Dr. Sylvia is an Associate Professor in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and the Latino Studies Program at Indiana University. She also serves as the director for the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society (CRRES). A sociologist by training, Dr. Martinez’s research has explored where and how Latinx students get information about the college application process. This work suggests that despite high educational aspirations, Latinx students struggle to access information about the college going process. Currently, Professor Martinez works on two lines of inquiry. The first examines how Latinx ethnic identity among Latinx undergraduates impacts participation at the Latino cultural center on campus. The second is a new project on how multiracial/multiethnic Latinx students craft a sense of place and belonging at predominately white higher education institutions. Her work appears in journals such as the Journal of College Student Development, Race Ethnicity and Education, Latino Studies Journal, Journal of Latinos and Education, and the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. She is the co-author of Understanding the Latinx Experience: Developmental and Contextual Influences (2019, Stylus Publishing), a book which received the Book of the Year, Senior Scholar Category from the American Association of Hispanics of Higher Education. Dr. Martinez is passionate about teaching and is always looking for ways to hone her craft. Her teaching has been recognized with three teaching awards at Indiana University. In 2023, she was also awarded the Inclusive Excellence Award at her institution, an award which recognizes faculty members who display exceptional leadership in fostering diversity and inclusion on campus and the surrounding Bloomington community.

Dr. Rashawn Ray is the Vice President and Executive Director of the AIR Equity Initiative. He is also a David M. Rubenstein Fellow at The Brookings Institution and a Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is one of the co-editors of Contexts Magazine: Sociology for the Public. Formerly, Ray was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and he currently serves on the National Advisory Committee for the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program.

Ray regularly testifies at the federal and state levels on racial equity, policing and criminal justice reform, health policy, wealth, and family policy. Ray has published over 50 books, articles, and book chapters, and roughly 50 op-eds. He has written for Washington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, Newsweek, NBC News, The Guardian, The Hill, Huffington Post, The Conversation, and Public Radio International. Ray has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, BBC, CBS, C-Span, PBS, NPR, HLN, and Al Jazeera. His research is cited in Washington Post, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Financial Times, The Root, and The Chronicle. Previously, Ray served on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington Planning Committee and the Commission on Racial Justice with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

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Mr. Brian Richardson Jr. is an award-winning diversity officer, who has had the opportunity to provide trainings and workshops both nationally and internationally on DEI-related content. Mr. Richardson currently serves as the inaugural Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Indianapolis Colts, and as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University. In addition to his professional titles, Mr. Richardson is also a 4th year doctoral student enrolled at Indiana University in the School of Education. He is an alumnus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he earned a Masters of Science in Education with an emphasis on kinesiology, and a Bachelors of Science with a concentration on sports management from Culver Stockton College. Mr. Richardson’s work has been featured on the national stage by way of TEDx and the Big Ten Network, as well as across the state of Indian through the Bloomington Magazine, The Harold Times Newspaper, WISH-TV, WRTV, and local radio shows.

Audra is the founder of Reach High Consulting and Therapy an Autism Center, Bridges Early Childhood Center a childcare facility, and AJ Holdings her new real estate project. All of her agencies are currently within the Bloomington Indiana area. Audra is the mother of four incredible children. Jael, Zoey, Naomi, and Silas.

One of the questions she is asked frequently is, “Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?” She first would give you a mini-lesson on the difference between a business owner and an entrepreneur as well as the continued sacrifice one must be willing to commit to. Then she would kindly say, “No” Simply put, Audra’s personal journey as a mother sent her searching for tools and strategies. As a very young mom and wife at that time, she was enrolled in college. Determined to model that anything is possible, she struggled through college with her young son sometimes sitting right next to her in class. She learned the meaning of partnering with your child, with their teachers, and how to seek out resources within the community. Blessed to have found highly skilled teachers who took the time to listen, she was able to work collaboratively with them to develop a plan. During this experience, she had the opportunity to learn about and apply the teaching procedures of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The field at the time primarily served children with Autism. Audra found that good teaching is good teaching and whether you have a diagnosis or not, all children deserve to have a solid foundation. She not only utilized the strategies at home, but she also became an Autism therapist working in homes, schools, residential facilities, and centers. Working directly with children and families lit a fire in Audra’s heart.

Javon Reese is a Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Black Family Development, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan. Suicide affects everyone. He attended Eastern Michigan University on a full ride scholarship to play football. He graduated with his bachelors in biology and a minor in chemistry. He is currently completing a dual master from Wayne State University, masters in social work and public health. Javon has set his focus on suicide prevention and awareness. He is trained to faciliate evidence-based suicide prevention models with the community and organziations.

"Even if you may not experience thoughts of suicide first hand, the impact is still there. There are prevention skills that should be taught indiscriminately. Those skills can be used to save lives. Suicide prevention is now and there are many choices that are evidence based. Let's start the conversation now."

Akelah Reese serves as the Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Leadership Engagement within the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement at Wayne State University (WSU). Akelah received her bachelor's degree in Social Work and a master's degree in Educational Leadership Higher Education Student Affairs both from Eastern Michigan University. She is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at WSU, where she will be focusing on a sense of belonging among intersex college students. Akelah has experience in working with diverse student groups and assisting them to graduation. It is her goal to focus on underrepresented populations by providing them with the resources for successful academic and career outcomes. Some of her experiences include, serving as a AmeriCrop member with Big Brother Big Sisters of America, Washtenaw County Michigan Works, and in her previous roles at the WSU with the APEX Scholars program and Warrior 360. Akelah is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. where she serves as the chair for the scholarship committee in her chapter.

In her free time, Akelah enjoys traveling, binging Netflix series, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband and daughter. Akelah hopes to continue her passion for supporting, advocating, and mentoring students, while managing the needs of the diverse student populations.

Jaelyn is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She studied Graphic Communication Systems and currently works at a publishing company in Greensboro, North Carolina. STEM has been a big part of her life and she is always in support of STEM having a presence in underrepresented communities.  Her goal is to pursue freelance design full-time for her freelance business, A Branded Eye, while continuing to form meaningful connections with the people she comes into contact with. Hence, she is looking forward to being a part of the amazing things that are happening with Tribe Consulting, LLC.

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