Current Faculty

Vernon A. Wall, M.A.

Vernon A. Wall has accumulated 20+ years of professional Student Affairs experience at Iowa State University, the University of Georgia, UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Chapel Hill. He has experience in Greek life, new student orientation, student activities, leadership development, global education and university housing. In the spring of 1998, Vernon served as a member of the Student Life Staff with the Semester at Sea program accompanying 600 students on a voyage around the world. Vernon has received several awards for his contributions to the quality of student life, is a nationally known speaker in the areas of social justice and leadership styles and is one of the founders and facilitators of the Social Justice Training Institute. Vernon has written several articles and has co-edited two books on issues of inclusion on today's college campus and currently resides in Washington, DC where he serves as the Director of Educational Programs & Publications for the American College Personnel Association.

Visit Vernon at: http://www.vernonwall.org

Kathy Obear, Ed.D.

Kathy is the President of her organizational development consulting firm, Alliance for Change, specializing in diversity and change management. Earlier in her career she worked in residential life at several colleges including Colorado State University where she coordinated leadership development and educational programming. Since starting her business in 1987, Kathy has given speeches and facilitated trainings at hundreds of universities across the nation. She has published a number of works addressing issues of homophobia and heterosexism on college campuses and universities. She works with human service organizations and corporations to create work environments that respect the diversity of all employees. Some of her clients have included Mass Mutual, Fleet Financial Group, St. Paul Insurance, Big Y Foods, Holyoke Hospital, First Union National Bank, The Department of Mental Health, and The Home for Little Wanderers. Her recent research focuses on helping diversity trainers to more effectively manager emotional "hot buttons" and "triggering" events.

Visit Kathy at www.allianceforchange.com.

Jamie Washington, Ph.D.

Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington serves as the President and Founder of the Washington Consulting Group, a Multicultural Organizational Development Firm out of Baltimore, MD. He is also a senior consultant with The Equity Consulting Group of California, and Elsie Y. Cross and Associates out of Philadelphia. Dr. Washington has served as an educator and administrator in higher education for over 20 years. He most recently served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). He has been an instructor in Sociology, American Studies and Education, and an Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies at UMBC. As a native Philadelphian, Dr. Washington earned his B.S. degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Music from Slippery Rock State College, and a double Masters' of Science degree from Indiana University/Bloomington in Higher Education Administration and Counseling, with a concentration in Human Sexuality. He holds a Ph.D. is in College Student Development, with a concentration in Multicultural Education from the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Washington completed his Master of Divinity program @ Howard University School of Divinity in May of 2004.

Dr. Washington has held leadership positions in ACPA, NASPA, ACHUO-I, MACUHO, MCPA, APA, NGLTF, The Campaign to End Homophobia and the Nation Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum. Dr. Washington is a Lead faculty member with the LeaderShape Institute and the National Certified Student Leader Program, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Golden Key, Alpha Phi Omega, Phi Delta Kappa, education Honorary, and a Life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. He has over 30 years of experience in music ministry, is an ordained minister and currently serves as an Associate Minister at Unity Fellowship Church of Baltimore. Rev. Dr. Washington sees himself as an instrument of change. He works everyday to help people find the best in themselves and others.

Visit Jamie at: www.washingtonconsultinggroup.net

becky martinez

I trust this experience will be exactly what you need in your life’s journey – stretch, feel, connect, do, and “be”.

I am honored to be part of SJTI – what I define as my “light-switch” in my role as a change agent. I continue to learn about the intersections of my identities and the ways those frame my work and my life. Through power and humility, I strive to be my definition of leader – a woman of color living with compassion, integrity, and boundless possibilities in contributing to community and humanity.

becky is an independent consultant and trainer with a focus on social justice, equity, and leadership. She works with organizations seeking to meet shifting demands, resources, and leadership to develop goals, vision, and purpose. Her energy is focused on understanding the current organizational culture, structural barriers, organizational potential, and training needs to meet the needs of the both the organization and its’ members. She believes that while organizations may have a depth of diverse members, there is a great deal of work to create an inclusive environment for members, and it is our responsibility as leaders, regardless of title, to create such space.

She is currently finishing her doctoral coursework in Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne. Her dissertation is focused on the impact of the Social Justice Training Institute on its participants with an emphasis on adult learning, particularly transformative learning, and race, racism, and social justice.

Her career portfolio includes working as an administrator within the California State University, the University of California, and the Colorado State University systems as well as private liberal arts colleges. She is a Social Justice Training Institute alumna, a Lead facilitator for the LeaderShape Institute, a consultant with Elsie Y. Cross and Associates, and a certified counselor-advocate through Peace over Violence (previously Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women). She holds a Master of Science degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the University of La Verne.

Contact becky at www.infinitymartinez.com

Carmen Rivera

Carmen Rivera currently works with the Access Center at Colorado State University as the Director of College Access. She sees her work with programs that are focused on promoting college access to first-generation and low income students as her anchor in her commitment to social justice. She also teaches for the Ethnic Studies department, focusing on Ethnicity in the Media, as well as for the President’s Leadership Program.

She is originally from New Mexico and moved to Colorado for college. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Spanish & Hispanic Studies and then went on to earn her Master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University. She is a faculty member for the Social Justice Training Institute and a lead facilitator for the LeaderShape Institute. Carmen is also a part-time leadership and social justice consultant.

To contact Carmen, please email seerivera@gmail.com.

Samuel R. Offer

"Wow! Challenging! Soul searching! Life changing! These are only a few of the expressions that come to mind when I think of my SJTI experience (2008). This pivotal moment in my life has been one of the most transformative I have ever experienced. I am honored to return as the first apprentice! Though my role is mostly observational in silence, having the opportunity to relive my own journey helps me to see growth and the areas where I can create new learning edges."

Sam serves as a Senior Consultant for the Washington Consulting Group, a Multicultural Organizational Development Firm out of Baltimore, MD. Sam has served as an educator and administrator in education for over 20 years. As a motivational speaker, Sam travels the world advocating social justice and equity for all humanity. He is known for his witty personality, style and love for the work he does. His work includes developing presentations and workshops for colleges, universities and business organizations; developing and implementing curriculum for local religious and community organizations for engaging social justice issues; developing and implementing curriculum for engaging spirituality and religion in the workplace; facilitating group sessions and trainings on topics including leadership, change management and social justice; and providing staff support for team development and effectiveness.

Contact Sam at rayfield90@hotmail.com.

 

Administrative Assistant

Jessica Pettitt, M.Ed.

Jessica Pettitt draws from her rich and varied experiences to conduct specialized professional trainings. Her professional experiences include working in higher educational settings through Multicultural and LGBT Student Services. She has spoken professionally in academic and professional settings, has been a conference keynote speaker, and has even done stand-up comedy! Her expertise encompasses the topics of teamwork in the workplace, change implementation, staff development, group facilitation, cross-cultural communication, white privilege, social justice, intersections of marginalized identities, and specific communities like lesbian, gay, bisexual/fluidity, trans/gender variant, intersex condition, polyamorous relationships, and power dynamics. She specializes in audiences with a low level of knowledge around privilege and LGBT related issues. Jessica attended SJTI 2003 in Northampton, the first SJTI 2, and has moderated the listservs for the past few years for all of the class specific lists and the SJTI-ALL list. Jess has come aboard as the Administrative Coordinator to ask these questions and work through the administrative tasks efficiently as SJTI continues to offer SJTIs, SJTI2s, and the new SJTI student Component.

Additional information on Jessica can be found at: www.iamsocialjustice.com

 

TOP