Phyllis Slade Martin established Slade&Associates, LLC, an organizational consulting and training company. With over 20 years of experience working in higher education. Slade Martin brings a wealth of skills as a trainer, administrator, and program manager. Known for her strong organizational skills and creativity, Slade Martin has developed numerous programs from conception to completion.

For ten years she served as the first director of the African American Studies Research and Resource Center, and the associate director of African American Studies at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia. She continues to serve as the director of the Advanced Placement Summer Institute sponsored by the GMU Center for World History and the College Board. While at George Mason University Slade Martin was a mentor in the Dream Catcher's program, which was a partnership with the Fairfax County Public Schools. She received the GMU Spirit of King Award in 2003.

Slade Martin recently co-wrote a brief biography and research guide titled, "William Sheppard: Virginian and Congo Crusader," with the support of a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH). She co-curated an exhibit based on oral history research titled, "Separate and Unequal in Buckingham County: Segregation and Desegregation in Virginia." Funded in part by the VFH, the exhibit is now permanently housed in Buckingham County, Virginia.

Slade Martin is a board member of the Literacy Council of Prince George's County, Maryland. She holds masters degrees in History and College Student Personnel Administration, and is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in History at George Mason University.

Specialties:

• Program Management and Development

• Training Sessions and Seminars

• Community-based Educational Initiatives

• Oral History

Jody L. Allen, a native of Hampton, VA, is a doctoral candidate in history at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. African American history is her area of specialization including women, the Jim Crow Era, and school desegregation. Her dissertation considers the consequences of the 1902 Virginia constitution revisions that led to the disfranchisement of most African Americans and many poor whites. She is also currently working with a colleague to produce "The Green Light," a documentary on the school desegregation case, Charles C. Green v. the School Board of New Kent County, VA. This little-known 1968 Supreme Court decision led to the integration of public schools throughout the South. She has co-authored "Recovering a 'Lost' Story Using Oral History: The United States Supreme Court's Historic Green v. New Kent County, Virginia, Decision" which will appear in The Oral History Review.

Specialties:

• Oral History

• Research Methods

• Personnel

Cassandra Jones brings more than 12 years in higher education. She has professional experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, program evaluation, and program planning. Ms. Jones is currently the Senior Assessment Associate at Marymount University. She has held previous positions at George Mason University and Tufts University.

Ms. Jones received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in Organizational Learning from George Mason University, a master's degree from the University of Virginia in Counselor Education and is currently a doctoral candidate at James Madison University in psychology with a specialty in Assessment and Measurement.

Specialties:

• Program Evaluation

• Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

• Organizational Learning

Dr. Terell P. Lasane, Associate Professor Psychology, joined the faculty at St. Mary's College of Maryland in the Fall of 1994. Dr. Lasane completed his undergraduate work in Psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a minor in the Allied Sciences. At Howard, he was a member of a research honors program where he crystallized his ambition of becoming an academic psychologist. After graduating from Howard, he was the recipient of prestigious fellowships from the American Psychological Association and from the University of Delaware. He enrolled at the University of Delaware in the Fall of 1990 and received a Masters of Arts and a Ph.D.

During the Fall of 1996, he won the Capital Area Social Psychological Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award. Trained as a social psychologist, Dr. Lasane teaches Social Psychology, Lab in Social Psychology, Research Methods, Statistics, Psychological Perspectives of African-Americans, Group Dynamics, The Self and Identity in Social Behavior, and Intimate Relationships. He has remained actively engaged in his research program and has published over two dozen peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and published technical reports.

Dr. Lasane has extensive experience in community psychology for both state and county governments in the state of Maryland. He has done considerable consulting for local and state governments, evaluating and conducting needs assessments for important social programs. He was named the Maryland Psychological Association's Teacher of the Year in 2000, and has received the Faculty Service Award from the Student Government Association (SGA), the St. Mary's College of Maryland Parent's Council Award for Inspirational teaching and was elected to Who's Who Among American College Teachers. He was the first faculty member elected to the St. Mary's chapter of the leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa, and he is currently faculty adviser to that honorary.

He also serves as faculty adviser to the Black Student Union, the Multicultural Achievement Peer Program, and is the chair of the Multicultural Advisory Committee. Dr. Lasane recently accepted a hybrid position as Assistant Dean of Students for Diversity and Academic Engagement. He divides his time between the Student Activities Office of the Campus Center and his faculty office in the Psychology Department.

Christina Martin has over three years of experience working with diverse populations in educational settings. She is currently teaching in Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the nations most ethnically, racially, and economically diverse areas. For the past two years, Martin has taught with the Commonweal Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting educational programs such as literacy clubs geared towards struggling students.

Travel abroad experiences have prompted Ms. Martin to work extensively with English as a Second Language learners. She has also had opportunities to work with special education groups in a variety of settings.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Human Studies from St. Mary's College of Maryland. In 2005, she completed a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.

Specialties:

• Education Specialist

• Training

• Customer Service

Izetta Slade has been with the University of Tennessee since July 1999.
She is the Training Administrator for the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service, overseeing training programs and certifications for Tennessee municipal employees. Prior to working with MTAS she was the Assistant Director for UT Employee and Organizational Development with primary responsibility for office operations, mediation, strategic planning, and development and presentation of training programs.

Having worked in both the public and the private sectors, she has 10 years of strategic planning facilitation experience, 23 years of management and supervisory experience, and 30 years of training experience. She has over 15 years of experience with higher education institutions; Howard University in Washington, D.C., University of Maryland in College Park, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Texas A&M University in College Station, and The University of Tennessee. Immediately preceding her move to Knoxville, she worked at Texas A&M University for 5 years where she was the Assistant Director for Human Resources.

Izetta received her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina and her M.S. in Education at Texas A&M University. During her stay in Texas she also received formal training in mediation. She is currently pursuing a PhD. in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee.

She has guest lectured on topics such as conflict management, performance evaluation, challenges of dual career couples, building supportive work environments, diversity, and strategic planning and has served as an instructor in the UT College of Communication and Information Sciences. She has helped in the strategic planning efforts of a number of Colleges, departments, and teams. She has also worked closely with administrators, supervisors, department heads, and Deans in resolving employee conflicts, including actual mediation.

Izetta has experience working with businesses and local government agencies in providing strategic planning, facilitation, event planning, consulting, and training services. She has been a presenter at national, regional, and state conferences for professional associations among them; the Colleges and Universities Professional Association-Human Resources and the Tennessee Association of Municipal Clerks and Recorders.

Specialties:

• Training Sessions and Seminars

• Strategic Planning Facilitation

• Workplace Relationships

• Leadership and Supervisory Coaching, Consulting, and Training

  
  

Marian V. Wilson, Ph.D. is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equal Opportunity for the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). At UMMS, Marian's focus is on creating a culture that is inclusive and that values a civil workplace.  Prior to coming to Massachusetts, Marian was the Acting Dean of the Corporate and Community Services (workforce development) division at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.  While at Cincinnati State, Marian was initially the Director of Multicultural Affairs and then was promoted to the Director of Organizational Development and Institutional Equity.  She has also worked at several other colleges and universities for the last 22 years.  Marian earned her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Educational Administration Policy Studies.  Marian's professional training is in communications with an emphasis on conflict resolution and mediation.  Her career has been focused on developing and enhancing organizational cultures that include: work readiness, diversity, civility, fairness, equity and justice.