Advancing Women in Higher Education |
Yvette Huet, State Chair
| Amy A. Overman, Past State Chair
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Dr. Huet is Director of the UNC Charlotte ADVANCE Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office and Professor of Kinesiology. She is the UNC Charlotte PI of the 2018 NSF AGEP-NG award. Her current research interests include women of color in the academy and health disparities. She earned B.S. degrees in Human Biology and Microbiology from the University of Kansas; her Ph.D. (with Honors) in physiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center (First Latina graduate and recipient of National Science Foundation Minority Graduate and Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowships) and a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Monsanto Company. She has served in various other leadership roles including Interim Chair and Graduate Director.
Dr. Amy Overman is co-founder of the North Carolina ACE Women's Network, and at Elon University she is Assistant Provost for Scholarship and Creative Activity, serving as chief research officer, and Professor of Psychology. As a seasoned and innovative leader, her work is rooted in a commitment to equity and inclusion and she has overseen projects focused on student retention and belongingness, faculty development and retention, external funding, and other strategic initiatives in support of institutional priorities. She has secured $1 million in grants from NSF, HHMI, and NIH. She also co-founded Elon’s Neuroscience Minor, and the Women’s Forum, the first women’s group for faculty and staff at Elon. Her disciplinary focus is the neuroscience of memory and aging. Education: B.S. in Neuroscience, Allegheny College; Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh.Susan Colby, Treasurer
| Melissa G. Robbins-Mann, Secretary
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Dr. Susan Colby is the Director of Faculty Professional Development and professor and former chair in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Appalachian State University. She is a member of the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Class of 2020-2021, Associate Executive Director for the Women in Educational Leadership Symposium, and Past-President for the Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teaching Effectiveness. She earned her Ed.D. from East Carolina University; her M.A. from the University of Colorado, Denver; and her B.S. from the University of Minnesota. In 2002, she was the recipient of the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership Morphet Dissertation Award.
Melissa Robbins-Mann is the Dean of Business Studies & Emerging Technologies at Piedmont Community College. She has a BS degree in Occupational & Technical Education with a minor in IT from Old Dominion University as well as a MS degree from Liberty University in Educational Leadership. Ms. Robbins-Mann has been an educator for 24 years working in day cares, preschools, K-12, private schools, community colleges, and at the university level. Education is her passion and she loves her job and students! Ms. Robbins-Mann also loves integrating technology into the classroom to engage students and make their learning more fun and more interactive. Masonne Sawyer, Board Member
| Connie Gores, Board Member
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Masonne Sawyer is the Vice President of College & Career Readiness & Holistic Success Services at Forsyth Technical Community College. She has a BS degree in Social Sciences from Gardner-Webb University as well as a MS Degree in Psychology from Capella University. Ms. Sawyer is an accomplished holistic student support services professional with extensive Community College experience having served in numerous roles at Forsyth Tech over the past 19 years. She serves on the Board of Directors for Experiment in Self-Reliance in Winston-Salem, NC as well as a representative on the Program Council and Education Day Committees for Leadership Winston-Salem. She is the recipient of several awards including Staff Person of the Year, the President’s Award and was recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Hall of Honor.
Dr. Connie J. Gores is Partner in the Success Associates, where she provides executive coaching, leadership training, and consulting for individuals and organizations. She served as President of Southwest Minnesota State University for six years. Connie has a deep and enduring commitment to women’s leadership, including serving as Chair of the national ACE Women’s Network Executive Council, Chair of the Virginia ACE Network Board, and Chair of the Senior Leadership Seminar in Virginia. She earned her B.A. from North Dakota State University, her M.Ed. from Colorado State University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. She is delighted to live near her two adult daughters and three wonderful grandchildren in North Carolina.April Tallant, Board Member
| Roderica D. Williams, Board Member
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Dr. April Tallant is Associate Dean of Brinson Honors College at Western Carolina University, a registered dietitian, and a tenured associate professor of Nutrition & Dietetics. Dr. Tallant combines her passion for access to healthy foods, and service to the region, through research and community engagement. She serves on the Board of Directors for Community Table in Sylva, NC, a non-profit organization that provides nutritious meals to those in need, and Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, that works to improve health and well-being in western NC communities. She is 2nd vice-president of the Alpha Iota Chapter of NC Delta Kappa Gamma Society that promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. She earned her B.S. and M.H.S. at WCU, and her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Roderica Williams serves as the director for the Student Support Services program and adjunct instructor at Mars Hill University. Throughout her teaching career, Dr. Williams has taught various courses including leadership development, and her disciplinary research centers on the relationship between leadership and academic success. Her work is grounded in her commitment to equity in practice, service to others, and dedication to constant growth and development. She is the recipient of several awards and recognition for her work including the Trailblazing Award from Mars Hill University in 2022.Erica Still, Board Member
| Ashley B. Allen, Board Member
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Dr. Erica Still joined the Department of English at Wake Forest University as an Assistant Professor in 2007. In 2018, she became Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion in the undergraduate College, where she oversees faculty recruitment and hiring practices as well as development and execution of programs to increase diversity and support for inclusivity. She is the author of Prophetic Remembrance: Black Subjectivity in African American and South African Trauma Narratives. Her ongoing research interests include examining the intersection of leadership and gender narratives in contemporary African American Literature. She earned her B.A. at Temple University and her Ph.D. from The University of Iowa.
Dr. Ashley Batts Allen is Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC Pembroke and Associate Professor of Psychology. Her research is in self-compassion as it relates to trauma. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Duke University. As Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, she assists faculty evaluation, professional development, research engagement, and external funding. She is passionate in her support of undergraduate research and serves as PI for the REACH program which supports minority students in their pursuit of careers in the professoriate.Heather McCullough, Board Member
| Charlé LaMonica, Board Member
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Dr. Heather McCullough is the Director of Learning and Technology for the University of North Carolina System. She partners with faculty, students, and staff to create change around information services and teaching and learning support. This work is driven by her ability and enthusiasm to shepherd large, complex projects in dynamic environments and with multiple stakeholders. Dr. McCullough is active in numerous professional organizations and is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide range of topics related to higher education, leadership, and learning innovation. She earned a Ph.D. in French Literature from Indiana University and an M.S. in Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Charlé LaMonica is the director of UNC World View, a UNC-Chapel Hill program which equips K-12 and community college educators with global knowledge and resources to prepare students for our interconnected world. LaMonica collaborates with more than 90 partners, forges strategic alliances with schools, districts, and community colleges; and represents UNC World View on the national and global stage. LaMonica has worked with the NC China Council of the Asia Society; led professional delegations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe; taught at the middle school, community college, and university levels; and served on the Charlotte Mayor’s International Cabinet. She was a participant in Harvard’s Women in Leadership Program and ACE Regional Women’s Leadership Forum.Erica jastrow, Board Member
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Dr. Erica Jastrow, RN MSN has almost 20 years of experience in higher education. She was the director of several prelicensure nursing programs at a North Carolina Community College before transitioning to the role of Assistant Professor and RN to BSN program director at William Peace University in December 2020.
| The NC ACE Network thanks and acknowledges the support provided by the UNC System Office of the President. |
