Swag Bender with Dr. Dariel "DT" Henry

Dr. Vaughn A. Calhoun serves as the Assistant Vice President and Dean of the Center for Academic Success at Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ). He also teaches for Providence College and the University of Maryland Global Campus. He has been featured on a number of national platforms including, Fortune Magazine - Education Edition, Huffington Post, NASPA Policy Briefs, and Student Affairs Now Podcast. He received his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University, a Master's from California State University Longbeach, and his Ph.D. from Northeastern University.

Tastery Reed, Jr is an investigator that has a tremendous amount of experience in working cases. His recent investigations include police misconduct with the goal of bettering the police department and building a better connection within the community. Previously to that, he investigated public assistance fraud ensuring the integrity of the state’s welfare system in addition to working with rehabilitating federal inmates that have come out of corrections to become productive citizens. He is also a  Boston, Massachusetts native Hope, and an alum of Bunker Hill Community College (AA in Criminal Justice), University of New Haven (BS in Criminal Justice), and UMass Lowell (MA in Homeland Defense).

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tastery-reed-jr-3-103/

Dr. Diane Reed is a  Professor of Nursing at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, an author of 2 books, and the host of the radio show Nurses Rock!  She holds a Ph.D. from Capella University, a Master’s in Nursing from the University of Colorado-Denver, an MBA from Everest University-South Orlando, and a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Grand Valley State. To learn more about Dr. Reed, visit www.Drdrnursesrock.com, or email her at drdrnursesrock@gmail.com

Dr. Daryl Appleton is aggressively reshaping corporate, academic, and individual visions of wellness.

Her consulting firm holds an exclusive clientele of global brands, top surgical residency programs, Fortune 500 executives, thought leaders & specialists, and professional athletes from across the globe looking to elevate their plans for success and fight burnout/mental fatigue.

Specializing in the success and well-being of those in high net-worth and high-burnout positions. Dr. Appleton challenges leaders, audiences, and organizations to redefine their values and views of success. In her unique approach, her firm utilizes neuropsychological techniques, communication strategies, and reprioritization of work-life S.W.A.Y. to help all clients meet goals and amend unproductive behaviors.

Dr. Daryl Appleton holds an Ed.D. in Leadership from Johnson and Wales University, an M.Ed. in Counseling from Providence College, a C.A.G.S. in Mental Health from Salve Regina University, a Bachelor from Stonehill College, and an LMHC in the state of Rhode Island.

Instagram: @drdarylappleton 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darylappleton/

Twitter: @drdarylappleton

Dr. Ramon Goings is the founder of the Done Dissertation Coaching Program. He currently serves as Assistant Professor in the Language, Literacy, and Culture interdisciplinary doctoral program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Goings is an expert on gifted/high-achieving Black male student success in PK-20 settings and diversifying the teacher and school leader workforce.

Dr. Goings is the author of over 50 scholarly publications. In addition to his scholarship, Dr. Goings has expertise in cultivating the academic writing of doctoral students and early career researchers. For more information about Dr. Goings’ research, you can visit his personal website www.ramongoings.com.

Holly Noon is an Entrepreneur, Mother, HR Consultant,  Positive Influencer, Anti-Racism, Advocate, University of Central Florida Alum where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice. She also received a Master’s Degree from the University of Florida. She owns HR Connection LLC, which provides services for organizations such as HR consulting, training courses & workshops, business development, career coaching, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Holly Noon is the host of a weekly show on YouTube called "So Please Understand" where guests come on to educate on cultural, social, and racial issues with the intent to pass this information to the next generation. In her spare time, she gets involved in the community by volunteering and bringing awareness to issues that impact underserved and underrepresented communities. She is the author of the book It's Not About You So Please Understand: The Social Textbook To Understanding Concepts Related To Racism And People Of Color.

Dr. Shanna L. Howell was named the Dean of the Bristol Community College New Bedford Campus in August 2019 after working as Director of Student Success at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Shanna earned her Bachelor of Science in sociology at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga.; her Master of Science in adult learning and organizational performance from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and her Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership and policy studies, from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

She has held several positions, including, but not limited to the Director of Student Success. During this time, Shanna provided leadership for the implementation of strategies to address degree completion challenges, directed the institution’s tutoring center, the ALT Center, and developed activities related to increasing student success. She was also responsible for creating a comprehensive academic probation program and increasing the usage of the university’s tutoring center, by more than 15 percent.

Shanna has served as a volunteer for the United Way of Central Iowa’s annual Graduation Walk. She has also supported the annual Back 2 School Bash at the John R. Grubb YMCA, in Des Moines, Iowa, that serves and supports underrepresented students, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. 

Shanna is a Vice-Chair of the United Way of Greater New Bedford Board, a board member for the Our Sister School located in New Bedford, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Turner Free Library as well a member of the Diversity and Race Equity Council (DARE) for the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton.

Tracie Roberts is the author of the new book Project Life. She is a Dance Teacher at the Chris Gatlin Center in Irvington, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Dance Studies from Dean College in 2019 where she was a member of MyBlackSpeaks.

Amazon: Project Life 

IG: @tracieroberts_dance
IG: @_bellotraciee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracie.roberts.90

Dr. Linda Ziegenbein is an experienced higher education professional dedicated to making our institutions deserving of our students. She is skilled in project development and implementation, budget management, teaching, and public speaking. An anthropologist working in STEM, she brings a social science perspective to re-thinking STEM education. She is currently the Interim Director for the Office of Student Success & Diversity in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/linda.ziegenbein

Twitter: @LindaZiegenbein

IG: @lindamz

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaziegenbein/

Dr. Malissa Sanon has successfully defended her dissertation from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology program. Her concentration is in higher education. Sanon has presented at American Education Research Association (AERA) in 2016, University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in 2017, Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) in 2018, Student Leadership Summit in 2020, and Florida Educational Research Association (FERA) in 2020. Currently, Sanon’s dissertation, If You Can’t Make a Sound, Make a Peep: A Narrative Inquiry of the Lived Collegiate Experiences of Black Male Students Who Dealt With Suicide Ideation, focuses on Black men and their mental health, how they choose to get help, and what resources and support they deemed most helpful when they do seek help.

 As a Haitian first-generation college student, Sanon has first-hand experience of hardships. She understands the importance of addressing mental health issues and would like to continue to promote mental well being. Her interest in mental health is inspired by her lived experience, her family, and her community.  Her aim is to encourage and empower others facing hardships through her research, writing, and presentations. Sanon earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her first master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida Gulf Coast University, and a second master’s degree and Ph.D in Educational Leadership at Florida Atlantic University. It is important that Sanon tells her story of challenges so that others may be encouraged and continue their pursuit of higher education. Sanon is the Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Paul O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Nick Figueroa is currently the Chief of Family and Community Engagement for the Providence Public School District. Before transitioning to the District, Nick served as the Executive Director of College Visions, college access, and college success nonprofit, and also serves as an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University teaching Human Rights and Community Development.

A social justice advocate, Nick has served as a member of the political action committee for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and also served as an officer with the NAACP in Rhode Island. Recognized for his advocacy, Nick served a term as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, State Advisory Council after being nominated by U.S. Senator Jack Reed. Locally, he has served as a board member at Times Squared Academy, a charter school dedicated to teaching STEM-related programs, and the Paul Cuffee Charter School. He is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Nick Figueroa was awarded by the Women’s Resource Center in Newport, Rhode Island with the prestigious "Men Who Make A Difference Award" in 2017. Additionally, he is a co-founding member of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University and the Rhode Island chapter of the New Leaders Council.

Nick holds a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Rhode Island. He completed his undergraduate work in Public Administration at Roger Williams University.

He is the Associate Director, MIT Sloan Undergraduate Education & PhD candidate at UMass Boston. His research examines using Hip-Hop to inform pedagogy:

Earl Wright II is a Professor of Sociology at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Born and raised in Memphis, he graduated with a diploma from Trezevant High School in 1989 and later that year entered Kentucky State University (K-State) on a football scholarship. After a successful two year stint as the team’s starting wide receiver, he was ‘compelled’ to leave Frankfort because of the low-grade point average (0.7) he earned while pursuing a major in “football” and minor in “partying.” It is provident that he left K-State since it is likely that he would not have graduated had he remained. Upon his return to Memphis, he began to take college seriously and eventually earned the BA (1994) in History and MA (1997) in Sociology from the University of Memphis. In 2000 Earl took the doctorate in Sociology at the University of Nebraska, where he founded a chapter of the Black Graduate Student Association. Later that year he joined the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida and over his career has been on faculty at Fisk University, Texas Southern University (as chairperson of the Department of Sociology) at the University of Cincinnati and, now, at Rhodes College.

Dr. Wright has authored numerous books and articles on the contributions of Blacks and HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) to the discipline of sociology. He is is the nation’s leading authority on W. E. B. Du Bois and the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory – the moniker bestowed on scholars engaged in sociological inquiry at Atlanta University (now called Clark Atlanta University) between 1895 and 1917. His groundbreaking research has altered our understanding of the discipline’s formative years in this nation. Specifically, some of his groundbreaking research findings include the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory’s (1895-1924) status as the first American school of sociology, not the University of Chicago (1915-1930), and that this school was the first American sociological unit to 1) institutionalize the use of insider researchers; 2) institutionalize the public acknowledgment of the limitations of one’s research; 3) institutionalize method triangulation (or mixed methods); and 4) institutionalize a “methods” section in its research papers. It is because of his excellence in “research on race and the South” that he was awarded the Charles S. Johnson Award by the Southern Sociological Society in 2016.

Dr. Wright’s greatest academic pleasure is bringing to this nation’s attention the contributions of early and unknown/little known Black sociologists and social scientists who contributed to the development of one of the greatest tools for social advancement in the world – sociology!

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Sweet Suga Baby body products were created by Shavonne Jones. As a mental health therapist, she understands the importance of self-care. As a widow and mother of two small children, she understands how difficult it is to squeeze in self-care. She created Sweet Suga Baby for people like her, who want to indulge in self-care but don't have much time. Sweet Suga Baby was created to be ultra-moisturizing and it makes her feel like royalty.

Shavonne attended Barry University in Miami, Florida, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work. Shavonne is also a licensed social worker in Florida.

IG: @sweetsugababy

Twitter: @1sweetsugababy 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shavonne-jones-1390b43a/

Order Products at: https://www.sweetsugababy.com/ 

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Michelle Shepard manages the H-1B Department at Ramineni & Shepard Law Associates. Ms. Shepard’s areas of practice include temporary employment-based visas, including H-1B, TN, E-3, and other employment-based categories.

Ms. Shepard joined the firm as a Law Clerk in the Civil Litigation Department in 2010 while attending New England Law | Boston. While attending New England Law | Boston, Ms. Shepard wrote for and was published in the New England Journal of International and Comparative Law. Ms. Shepard attended Johnson and Wales University and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2009. She is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Bernard Minter Jr. is an Assistant Project Manager (Design & Construction) at Northeastern University. He is currently in the Master’s of Business program with a concentration in Supply Chain Management at Northeastern University. He already earned one Master’s Degree in Project Management from Northeastern University and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication and Leadership from Methodist University. He is a former NCAA athlete participating in four years of college football (captain) becoming a  three-time USA South first team all-conference honors. He enjoys volunteering and has done disaster and humanitarian relief work rebuilding homes.