Community Leadership Faculty – Office of Professional Programs

Sally J. Scott, Ph.D. | Graduate Program Director
Ph.D., International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
M.S., Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
B.A., American Studies, Yale University

Sally J. Scott has worked for over 30 years in community development, initially in West Africa, then in Maryland and Iowa. As a foundation program officer and a nonprofit executive director, she has led collaborative, multi-sector initiatives to bolster neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing. In the Baltimore area, Sally has partnered with grassroots, multi-neighborhood, citywide and regional organizations. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on civil society and community development, and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland.

As Director of the M.P.S. in Community Leadership, Sally leads an interdisciplinary program that draws on the teaching and research strengths of UMBC, and helps students build collaborative leadership skills as well as strong connections to local nonprofit organizations.

Ciara Christian, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy and Culture, UMBC
M.A., Applied Sociology, UMBC
B.A., Political Science; Howard University
Graduate Assistant, Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging

Ciara Christian explores digital media platforms, specifically podcasts, as spaces for knowledge production, identity formation, and organizing for Black identity, Black feminism, and Black thought more broadly. Ciara came to UMBC in 2016 as a Shriver Peaceworker Fellow for the Applied Sociology graduate program and to continue the spirit of her Peace Corps experience (Rwanda ‘13-’15) in service to UMBC’s campus. Through the many partnerships and connections forged through her graduate assistantships across campus, Ciara has found meaning and fulfillment in working to help cultivate a sense of belonging for herself and others at UMBC. Outside of campus, Ciara enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, and sharing quality time with friends and family. Ciara is a very proud alumna of Howard University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. As a part of the i3b team, Ciara serves as one of the co-leads of the INTERACT Dialogues series and co-instructs the Social Justice Dialogues FYS102 Course.

Tom Coale, J.D. | Adjunct Faculty
J.D. Georgetown University Law Center
B.A. Political Science; Lycoming College

Tom Coale is an attorney with the law firm of Talkin & Oh, LLP. His practice concentrates on affordable housing, land use, and zoning. Mr. Coale has served on numerous nonprofit and government boards and commissions, including the Howard County Charter Review Commission, the Ellicott City Master Plan Committee and the Maryland Comptroller’s “Reform on Tap” Task Force. Mr. Coale serves on the Board of Trustees for the Maryland Science Center, the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership, and the Steering Committee for the Howard County Housing Affordability Coalition. He lives with his wife and three children in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Candace Dodson-Reed | Adjunct Faculty
E.M.L., McDonough School of Business Georgetown University
B.A., English, UMBC

Candace Dodson-Reed serves as the Chief of Staff to the President and Executive Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion at UMBC. Candace previously worked as the Assistant Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at UMBC, a Vice President at the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Deputy Chief of Staff/Director of Constituent and Community Affairs for Howard County Government. In 2012, while working at Howard County Government, she founded the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County, an advocacy group that connects members of the local Black community. Candace also co-hosts, Elevate Maryland podcast, with Tom Coale. Candace serves as Vice Chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights – Maryland State Advisory Committee, on the American Forests Board, on the Maryland Hospital Association Board, on the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Board, and on the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County Advisory Committee. Candace graduated from UMBC with a B.A. in English and received Executive Master’s in Leadership from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. She also graduated from the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and completed Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program. She is the very proud mother of a college senior.

Denise Griffin Johnson| Adjunct Faculty
M.S., Family Counseling; Coppin State University
B.S. Biology; Coppin State University

Denise has extensive experience in Human Services, supporting both family and community life. She has developed program policies, procedures, and practices to empower, enlighten, and support family well being. She practices the philosophy that organizations and institutions can play a major role in supporting family life, which supports community life. Denise also has over twenty years of organizing experience, addressing housing, homelessness, infant mortality, and culture. In 2008 she co-created CultureWorks and developed the CultureWorks Cultural Organizing Practice with a focus in West Baltimore. As Executive Director of the Arch Social Community Network, her practice and messaging have expanded across many national groups. Denise received a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Family Counseling from Coppin State University.

Charlotte Keniston | Adjunct Faculty and Associate Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program
M.F.A., Intermedia and Digital Arts, UMBC
B.A., Houghton College

Charlotte came to Baltimore in 2011 to participate in Peaceworker and pursue an M.F.A. in Intermedia and Digital Arts at UMBC, where she completed a thesis on the intersection of art, food systems, and social justice. She remained in Baltimore as an Open Society Institute Fellow and later ran community food programs at Paul’s Place, a non-profit in Southwest Baltimore. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, Charlotte served in San Sebastián Huehuetenango, Guatemala from 2008-2010, helping to form women’s groups organized around gender equity and rural community development. Charlotte has taught classes at UMBC in Food Systems, Photography, and Public Art in the Visual Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies programs. Currently, Ms. Keniston is a doctoral student in the program of Language, Literacy, and Culture, studying participatory visual research methods and social change. Charlotte helps to organize the UMBC campus Digital Storytelling initiatives and is active in the International Digital Storytelling community. She lives in NW Baltimore County with her partner Arnold and their children Cole and Greta.

Jasmine Lee, Ph.D.| Adjunct Faculty and Director for Inclusive Excellence and Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging
Ph.D., Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University
M.S.W., University of Michigan
B.A., Social Work, Eastern Michigan University

Dr. Jasmine Lee works with staff and students to create inclusive campus environments through direct programming, strategic student success initiatives, and collaborative leadership, along with consultation for racial climate concerns and broader diversity issues for faculty and staff across campus. In addition to her work at UMBC, Jasmine works with universities, non-profit organizations, and faith-based communities to provide engaging opportunities for community members to further develop their leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion knowledge, awareness, and skills. She has collaborated with various national organizations including the National Academic Advising Association, American College Personnel Association, the Residential College Symposium, and the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. Jasmine completed her Ph.D. in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program at Michigan State University. Her research focuses broadly on Black college student experiences, social justice, and theory-to-practice methods for higher education professionals. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor’s of Social Work from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. Beyond work, Jasmine is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, and an avid traveler. She has a deep belief in people and possibility. She seeks to find joy in everyday life, and values time with friends and family – especially her super cute twin nephew Kamran! More than anything else, she believes that she is always capable of learning, growing, and evolving. Within her role at i3b, Jasmine co-created the INTERACT Dialogues, IDEAL Training and Facilitation Programs, and co-instructs the Social Justice Dialogues FYS102 Course.

Lauren Mauriello, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Public Policy, UMBC
M.Ed., James Madison University
B.S., James Madison University

Lauren Mauriello is the Assistant Director for Residential Student Conduct at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she has worked since 2013 overseeing residential student conduct and residential assessment initiatives. Prior to 2013, Lauren worked in residential life and student conduct at George Mason University and James Madison University, where she also received a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel Administration. Lauren received a Ph.D. in Public Policy, specializing in Education Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research interests include restorative practices in higher education and in community settings.

Kaleigh Mrowka, Ph.D. | Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy and Culture, UMBC
M.S., Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, SUNY Buffalo State
B.A., Speech Communication, Ithaca College

Kaleigh Mrowka currently serves as an Assistant Director for Student Engagement for the University Honors Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In her role, she coordinates student engagement and co-curricular learning for the largest honors living-learning program at UMD. Prior to her current role, Kaleigh worked at UMBC overseeing residential areas for first- and second-year students and co-coordinating the restorative residential curriculum. She holds a B.A. In Speech Communication from Ithaca College, a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from SUNY Buffalo State, and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture from UMBC. Her professional and research interests center around the development and maintenance of healthy and equitable communities through the use of restorative practices, relational research methodologies, integrative learning, and intergroup dialogue. She has presented regionally and nationally about living-learning programs and the integration of restorative practices into residential communities within higher education.

Samantha Novak | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Whole Systems Design, Antioch University Seattle
B.A., Philosophy, York College of Pennsylvania

Sam has worked in a diversity of fields and positions across networks and nonprofits, education and entrepreneurship. In all her endeavors over the last 15 years, she’s maintained a commitment to cultivating community and leadership at the intersections of social, environmental, and economic justice. She currently applies her skills in learning design, facilitation, coaching, and organizational culture craft to foster relational change, encourage emergent strategies, and develop adaptive leaders. Sam is graduate faculty at UMBC, Co-founder and Co-Director of Loam (a social change organization), a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab Program, and a 2022 Baltimore Weaver Award Nominee. In academia, Sam has received awards for National and Community Service, Excellence in the Humanities, and Leadership in Social and Environmental Justice. As an educator and facilitator, Sam strives to illuminate the wisdom of living systems. She is passionate about practicing our way into a future that is begging to remember that we are nature. And she invites us all to be more human, together.

Michael A. Sarbanes | Adjunct Faculty
J.D., New York University School of Law
B.A., M.A., Oxford University
B.A., Princeton University

Michael Sarbanes currently teaches physics at Green Street Academy. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Sarbanes’ work has focused on strengthening communities on behalf of children and families. He has served as an attorney with the Community Law Center, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Deputy Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and as Executive Director of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA) from 2003 to 2008.During his tenure at CPHA, Mr. Sarbanes focused on inclusionary housing, transportation improvements, enhancing drug treatment, and strengthening community capacity. In 2008 Mr. Sarbanes was appointed Executive Director of Engagement for Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools). He was responsible for engaging partners, parents, families, and community organizations in support of City Schools, as well as all internal and external communications for City Schools. During this period, City Schools dramatically expanded its engagement of families and communities, including a broad-based mobilization resulting in over $1 billion for new school construction. Mr. Sarbanes also was lay co-chair for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Michael has been active as a coach, mentor, church, and community leader.

Kate Scherr-Adams | Adjunct Faculty
M.A., Nonprofit Management, Millersville University of PA
B.A., Social Work, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Kate Scherr-Adams has over two decades of experience managing programs and projects in the nonprofit sector. Kate’s strong passion for helping organizations achieve their missions led her to launch KS Solutions Consulting, a consulting firm focused on people and planning, in 2011 after 15 years of working for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Her background in Social Work (BA) and Nonprofit Management (MA) informs her consulting work with a wide variety of clients from those with a national presence to those that are local in Baltimore. She supports her clients and at the same time learns from them in every interaction. She continues her education in areas of wellness and change management to further her support clients. Kate is an active community volunteer leading Civics Club with middle school students, serving on Friends of Herring Run Park board and volunteering regularly in her community. She lives in Baltimore City with her husband and pup, where she has resided for over 20 years. She is originally from Columbia, MD, a unique community, which continues to play a large part in her values and perspective.

Meghann Shutt | Adjunct Faculty
M.P.P., Public Policy, University of Maryland Baltimore County
B.A., Sociology, New College of Florida

Meghann Shutt is a native Baltimorean who is passionate about supporting the work of nonprofits, visionaries, and big-hearted doers who are motivated to improve their communities. Meghann started Bridge Consulting, a grant writing consulting firm, in 2017, where she raised over $4m over two years for Baltimore nonprofits focused on workforce development, the arts, and transitional housing. She has taught and supported graduate students as the Assistant Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program at UMBC, adults at the Baltimore City Department of Social Services as the Chief Learning Officer, and in her current role as Senior Associate at Steele Strategies. Meghann is a proud alum of New College of Florida (B.A. Sociology) and UMBC (MPP). She lives in Baltimore City, and can be found exploring art, stoop sitting with friends, or traveling with her family.

Joby Taylor, Ph.D. | Affiliate Faculty
Ph.D., Language, Literacy and Culture, UMBC
M.A., History of Religions, Missouri State University
B.A., Philosophy, Conception Seminary College

Joby Taylor came to Baltimore as a Peaceworker Fellow in 1999 and liked the program and the city so much that he has proudly stayed on, becoming program director in 2003. Joby was born and raised in Miami, Oklahoma, a small town that is also home to eight Native American nations. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon, Africa (91-93) helping build an elementary school in the village of Seka Seka, and, as all RPCVs soon find, he learned much more than he gave along the way. Joby’s involvement in service and service-learning has included other construction projects in the U.S. and the Caribbean, but also much work with youth, particularly at-risk and special needs youth. Academically Joby received his B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in Religious Studies, and completed his Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Language Literacy and Culture program. His dissertation is titled: Metaphors We Serve By: Critical and Constructive Play with the Discourses on Service. Joby lives in Baltimore City with his wife Beth and their two girls, Isabel and Katherine.

Lane Victorson | Adjunct Faculty
M.S.W., University of Maryland
B.A., Philosophy, Fort Hays State University

Originally from the great state of Kansas, Lane Victorson moved to Baltimore when he was awarded a fellowship from the Shriver Center Peaceworker Program at UMBC. He has worked in community practice to help people help themselves for over 25 years, in contexts ranging from service corps, to central neighborhoods, to neighborhood schools. Lane is a Clinical Faculty Instructor at the University Of Maryland School of Social Work, where he earned his Master’s in Social Work. In addition to teaching macro courses including community organizing, community economic development, and social planning, he serves as Director of Community Organizing in the Social Work Community Outreach Services office, directing new site developments for field-based learning, and coordinating the Neighborhood Fellows Program and Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program, which recruit, engage, and excite students about the important world of community-based practice and the need to develop future leadership in this field.

Jessica Wyatt | Adjunct Faculty
M.F.A., Community Art, Maryland Institute College of Art
B.A., Beloit College

In both teaching in the classroom and working in community, Jess Wyatt (she/her) uses an asset based approach, facilitating experiences that allow for discovery and utilization of participants’ unique individual and collective power.Through creating and sustaining transformational relationships, Jess facilitates the co-creation of a just future in community with others. A lifelong organizer of people and student of life, Jess joined the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute in the summer of 2017 as a faculty member. Since joining, she has been a member of the team working to build structure for the Institute to become more accessible by creating clear avenues for new leadership, new efforts and to allow anyone who would like to have a clear relationship to the ABCD Institute and the ABCD Community.

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