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Engagement & Outreach Week


Hello! We are so excited to welcome you to the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach’s 5th Annual Engagement and Outreach Conference, “Community Engagement: Strategies, Solutions, and Impact.” You are joining more than 225 people that have registered for the conference, and both days of sessions are sure to inspire you!

We are especially excited to host this year’s conference as it is the first time in two years that this gathering has been in-person. Our speakers have been preparing and are ready to engage with you in more than 25 sessions.

Here are a few things to help you be prepared for your conference:

Below you will find information about sessions, times, locations and speakers.


Monday, October 3:

Keynote Speaker

Gwen McKenzie was elected as City Councilwoman for the 6th District on November 7, 2017, and was sworn in on December 16, 2017. She was reelected in 2021 for another four-year term and sworn in on December 18, 2021.

She was selected as the first African-American Woman to serve as Vice Mayor in December 2019.McKenzie is a lifelong resident of the 6th District and has been active in the community for many years.

Workshops, Roundtables, Symposia, DAE Lightning Talks

Time

Segment

Room

Speakers

8:30 AM
Welcome
Student Union (SU) Ballroom
Tyvi Small
Javiette Samuel
Mayor Indya Kincannon
Mayor Glenn Jacobs
9:00 AM
Opening Plenary
Student Union (SU) Ballroom
 Gwen Mckenzie
9:30 AM
Break
9:40 AM
Knowledge is Power: Using Participatory Action Research to Strengthen University-Community Engagement and Generate Problem-Solving Data
SU 262A
Stan Bowie
9:40 AM
Stop “Race-ing” Away Your Valued Relationships: Engaging Trust Conversations with Persons of Color
SU 262B
Amelia Hart
9:40 AM
Baggage Claim: Carrying Diversity Through Turbulent Times
SU 262C
Jeremy Kirk
10:40 AM
Break
10:45 AM
Navigating Challenges and Developing Solutions in University-High School Outreach
SU 262A
Kirsten Benson
10:45 AM
Gun Violence
SU 362C
Bob Kronick
10:45  AM
The Visions of Justice Practicum: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration
SU 262
Wendy Bach
10:45 AM
Engaging with UT Part 1: Office of Community Engagement and Outreach, Jones Center for Leadership, Center for Career Development
SU 362A
Quannah Washington
Laura Ketola
Mary Beth Woodward
10:45 AM
Youth Development Roundtable Part 1
SU 362B
Justin Crowe
11:45 AM
Break
11:50 AM
Youth Development Round Table Part 2
SU 362B
Justin Crowe
11:50 AM
Community Engagement, Education, and Ecosystem Empowerment in Forestry Programs
SU 262A
Mara Lind
11:50 AM
Teaching Tennesseans How to Live Well with Chronic Conditions
SU 262B
Jessica Taylor
11:50 AM
The Evolution of Engineering Outreach from Silos to Systems
SU 262C
Anne Skutnik
11:50 AM
UT-TSU Extension as the Vehicle for Engagement – Building Pathways to Serving More Diverse Audiences Statewide
SU Ballroom B
Eleanor Lopez
11:50 AM
Engaging with UT Part 2: Center for Global Engagement, Extension, and Africana Studies Abroad Program
SU 362A
Rachel Rui
Janet Fox
Amadou Sall
12:10 PM
Community Riparian Restoration Program for Tennessee
SU 262A
Madison Johnson
12:10 PM
University of Tennessee Extension and Community Partners Address Food Insecurity in a Rural Tennessee County During the COVID-19 Pandemic
SU 262B
Kristen Johnson
12:10 PM
Tennessee Smart Yards
SU 262C
Andrea Ludwig
12:30 PM
Lunch and Networking
1:00 PM
Poster Session
SU 270
UT Undergraduate and Graduate Students
1:00 PM
Let’s Interest Kids in Engineering Subscriptions Boxes
SU Ballroom A
Laura Knight
1:05 PM
An Alumni Mentorship Program for Underrepresented Minority Nursing Students
SU Ballroom A
Kimberly Brown
1:10 PM
Know Your Value/s: Strategies for Success for Scholars of Color
SU Ballroom A
Katherine Chiles
1:15 PM
Ijams Nature Center Community Weaving Project
SU Ballroom A
Stefanie Benjamin
1:20 PM
Hispanic Film Festival
SU Ballroom A
Betsabe Navarro
1:25 PM
Navigating the (In)Accessible: CEHHS DEI Summit
SU Ballroom A
Dorian McCoy
1:30 PM
Deaf Night at the Theatre
SU Ballroom A
Hana Sherman
1:35 PM
UTK, TSU, Fisk University Art Student Exchange and Group Exhibition
SU Ballroom A
Althea Murphy-Price
1:40 PM
STEM Reading Design Challenge at Willow Brook Elementary School
SU Ballroom A
Thura Mack
1:45 PM
Tell Our Story: Knoxville Asian Immigrant Stories
SU Ballroom A
Rachel Rui
1:50 PM
Access & Achievement
SU Ballroom A
Nora Vines
1:55 PM
Austin-East Literary Arts Explosion
SU Ballroom A
Misty Anderson
2:00 PM
Thank You and Wrap Up
SU Ballroom A
Javiette Samuel

Concurrent Sessions and Speakers

Concurrent sessions are 25 minutes each and present research and engagement surrounding civic and community engagement, regional engagement, international engagement, and scaling community engagement. 

Workshops

Stan Bowie
Associate Professor

Dr. Stan L. Bowie has been a social worker for 46 years and has been on the faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Social Work for the past 23 years. Dr. Bowie teaches courses in community organization, organizational management and leadership, research methods, and social welfare policy in undergraduate and graduate programs. Link to full bio 


Amelia Hart 
Lecturer

Amelia Hart lectures in the Department of Accounting and Information Management. Her experience in accounting spans both the academic and professional arenas. Within the academy, Dr. Hart has over 15 years of experience at private and public universities in roles that include lecturer, assistant professor, and associate professor. Within the profession, Hart has served in such roles as management consultant and controller and has worked in both public and private accounting. Link to full bio


Jeremy Kirk
Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Jeremy Kirk is the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee. Kirk is integral to the College regarding its goals of developing a more welcoming and inclusive campus climate; attracting and retaining students, faculty, and staff from historically underrepresented backgrounds; and building stronger relations with community stakeholders throughout Tennessee. Link to full bio


Roundtables and Panels

Kirsten Benson
Director, Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center

Kirsten Benson is the Director of the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center. Her research focuses include writing studies, writing program administration, and writing center theory and practice. She teaches courses in qualitative research methods in composition studies, composition pedagogy, public writing, and persuasive writing. Link to website


Bob Kronick
Professor of Educational Psychology and Counseling

Robert Kronick is a professor of educational psychology and counseling. He is best known for bringing health, community, and social services to children within their elementary schools through the University Assisted Community Schools program. Link to full bio


Wendy Bach
Professor of Law

Wendy Bach has been a Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College since 2010. Her work is nationally recognized in both clinical legal education and poverty law. Professor Bach has dedicated her career to representing children and families in poor communities in a variety of legal settings. Her scholarship focuses on the interaction between systems of support and care and systems of punishment in poor communities. Link to full bio


Symposia

Mara Lind
Student

Mara Lind is an Urban Forestry Major at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She is passionate about creating environmental change for future generations and believes the key to invoking this same passion in others lies in the communication of issues. She has always had an interest in writing and wants to ground this interest in science journalism, bridging the gap between scientists and citizens. Link to full bio


Jessica E. Taylor
Community Health Specialist, Arthritis Education Program Coordinator

 

 

 


Anne Skutnik
Director of Student Success, Tickle College of Engineering

Anne Skutnik is the Engagement and Outreach Coordinator with the Academic and Student Affairs office in the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. She also serves as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at CURENT, an engineering research center located in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Tennessee. Link to staff spotlight


Eleanor Lopez
Executive Director, Asian Cultural Center

Dr. Eleanor Lopez is a Plant Pathogen and Insect Diagnostician at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Lopez earned her Doctor of Plant Medicine from the University of Florida, an innovative degree program that combines efforts of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Nematology, and Agronomy departments. Link to website


Madison Johnson
Student


Kristen Johnson
Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences

Dr. Kristen Johnson has been an Assistant Professor and Nutrition Specialist with the University of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Department since 2017. Dr. Johnson is a registered dietitian and has a doctorate in Foods and Nutrition and a Certificate of Gerontology from the University of Georgia. Link to full bio


Andrea Ludwig
Associate Professor

Andrea Ludwig is an Associate Professor for Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science. She focuses on stormwater management, urban waters, stream and wetland Restoration, sustainable landscaping, and ecological engineering. Link to full bio


Division of Access and Engagement Speakers

Althea Murphy-Price
Professor

Althea Murphy-Price is a Professor in the School of Art in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. She has earned her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting from Purdue University in West Lafayette Indiana and also her Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Murphy-Price’s interests in hair texture, style, color, and its cultural associations have influenced her interest in the elaborate decoration of form and space. She has described her creative process parallels an approach to styling hair. Link to full bio


Kimberly Brown
Clincial Assistant Professor

Kimberly Brown is a clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Nursing. Brown is a leader in the College of Nursing and demonstrates success in implementing DEI-focused initiatives in numerous courses in the undergraduate nursing program. This past May, Brown was named the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a first-generation African American college graduate from a rural community in East Tennessee. Kimberly Brown has earned her BSN from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, her MSN from King University, and her DNP with a specialization in Administration from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Link to website


Katherine Chiles
Associate Professor

Katy Chiles teaches and writes about African American and Native American literature, early American literature and culture, critical race theory, and print cultures. Affiliated with the Africana Studies program, Professor Chiles teaches courses such as Major Black Writers, the Antebellum Black Atlantic, Black American Literature and Aesthetics, and Critical Race Theory. Link to staff spotlight


Wendy Bach
Professor of Law

Wendy Bach has been a Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College since 2010. Her work is nationally recognized in both clinical legal education and poverty law. Professor Bach has dedicated her career to representing children and families in poor communities in a variety of legal settings. Her scholarship focuses on the interaction between systems of support and care and systems of punishment in poor communities. Link to full bio


Michelle Christian
Associate Professor, Sociology

Michelle Chrisitan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Her research focuses on understanding how racial inequality occurs within the global political economy. Christian has conducted field research in Kenya, Uganda, Costa Rica, and the US, and oversaw research in South Africa, Indonesia, China, and India as part of a collaborative international and interdisciplinary research project. Link to full bio


Stefanie Benjamin
Associate Professor, Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism

​​Stefanie Benjamin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism at the University of Tennessee. Her research aligns within the nexus of social equity and critical tourism scholarship exploring marginalized populations’ lived experiences and counter narratives. Benjamin is interested in amplifying underrepresented voices within the tourism landscape through practice, research, and education. Link to full bio


Betsabe Navarro
Senior Lecturer of Spanish

Dr. Betsabé Navarro is a senior lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee. She studied English at the University of Granada, earned her Master’s degree on Pedagogy of Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the University of Alcalá de Henares, and completed her Ph.D. in English Studies (Literature and Cultural Studies) at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Link to full bio


Camille Hall
Professor, Social Work

Dr. J. Camille Hall is a Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Social Work and is the Associate Dean for Equity & Inclusion at the College. Hall received both her Bachelor of Social Work and Masters of Social Work degree from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dr. Hall received her PhD from Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Prior to joining the faculty, Dr. Hall served as BSW Program Director at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. Link to full bio


Dorian L. McCoy
Associate Professor, Higher Education

Dr. Dorian L. McCoy is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, at the University of Tennessee. He is also an Associate Professor of Higher Education and also serves as an Associate Department Head in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. McCoy received his PhD in Educational Leadership and Research from Louisiana State University and A&M College, his Master of Education (Higher Education – College Student Personnel) from the University of Arkansas, and his Bachelor of Business Administration – Management from Henderson State University. Link to full bio


Laura Knight
Assistant Professor of Practice and Outreach & Engagement Coordinator

Laura Knight is an Assistant Professor of practice in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and an advocate for expanding the numbers of future industrial engineers through education and community outreach.  Collaborating across communities, industries, and academic disciplines is a vital part of her endeavors and success. Link to full bio


Thura Mack
Professor & Coordinator of Community Learning Services & Diversity Programs, UT Libraries

Thura Mack is a coordinator of Community Learning Services and Diversity Programs at the University of Tennessee. She leads the Libraries’ outreach to schools in Knoxville and the surrounding community. Thura holds a bachelor’s degree from Knoxville College and a master’s in library science from the University of Tennessee. Link to full bio


Rachel Rui
Director & Director of Communications, Office of Asia Engagement

Rachel Rui is both the Communications Director and the Director of the Office of Asian Engagement in the Center for Global Engagement. As the Communications Director, her responsibilities include strategic planning and execution of communication strategies to build a global brand for UT and providing services to CGE units for their communication needs. Her work at the Office of Asian Engagement focuses on building and maintaining partnerships in Asia, promoting cultural diversity, increasing students and faculty’s mobility, and improving community outreach. Rui obtained both her Master’s and PhD degrees in Communication and Information from the University of Tennessee. Link to full bio


Nora Vines
Clinical Associate Professor, Child & Family Studies

Nora Vines is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Child and Family Studies Department. Nora is passionate about early childhood education, specifically supporting teachers in realizing their own expertise while growing their capacity for literacy knowledge. Her areas of interest and expertise include early literacy acquisition, orthographic knowledge development, and responsive literacy-focused professional development. Link to full bio


Manasi Apte
Post Doctoral Researcher

Manasi is a trained scientist and science communicator with an expertise in creating & delivering content across various platforms. She strives to harness the awesome power of “stories” (amongst many other tools) to make science approachable, accessible, & understood by everyone. Manasi enjoys collaborating and sustaining relationships across disciplines to create meaningful learning and engagement experiences for all. Link to LinkedIn


Misty Anderson
Professor of English & Adjunct Professor of Theatre and Religious Studies

Misty G. Anderson is a Professor of English, the James R. Cox Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and holds courtesy appointments as an Adjunct Professor in both the Theater and Religious Studies departments at the University of Tennessee. Professor Anderson has earned her BA from Yale University and her MA and PhD from Vanderbilt University. Link to full bio


Leticia Flores
Director of UT Psychological Clinic

Leticia Flores is the Director of the UT Psychological Clinic. She also serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. She specializes in working with late adolescents and adults regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. Dr. Flores received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. Link to full bio


Hana Sherman
Grants, Education and Outreach Manager

Hana Sherman is a Grants, Education and Outreach Manager at Clarence Brown Theatre in Knoxville. Hana graduated with honors from New York University with a BFA in Theatre and also earned her MBA in 2020 from the Professional MBA program at the University of Tennessee. Link to full bio


Heather Hall
Career Coach for Inclusive Initiatives

Heather Hall is the Career Coach for Inclusion Initiatives. In this role, she leads outreach to inclusive scholar organizations, classes, and campus units and provides identity-specific career development programs and services focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Heather also connects employers who practice inclusive hiring practices to scholars and the campus community. She serves on the SafeZone Facilitation Team in partnership with the Pride Center. Heather has earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Link to full bio


Tuesday, October 4:

Seeking Partnerships for Research Knowledge and Science: Working with Families Experiencing Economic Hardships

Time

Segment

Room

Speakers

9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Student Union Ballroom
Javiette Samuel
9:10 AM
Presentations
Student Union Ballroom
Various UT Faculty and Community Leaders
12:00 PM
Lunch and Learn
SU 169
Eboni Winford

Event Speakers – Various UT Faculty and Community Leaders

Seeking Partnerships for Research, Knowledge, and Science (SPARKS) events pursue new research partnerships among UT Knoxville and UTIA faculty. The goal is to bring together more disciplines, focused on a common interest or research opportunity. SPARKS: Working with Families Experiencing Economic Hardships will be bringing together researchers and community partners to discuss families, health, equity, and socioeconomic disparities and obstacles.

Eboni Winford is a professor in the Psychology department at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In the Lunch and Learn session, Winford will present health equity as a framework for conducting studies involved with people with identities historically harmed by research initiatives. Participants will leave with recommended practices and guidance on ways to engage with community partners with diversity, equity and inclusion in mind.


Engagement & Outreach Week Events

Oct 3
8:00 AM
Vital Leadership 2
Conference  Building
Oct 3
9:00 AM
The Spirit of Día de los Muertos
McClung Museum
Oct 4
3:00 PM
CURED (2020) Screening
TBD
Oct 4
7:30 PM
Concert & Symphonic Bands
Alumni Memorial Building
Oct 5
9:00 AM
2022 Artist in Residence Biennial
Downtown Gallery

Questions? Email communityengagement@utk.edu.