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Heather Bucurel, Staff

Heather Bucurel is the Program Support Specialist Supervisor at the UNC School of Education. She has a BA in English & Comparative Literature with a Minor in Creative Writing from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MAT in ESL from Meredith College.

Prior to her current role in the School of Education, Heather served with NC Literacy Corps to support adult and youth education and taught English in South Korea. She has also facilitated instruction and educational capacity building as a classroom teacher, program coordinator, and director of education.

 

Brittany Cowan, Staff

Brittany D. Cowan is the Communications and Marketing Content Manager at the UNC School of Education, where she crafts compelling content across multiple platforms, including web, print, and social media to amplify the School’s mission and initiatives. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in English-Writing from North Carolina Central University.

Before her current role, Brittany served as the Social Media Content Producer for UNC’s social media team within University Communications. There, she curated captivating photos, videos, and written content for UNC’s flagship social media platforms. She also serves as the co-marketing chair for the Carolina Black Caucus and actively participates in initiatives within her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

 

Jemilia Davis, Faculty

Jemilia S. Davis, Ph.D. is a faculty member at the UNC School of Education and directs the undergraduate program in Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD). She enjoys learning alongside current and future leaders through courageous conversations and meaningful experiences that develop critical leadership skills. She is an active scholar-practitioner who examines the role of senior leadership in organizations, mainly higher education, and the influence executive leader perspectives, practices, and policies have on promoting equitable success for historically excluded communities.

 

Alicia Freeman, Staff

Alicia Freeman is the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Program Manager in the UNC School of Social Work. She has helped to establish the campus-based MHFA Training program that serves our community and continues to expand offerings to include youth/teen MHFA across the state. Alicia is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist – Associate who owns and operates a private practice, Ascend Counseling, PLLC, where she also provides counseling, coaching, and consulting services. She is a citizen of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe, a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina.

 

Dawna Jones, Community Member

Dr. Dawna Jones is a dedicated educator, student affairs professional, social worker and community advocate. Dr. Jones currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs for Identity Centers and Community Development at Duke University. Jones holds degrees in sociology, higher education management, social work, and transformative leadership for community and civic engagement. Her research focuses on the intersections between polychronicity, stress, and superwoman schema. She serves as a mentor for NASPA mid-level professionals in higher education and a NEXT30 Board member for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

 

Laura Kuizin, Staff

Dr. Laura Kuizin currently serves as the inaugural Director of the Master of Applied Professional Studies program, which launched in January 2023, in The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and a specialist degree in Community College Teaching from Arkansas State University, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco, and a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento.

In her current role, Laura created a ‘Women in Leadership’ specialization, which is designed to enhance leadership skills, promote advocacy and empowerment, and facilitate personal and professional growth for women. She previously served as an Assistant Dean in the Academic Advising Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. Additionally, she worked at Arkansas State University, where she held positions as Director of the SMART Center and the Principal Investigator and Director for the McNair Achievement Program, which focused on supporting underrepresented students in STEM fields. Before her career transition into higher education, she worked for over 20 years in healthcare, social services, and nonprofit industries, where she devoted her time to advocacy, social justice, advancing women’s initiatives, and creating supportive environments where women can thrive.

 

Berengére Phillips, Staff

Berengére Phillips is an Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at UNC. In this role, she advises the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association. She also has spearheaded FSL’s DEI and mental health and wellness initiatives. Berengére has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and a minor in Spanish from North Carolina State University and a Master’s of Education in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. Outside of work, she is an active member of her graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

 

Valerie Sauer, Community Member

Valerie Sauer is a triple-Tar Heel with graduate degrees in Social Work and Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Her background includes gender-based violence crisis response, program management, and community education in local government and nonprofit settings. She also brings experience in studying and developing a broad base of public policy solutions related to anti-poverty initiatives, domestic violence, child welfare, public health, and housing. Valerie has also worked extensively in research, collaborating with a School of Government Faculty team on a multi-year project that explores the facilitation of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in local governments. She also serves on the National Association of Social Workers-NC Chapter legislative committee.

 

Ashley Smith, Undergraduate Student

Ashley Smith is a senior from Durham, North Carolina double majoring in Information Science and Media & Journalism with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations.

At Carolina, Ashley holds leadership positions in many organizations such as the Executive Branch of UNC-CH’s Student Government, TEDxUNC, RHA Community Government, and more. In her spare time, she is a shift leader at the Carolina Cupboard on-campus food pantry and the publicity chair for UNC-CH’s Blue Lightning Stomp & Shake Cheer Organization.

 

Aynsley Szczesniak, Undergraduate Student

Aynsley Szczesniak is a sophomore Honors Carolina scholar. She is a proactive STEMinist and the Founder and Executive Director of Speak Out Sisterhood, a global nonprofit elevating youth to eradicate barriers to equality for women in STEM.

Aynsley is also the North Carolina State Lead of Million Women Mentors, a global initiative of leaders for diversity in STEM; the Student STEM Programs Chair of the Association for Women in Science – NC, for whom she developed the award-winning HERspectives mentorship program; and a research assistant for the UNC School of Medicine PREPARE project investigating ethical guidelines for HIV testing on pregnant adolescents.

 

Adwoa Tweneboa Koduah, Graduate Student

Adwoa Tweneboa Koduah is a student in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the 2024-2025 Director of Advocacy in Graduate and Professional Student Government. Many of her roles while in pharmacy school have been focused on advocating for patients in clinic, pharmacy students of color, and working to foster an inclusive environment on campus.

 

Ariana Vigil, Faculty

Dr. Ariana Vigil is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. Her teaching and research focuses on U.S. Latinx literature and culture. In particular, she examines how gender, race, sexuality, and class are deployed in various national and transnational contexts. She is currently working on a project that examines portrayals of migrant mothers in Latinx cultural production. Additionally, Dr. Vigil is an affiliate of the Program in Latina/o Studies.

 

Contact us anytime at cwc@unc.edu