Courageous Conversations: Leaning in for Change
Presenters Biographies
Sunday, February 6, 2022
“Divisive Concepts:” A Chilling Effect on Teaching History
Nikita Stewart is an assistant editor for Metro at The New York Times and the author of Troop 6000: The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World. She joined The Times in 2014 from The Washington Post.
In 2020, the Newswomen’s Club of New York honored Nikita with the Ida B. Wells Award for Exceptional Coverage of Communities of Color. The organization previously honored Stewart in 2018 for her coverage of homelessness, mental health, and poverty.
She was a contributor to the landmark 1619 Project, writing an essay about how slavery is taught in American schools and including a personal story about Nap McQueen, her paternal great-grandfather, who spoke about his enslavement as a boy with the Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s. Raised in Kentucky and Texas, Stewart also has roots in Georgia where Harrison Gohagen, her maternal third great grandfather, was interviewed by W.E.B. Du Bois for “The Souls of Black Folk.”
She has a B.A. in journalism from Western Kentucky University, where she minored in African American studies. While in college, her first internship was at The Birmingham Post-Herald.
Elizabeth Dubrulle is the director of education and public programs at the New Hampshire Historical Society and the director for the Democracy Project, the Society’s initiative to renew social studies education in New Hampshire schools. She is one of the primary authors of the “Moose on the Loose: Social Studies for Granite State Kids” (moose.nhhistory.org), the new statewide social studies curriculum. Dubrulle is a member of the Civics Roundtable and the NH Coalition for Civic Learning, as well as serving on the boards of the NH Council for the Social Studies and NH Humanities.
Erin Bakkom is President of the Association of Portsmouth Teachers and has taught 8th-grade American history at Portsmouth Middle School for 22 years. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona State University and focused on social sciences in secondary education. Erin has been involved with several projects with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, including the curriculum to accompany the film Shadows Fall North. Erin is also the author of a play written for classroom use on the first effort to integrate the Wentworth-by-the-Sea Hotel following the passage of the Civil Rights Act.3
Moderator: Senator David Watters has worked as a professor of English, teaching American literature, New England studies, and New Hampshire literature and culture at the University of New Hampshire since 1978. Watters is frequently heard on New Hampshire Public Radio as a consultant for Granite State Stories and the Immigration Project. Deeply concerned about preserving our history, culture, arts, and environment, David served eight years as a trustee of the New Hampshire Historical Society, and on the board of directors for the New Hampshire Humanities, the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Pontine Movement Theatre, Strawbery Banke Museum’s Center for the Study of Community, and the Robert Frost Farm. He has visited hundreds of local libraries and historical societies to give talks.
Sunday, February 13
Absented Presence: “They All Died Off” and Other Myths About Native Americans
Paul W. Pouliot has been the Sag8mo or Chief Speaker for the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook and Abenaki People and president of COWASS North America and the Abenaki Nation of Vermont since 1990. Paul is an Indigenous historian, lecturer, Federal Religious Advisor, and a founding member of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. He is also an Affiliate Faculty member of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor and a founding member of the New Hampshire Commission of Native American Affairs.
Denise K. Pouliot is the Sag8moskwa (Female Head Speaker) of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki People and traditional artist. She currently serves on the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs, is a Federal Religious Advisor, and is a founding member of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective. Denise is also an Affiliate Faculty member of the UNH Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor and is the treasurer for COWASS North America and the Abenaki Nation of Vermont.
Kathleen A. Blake is a retired educator of mixed heritage, whose indigenous descendancy is from the Wendat (Huron), Algonquin, and Mi’kmaq peoples. She was previously appointed as Chair for the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs. She is currently serving as an affiliate faculty member of the University of New Hampshire Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor Program, a board member for the Racial Unity Team, and a member of the Dover Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is dedicated to supporting and serving the first peoples of this land.
James Edgell Jr. is Mohawk/Mi’kmaq and Micmac/Newmarket Chick Wabanaki Relation. He is an alumnus of Keene State College and UNH Upward Bound and holds a Master’s degree in Project Management from Granite State College. He is a U.S. Marines Disabled American Veteran. James is a former chief of the NH Intertribal Council, a former Advisor of UNH’s Native American Cultural Association, and is an Information Technologist IV USNH Team Leader.
Anne Jennison is a traditional Native American storyteller and historian. While Anne's storytelling skills have been polished by more than 30 years of experience sharing Indigenous lesson stories with audiences of all kinds, she also believes that her growth and development as a human being has been deeply influenced by internalizing the content of the Northeastern lesson stories that she tells. With Master Degrees in both Storytelling and History, Anne also brings a wealth of cultural and historical knowledge to enrich her retelling of timeless Northeast Woodlands Native American stories. Anne is listed on the New Hampshire Traditional Artists Roster as a traditional Native American storyteller & craftsperson. Additionally, Anne is the current Chair of the NH Commission on Native American Affairs and is also a member of the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, an affiliate faculty member for the University of New Hampshire Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Minor, and a co-creator of the "People of the Dawnland" interpretive exhibit about the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH.
Moderator: Svetlana Peshkova is a socio-cultural anthropologist and a scholar of Islam. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Anthropology, Core Faculty in Women’s and Gender(s) Studies Department, and a Coordinator of Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor at UNH. Her research interests include Gender and Islam; Feminisms in post-Socialist space; Decolonialism; Muslim women leaders; Islamic education; Transnational Islamic Movements; Gender in Central Asia, and Indigenous History of New Hampshire. Svetlana holds BA and MA (1995, 1996, Linguistics) from Pyatigorsk State University in Russia; MA (1999, Theological Studies) from Candler School of Theology at Emory University (Atlanta, GA); MA (2001, Television, Radio, and Film) from Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY); and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies and Ph.D. (2006, Anthropology) from Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY). Svetlana is the author of Women, Islam, and Identity: Public Life in Private Spaces in Uzbekistan, and several theoretical and ethnographic articles and book chapters about Muslim women leaders, Islamic education, identity, social movements, and reproductive health
Sunday, February 20
The Myth of The Model Minority
Pawn Nitichan is the Executive Director of City Year New Hampshire and a Vice President of City Year Inc. Under her leadership, City Year New Hampshire has more than tripled its service capacity and developed a widely recognized culture of idealism. The organization consistently provides high-quality service to kids and communities as reflected in numerous awards including ten Best of City Year Awards (City Year National’s highest recognition) and the NH Charitable Foundation’s Dunfey Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. Pawn serves on the boards of Reaching Higher New Hampshire and Manchester Proud. She is a member of the Governor’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council.
Sam Hyun a public speaker and racial justice advocate has committed his life to public service, particularly to amplify the voices of Asian Americans who are marginalized in American politics. After his college graduation, Sam worked for five years as a legislative aide for Massachusetts House Speaker Robert De Leo, accompanying and preparing him for meetings and events, and eventually overseeing De Leo’s foreign affairs portfolio. In these roles, he learned about government and policy from the inside. Sam is a graduate of Allegheny College and Newton High School. He is currently earning a Master's of Public Policy/MBA ‘22 at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University
Sandeep Bikram Shah works for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation as senior program officer for the Monadnock region, charged with managing the Foundation’s grantmaking and working with donors and nonprofits in the region.
Sandeep came to the Foundation from the New Hampshire Department of Education, where he worked to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities. He coordinated clinical and community-based research projects in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania — where he also received Master’s degrees in public health and in social work. He worked in the banking industry in California, for a nonprofit serving refugees in Philadelphia, and spent some time at the Philadelphia Foundation, doing an internship in both philanthropic services and grant-making. He has lived in Nepal, Australia, and the U.S and speaks Nepali, Hindi, and English.
Moderator: Delia Konzett is a Professor of English, Cinema Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies, and is part of the Global Racial and Social Inequality Lab at the University of New Hampshire. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She is the editor of Hollywood at the Intersection of Race and Identity (Rutgers University Press, 2019)
Sunday, February 27
The Lingual Divide: ¿Y Tu Abuela Donde Esta?
Andres Mejia is a longtime University of New Hampshire employee and was recently named the first Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) for a New Hampshire K-12 public school district. Mejia most recently served as a program manager with the Carsey School of Public Policy’s New Hampshire Listens. He continues to serve as a Fellow with NH Listens and will provide guidance to the civic engagement group on its school- and youth-based programs. Mejia is also a 2018 graduate from the Carsey School’s Master in Community Development program.
Shantel Palacio is the Principal Advisor at Urbane Advisory and a consulting partner at the Perception Institute. She has served as both a project manager and chief advisor to governmental leaders and spent nearly ten years executing both mayoral and chancellor’s initiatives at NYC’s Department of Education. Additionally, she consults public and private entities on education policy and on implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Shantel is also passionate about combating low expectation stereotypes in her hometown, Brownsville, and founded Brownsvillain LLC. Her work featured on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2018. She was awarded the Independent Film Project’s 2019 Documentary Fellowship for co-producing Million Dollar Block, which examines the institutions of public housing, public education, and the criminal justice system through the eyes of its residents. Last October, she was invited by GQ Japan to publish an article about her community in its first-ever Global Edition.
Palacio earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Bryant University, a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of New Hampshire.
Wildolfo (Will) Arvelo
is Executive Director of Cross Roads House, Portsmouth. Formerly the president of Great Bay Community College from 2007 to 2017, Dr. Arvelo most recently served as Director of the Division of Economic Development for the state of New Hampshire. Additionally, Dr. Arvelo is founder and chair of the Business Alliance for People of Color (BAPOC) and Economic Vitality New Hampshire (EVNH), and during 2020-2021 held DEI forums for New Hampshire leaders. Dr. Arvelo has served New Hampshire and the Seacoast communities on numerous boards. Currently he serves on NHSPCA, NH Learning Initiative (NHLI), and the National Center for Competency Based Learning (NCCBL). Dr. Arvelo was recently named in the January 2022 issue of Business NH Magazine as one of ten “New Leaders You Should Know”. In 2012 the Portsmouth Chamber named him Citizen of the Year for his work in creating collaborative relationships between Great Bay Community College and Seacoast businesses and communities.
Dr. Arvelo received his BA in History, MS in Public Administration, and Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. In 2018 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Granite State College.
Moderator: Dr. Larissa Ruiz Baia brings 20 years of higher education experience to her work as President of Lakes Region Community College (LRCC). She began working at LRCC in July of 2012 as Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management. Prior to LRCC, she worked in higher education administration at both private and public institutions. Dr. Baía has also been an adjunct instructor in Comparative Politics and International Relations writing and collaborating on various articles and book chapters.
Dr. Baía serves on a variety of committees and boards, including the Belknap Economic Development Council, the Granite United Way, and the NH Charitable Foundation. Some of her professional interests are in the areas of student success, equity and inclusion, workforce pathways, adult learners, and immigrant and refugee advocacy.
Dr. Baía received a Bachelors in Economics with a minor in Latin American Studies from Brandeis University, a Masters in Latin American Studies, and a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Florida. She was a first-generation college student, proudly born on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to Dominican parents.
Sunday, March 6
Conflicted by Race: Family Structures & Racial Identities
Gene Martin serves a dual campus role in development and government relations. He works to build relationships with alumni, parents, friends, and community leaders to make a difference in the lives of Plymouth State students, so they may attain a first-class educational experience and achieve their dreams In addition, to his development role, he advances the goals and priorities of the University at the federal and state levels by working with our NH Congressional Delegation, state-level leadership, and national and state organizations.
Elizabeth Lahey is a transracial adoptive parent, who lives in Concord with her wife and young daughter.
Professionally, Elizabeth is an attorney and currently works in private practice. She was previously the director of the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Reaching Higher New Hampshire, 603 Legal Aid, and the New Hampshire Endowment for Health Race and Equity Series Advisory Council.
Sharon Tarleton is the second child of mixed-race parents and grew up on the seacoast with her older sister. They often traveled to visit her mother's relatives in Virginia every year during the holidays. After graduating from UNH, Sharon remained in the area working in education & with local non-profit organizations. As the broader US demographic continues to shift, Sharon has found that some challenges such as which race to select on forms have begun to dissipate. Options such as "two or more races", "multiracial" or the ability to make more than one selection have begun to populate the most widely used forms. That said, Sharon has often found this to be a seemingly subtle yet consistent reminder of being different. In the words of MLK Jr., 'Unity has never meant uniformity. This is one example of why Sharon has sought out professional work which helps to break identity barriers. Whether they be related to education, social status, race, or any other identity continuum."
Moderator: Anthony Poore is an Executive Change Agent and Consultant who serves on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Finance Authority, New Hampshire Endowment for Health, and the Currier Museum of Art. He has 30 years of experience in the community economic development sector and has worked as a community organizer, economic development practitioner, academic, workforce housing and public health advocate, policy analyst, researcher, and executive addressing the needs of New Hampshire’s urban and rural communities through participatory cross-sector collaborative processes in support of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable communities.
Poore is the former executive director of New Hampshire Humanities, a National Endowment for the Humanities funded state affiliate. His leadership allowed New Hampshire Humanities to be recognized as a center of humanities excellence, and leader in New Hampshire’s nonprofit sector known for its accessible, innovative, and inclusive programming, effective and efficient allocation of resources, cross-sector collaborative partnerships, and strong financial performance.
Sunday, March 13
Shades of Black: Connected by Color, Culture & Community
Deo Mwano is a social impact innovator whose work is focused on education, technology, business, community, and individual development. His unique talents and experiences make him highly versatile and adaptable to working with different types of individuals and organizations.
Deo earned his BA in International Relations and History and an MBA in Strategic Leadership. He has worked for the Federal Government/State Department, non-profits, educational institutions, and tech startups- EdTech and IOT Security/Management. His honors include being named as an emerging leader to 40 Under 40 in New Hampshire in 2016 and being a graduating member of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2017. Working with organizations nationally and internationally, Deo is a sought-after speaker, program designer, community builder, and performer.
Today, Deo runs his own Consultancy Firm, DeoMwanoConsultancy.com. Deo Mwano Consultancy offers multi-discipline services -- speaking, training, creating engaging empowerment content, leading workshops for businesses and nonprofits, and school integration performing and visual arts to ignite audience participation and ownership. A gifted performer and presenter, Deo connects with others through dance and motivational speaking. His talents have been welcomed at Yale University, NHPR’s Word of Mouth, The Moth storytelling at GCIR annual event, TEDxAmoskeagMillyard, Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), Politics and Prose, which emphasized the importance of global and social awareness.
Selina Choate is Associate Director McNair Program, University of New Hampshire, Manchester, New Hampshire. Selina Choate earned her B.A. in Psychology and later went on to obtain a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Hampshire (UNH). She has worked for the university’s Office of First-Year Programs for six consecutive years and served as the Liberty Mutual Sponsored Diversity Network Program for five years. Prior to working at UNH, she served as a Staff Assistant and Outreach Representative in Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter’s constituent services office. Selina brings a wealth of knowledge from the non-profit industry. She served on two state boards and served as the Treasurer for the Manchester NAACP, unit 2069. She is a past co-chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of People of Color, an advisor for NALA, the support group for women of color at UNH, and the advisor for Delta Xi Phi, Multicultural Sorority, Inc.
Dottie Morris is Associate Vice-President for Institutional Diversity and Equity at Keene State College. She serves on the president’s cabinet, providing support and direction to the executive, academic, student affairs, advancement, and finance and planning divisions of the college.
Nadine Petty is Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President for Community, Equity, and Diversity at the University of New Hampshire. Having spent her early formative years in Jamaica, Dr. Nadine Petty comes to UNH with an international lens. Nadine has over twenty years of experience in educational settings and has devoted herself to a wide range of diversity and social justice causes and endeavors which include teaching cultural ethnography in college classrooms, serving on and leading various diversity-related committees and boards, creating and strengthening services for individuals with marginalized identities, and providing numerous interactive diversity and social justice workshops and trainings to students, colleagues, and community members. Prior to arriving at UNH, Nadine served as Executive Director of the Center for Diversity and Enrichment at the University of Iowa.
