Ignacio Barrenechea, PhD Student, Community Well-Being
Ignacio is a third-year PhD student in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami. He has been an educator for more than fifteen years. As a researcher, Ignacio is interested in the intersection between education and well-being. The focus of his research is to enhance theory, policy, and practice related to systems, beliefs, processes, and practices that impact personal, organizational, and collective well-being within education. His dissertation is focused on understanding the relationship between the current high-stakes accountability systems in the United States, and teachers autonomy.

Leigh Rauk , PhD Student, Community Well-Being
Leigh is a third-year PhD student in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami and is a member of the Engagement, Power, and Social Action (EPSA) research team. She moved to Miami, Florida from Michigan where she completed her bachelor degree in Social Work from Michigan State University. Her research interests are in fighting for social justice and inclusivity in the United States Educational system, with a specific emphasis on the school-to-prison pipeline and juvenile justice. She is passionate about the positive impact that inclusive policies and strength-based programing can have on society competence and social justice related to populations marginalized due to race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

Andrea Botero, PhD Student, Community Well-Being
Andrea is a first year PhD student in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami and recently completed her Master‚Äôs degree in Community and Social Change at the University of Miami. She has 8+ years of experience in the nonprofit and educational fields, managing financial and human resources, and leading teams. Her research interests are related to Non-Profit Industrial Complex (NPIC), social problems framing, and systems change. She was the Project Coordinator of the evaluation of the Live Healthy Community Partnership initiative from November of 2017 to July of 2019. Currently, Andrea is the evaluation team lead for the Live Healthy Little Havana initiative and the EPSA Research Team Coordinator.

Kativon Makary, PhD Student, Community Well-Being
Kativon is a first-year PhD student in Community Well-being and recently completed her bachelors in Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Kativon has experience researching critical consciousness development among anti-racist organizers, and engaging with refugee and immigrant-run organizations. Her research interests involve the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, collective empowerment, and critical race theory. She is generally interested in involving communities as co-researchers that collaborate on problem definitions and solutions.

Courtney A. Berrien, PhD Student, Community Well-Being
Courtney A. Berrien is a first-year PhD student in Community Well-being and she completed a Master of Arts in Teaching at the University of Puget Sound. Currently, Courtney is the Associate Director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives at Barry University in Miami, where she oversees community partnerships and co-curricular programs. She served as program director for the Miami affiliate of the National Federation of Just Communities where she worked as a diversity trainer and developed inclusion and social justice programs for adolescents, university students, educators, and community leaders. Courtney has provided training and consultation for k-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and community organizations in the areas of diversity and inclusion, and curriculum design and assessment. A former international educator, Courtney founded and coordinated community engagement programs for International Baccalaureate Diploma schools and community organizations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and North America. She worked closely with Sudanese, Palestinian, and Afghani refugee communities to develop curricular and co-curricular community service programs, and subsequently earned a certificate in International Refugee Law from the American University of Cairo. She has served on the boards of several community organizations.

Scotney D. Evans

Assoc. Professor

University of Miami

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