students and their families over the next decade to change the trajectory of a family’s future through education, training and funding.

 State Representative Carol Ammons is serving her fifth term in the Illinois General Assembly. Rep. Ammons is the first African American woman elected to represent the people of the 103rd District. She has dedicated her career to advancing equity and justice for the people within her district and beyond.

Rep. Ammons has a combined sixteen years of service in elected office at the county, city, and state levels. She is the Chairwoman of the Small Business, Tech Innovation, and Entrepreneurship committees. In 2021, she joined the Speaker’s Leadership team as the House Democratic Conference Chair and served as the Chair of Higher Education. She is the current joint chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and the Vice Chair of the Illinois Legislative Women’s Caucus.  Rep. Ammons is a member of nine legislative committees which include Appropriations-Higher Education, Ethics & Elections, Health Equity Subcommittee, Higher Ed-Scholarship & Tuition Assistance, Higher Education, Immigration & Human Rights Committee, Personnel & Pensions, Prescription Drug Affordability, and Small Business, Tech Innovation and leads various commissions and task forces.

Rep. Ammons has received countless recognitions and awards such as the 2022 Color of Change Thurgood Marshall Award for Public Servant for Fair Education, The 2021 Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation Legislative Leadership Award, the 2019 National Shining Star Award from the National Organization of Black-Elected Legislative Women (N.O.B.E.L), and the Justice Trailblazer Award from the Westside Justice Center, to name a few. Rep. Ammons is an Edgar Fellow, a CSG Midwest’s Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) Fellow, and a Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow.

She is the current co-chair of the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding task force, and a member of the Climate, Subsequent Implementation, and Higher Education in Prisons Task Forces. Rep. Ammons is a former Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices Task Force member. She also serves as the Deputy Secretary of the African Diaspora Sixth Region.

Rep. Ammons continues to be a transformative leader and policymaker for Illinois.

 Michele L. Howard, Chief Program Officer with HOPE Chicago, is a data informed and visionary leader born and raised on the south side of Chicago. As the Chief Program Officer of Hope Chicago, a pioneering two-generation scholarship model offering a debt-free solution for postsecondary pathways, under the leadership of renowned educator and national leader Dr. Janice K. Jackson, Michele continues to foster new generations of “hope” in Chicago. With a background in supporting, managing and driving systematic change to better serve the 380,000 children of the Chicago Public Schools District, ensuring students had access to scholarship and postsecondary opportunities as the Senior Scholarship Manager within the Office of College & Career Success has been her focus for almost a decade with the district. She is a firm believer of a quote shared by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “the function of education is to teach us to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Dr. Claudia Mercado (named preferred) is a scholar practitioner who serves as the Senior Director of College and University Partnerships at the Partnership for College Completion, a nonprofit which advances solutions to address historic inequities in our higher education system. Dr. Mercado has also served as the Associate Provost for Student Affairs at Harper College, a community college in Palatine, IL, and was awarded the Community College Professional Award by NASPA in 2022. Dr. Mercado’s work is addressing student basic needs, increasing student completion, reducing equity gaps and increasing students' sense of belonging through intentional engagement. In 2019, Dr. Mercado was named an Aspen Presidential Fellow, developing leadership competencies to lead community colleges. Dr. Mercado teaches in Chicago at Northeastern Illinois Universities Goodwin College of Education, Higher Education Administration program. Dr. Mercado has been involved in numerous national, state, and regional presentations, is active with NASPA Knowledge Communities and is a contributing author in various books. Dr. Mercado earned a MS and Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas and a BA in English from Missouri State University.

 Mona Y. Davenport, Ph.D. serves as the Dean of Student Success at Eastern Illinois University. Previously she served as the Executive Director of the Office of Inclusion and Academic Engagement at Eastern Illinois University, and academic advisor for Eastern's Gateway Program. She also served as an academic advisor for the Department of African American Studies and as the coordinator of the EIU/Colleges of Chicago Special Project. She gained additional experience at Governors State University, where she held the position of academic coordinator, and at Illinois State University, where she is was employed as a graduate assistant, University Housing Services.

 Ted Williams III is an actor and author who is a graduate of the University of Chicago, Rutgers University, and a Political Science faculty member at Kennedy-King College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. He is the former host of WYCC-PBS television's The Professors weekly talk show and has provided political commentary for a host of local and national media outlets. He has appeared in commercials for companies including Subway, Cheerios, and Empire Carpet, and recently appeared in the films Human Zoos, The Christmas Thief, and on NBC's Chicago PD, and Showtime's The Chi. Additionally, he is the author of the production TORN the Musical, and of the book The Way Out: Christianity, Politics, and the Future of the African American Community. Williams is a former candidate for the Chicago City Council and the creator of the production 1619: The Journey of a People. 1619 was nominated for the 2020 August Wilson Award for Best Writing of a Musical by the Black Theater Alliance Awards.

 Greg Bush, Jr. is President and CEO of Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. Greg has more than 20 years of experience in computer software and support services. In addition to Web-Based Program Management (WBPM) and Project Management Information System (PMIS) implementations for large A/E/C capital improvement programs and project management expertise, Greg has hands-on experience managing large scale IT systems and Big Data collaboration and delivery solutions.

As CEO, Greg seeks to pursue innovative uses of information systems. Additionally, Greg thrives on being an information technologist and has a passion for the power of data. According to Greg, “The ability to analyze and take action on data is increasingly important to KFA’s clients. Data, its visualization to provide performance feedback and decision support and its re-purposing for downstream use are the future.” Greg plans to raise KFA to the next level by being an innovator of new uses and delivery methods of data for A/E/C and other types of industries seeking innovative technology solutions.

The Federal Highway Administration cited KFA’s work at the Chicago Transit Authority as an innovation that should be adopted by state Departments of Transportation.  Greg likes to say that KFA “wrote the book” on how to properly implement WBPM systems.  Since the CTA success in 2001, KFA has successfully implemented WBPM and PMIS systems across the United States and has completed several projects in Ontario, Canada. Greg is most proud to have been part of the General Services Administration’s “ePM Rapid Deployment Team” which rolled out an electronic project management (ePM) system to manage and track funding for their Capital Program which utilized President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding.

Greg has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree and a Master of Science in Information Technology. Greg is a technology trainer and innovator and has had the privilege of speaking at many industry conferences over the course of his career

 Joe Saucedo serves as Senior Partnerships Manager with the Chicago-based nonprofit, Partnership for College Completion. In his role, he advises and coaches community colleges and four-year universities who participate in the Illinois Equity in Attainment Initiative, a cohort-based program with a goal to reduce graduation gaps that adversely affect Black, Latinx, and low-income students across 26 partner institutions. Most recently, he is spearheading the launch of a new cohort initiative to guide Illinois institutions on the implementation of their developmental education reforms in compliance with HB2170.

Prior to joining PCC, Joe spent eight years at Loyola University Chicago engaged in student diversity initiatives. He led a department tasked with multicultural education, peer-to-peer and staff mentorship, and fostering social belonging for students from underserved communities including first-generation, students of color, LGBTQIA, and undocumented students. Joe developed expertise in cultural competency training for students, staff, and faculty across Loyola’s Chicago lakeside and global campuses. He also co-chaired the Executive Council on Diversity and Inclusion’s development and implementation of Loyola’s inaugural institution-wide campus climate survey.

Joe is a proud native of San Antonio, Texas, a TRiO alum, and first-generation college graduate. He earned his marketing degree from Georgetown University and a graduate degree in education from the University of California-Los Angeles.  

Mercedes Terrazas serves as the Equity Program Manager for the Partnership for College Completion (PCC). PCC aims at increasing college degree completion and dismantling systemic barriers for low-income, first-generation college students and students of color, particularly Black and Latinx students in Illinois.

As the Equity Program Manager, Mercedes implements equity-centered coaching and support to college and university partners in the Illinois Equity in Attainment Initiative (ILEA) that are working on institutional change to ensure equitable outcomes for students, faculty, and staff. She facilitates professional opportunities to cultivate a community of practice that promotes evidence-based practices to advance equity in higher education. Mercedes is a culturally conscious social justice leader that is intentional in advancing the work on race, diversity, inclusion, and justice to improve equity in higher education.

Prior to joining the Partnership for College Completion, Mercedes served as a Student Success Coach and Advisor for the Center for Multicultural Access & Success (CMAS) and the federally funded TRIO SSS grant program for 6 years at Joliet Junior College. She also served as one of the Cultural Competency facilitators for the JJC community where she facilitated intentional sessions for diverse administrators, staff, faculty, and students.

Mercedes is a proud TRIO Alumni and a first-generation college graduate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from DePaul University and a master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania where she also served as a graduate assistant in the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.

 Linda Reneé Baker, who held key managerial positions under three Illinois governors, joined the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on March 18, 2003, after stepping down as the secretary of Illinois´ largest state agency, the Department of Human Services, a post she held for three years. Her focus at the institute is to expand access to high-quality health care in partnership with the SIU School of Medicine and helping minorities and people with disabilities realize their full potential. She also teaches a course on leadership for SIU Carbondale. During her career in public service, Baker held increasingly responsible positions in a variety of state agencies. As secretary of the Department of Human Services, she led and managed a comprehensive human services agency with about 20,000 employees and an annual budget of about $5 billion. The agency provided services in the areas of community health and prevention, mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, and vocational rehabilitation. The agency also directed and implemented the state's nationally recognized welfare reform efforts. She previously served as director of the Department of Employment Security, assistant director of the Department of Public Aid and as the first African-American legislative liaison for an Illinois governor. Baker earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2004. She also holds a bachelor's and master's degree in gerontology and health-care administration and public administration from that institution. She and her husband, G. Ronald Roby, are parents of two children.

 Ron Coppel's father, Werner, was born in Germany. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 at the age of 17. Twenty-two months of starvation and deprivation followed.

 It was in January 1945 when, along with about 60,000 other prisoners, Werner was forced to walk from Auschwitz back toward Germany. During this infamous "Death March," Werner escaped and subsequently met and wed Trudy Silbermann, Ron's mother, who had been a Jew in hiding.⁠
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Upon coming to America, specifically Cincinnati, Ohio, no one spoke about the Holocaust until the late 1970's when the first of the so-called "Deniers" appeared. Like so many other survivors throughout the country, Werner realized if he didn't speak out, who would? And so, Werner would spend the rest of life speaking publicly to multiple institutions and media.

Ron was born in Berlin and immigrated, with his parents, to Cincinnati, as an infant. Ron graduated from the University of Cincinnati and had a successful sales career, retiring as a senior executive in the grocery distribution industry.

⁠Today, Ron honors Werner's memory by following in his father's footsteps in presenting his family's story and the lessons to be learned from it.

 Brittany K. Swims currently resides in Carbondale, IL a transplant from Atlanta, Ga. A soon-to-be two-time alumnus of Southern Illinois started her career in Higher Education just two short years ago. Before Higher Education, she was a Director of Operations for a Non-Profit Organization and a Substance Abuse Counselor in both the Private Sector and the Illinois Department of Corrections. Brittany is currently the Hope Chicago Scholars Program Director at Southern Illinois University. She has taken her skills in case management and her ability to support the students where they are to get them where they need to be to ensure success. Because of recruitment efforts, she has been able to triple the number of scholars from Cohort One to Cohort Two at SIUC. She is currently completing a Master's in Social Work and is a current Trauma Based-Behavioral Health Fellow, both will allow her to offer better support to the scholars that she serves. She is the loving wife of Pastor Christopher Swims and they have two beautiful daughters Carrington who is 7 and Kennedy who is 5. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority INC. She lives by the words “Bloom where you are Planted”. 

 Deanna Stewart works at the Julia N. Visor Center at the University College of Illinois State University. She is a Program Specialist who provides academic support to students.

 Raffi Mikaelian was born in Guatemala. His Mom is from Guatemala and his father is from Armenian-Lebanese background. He grew up in a bilingual household with two other brothers. He enjoyed growing up with a variety of food options at the table. He can read and write in multiple languages and has been very active in the Latino Community.

He has immersed himself into various cultures with a goal of making meaningful connections and finding personal growth. He has experience living abroad in Armenia, Malaysia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Canada. Throughout his career he has made powerful friendships and professional connections with individuals in Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, and Latin America. He has lived in the St. Louis region for the past 20 years.

He earned his Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors of Arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He also attended Arizona State University with a scholarship to Study and Travel Abroad to Armenia.

He currently serves on the SIUE Alumni Association Board of Directors as Co-Chair of the Advocacy and Community Outreach Committee. He is also on the Board of Directors with the Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis and Member of the Latino RoundTable of Southwestern Illinois.

 Nicole Dixon is a graduate student in the Department of English at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she studies African American literature. She teaches a literary and cultural studies course for first-year collegiate Black women.

 Makala Mallon is currently a senior, and set to graduate Spring 2024. I am studying history with minors in literature, Black studies, and African studies at SIU Edwardsville. In the future I aspire to become a professor in Africana history. In my free time I like to read, garden, and hang out with my cat, Barack.