SOLD OUT S24 J.E.D.I Summit: No Turning Back: Sustaining Progress Toward Equity and Inclusion

 Dean Postmus

Neijma Celestine-Donnor, JD, LCSW-C

Keynote Speaker: Jeremy Young, PEN America

This presentation will give an overview of the history and implications that anti-DEI legislation and educational gag orders have on higher education and diversity, equity, and inclusion work across disciplines.

Learning Objectives: 

1. To understand the historical foundations of anti-DEI legislation and educational gag orders.
2. To understand how the current legislation impacts higher education, particularly social work education, and the overall profession.
3. To evaluate how practitioners and organizations are navigating/adapting their DEI work during the backlash.

This panel aims to discuss anti-DEI narratives, their implications for DEI practitioners and other professional disciplines, and effective strategies for moving forward.

Learning Objectives: 

Learning Objectives:

1. To explore and understand the current climate and its impact on the field of DEI in higher education and across disciplines.
2. To identify and discuss successes as well as common challenges faced by DEI partitioners
3. To identify anti-DEI narratives and how to combat them in educational and professional spaces
4. To illustrate effective strategies for sustaining social justice and DEI work for social workers, DEI practitioners, and other disciplines.

Moderator

Neijma Celestine-Donnor, JD, MSW

Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives University of Maryland School of Social Work

Neijma (she/her), JD, MSW, LCSW-C is the Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Social Work. In her role, Neijma leads the school’s diversity and anti-oppression efforts and helps guide the achievement of a new standard for inclusive excellence. She also guides and supports the school's strategic initiatives and serves as a key collaborator with the Dean of the School. As a member of the Dean’s leadership team, Neijma has a strategic position responsible for promoting and enabling an inclusive environment for faculty, students, and staff while championing organizational change. She is a proud graduate of University of Maryland’s School of Social Work and University of Baltimore School of Law.

Panelist

Tara Berrien

 Assistant Vice President, Fair Practices Officer and Title IX Coordinator Office of Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Morgan State University

Tara has been a licensed attorney for almost 23 years! Starting as a litigator, she realized that she is so tender hearted and interested in equity that a pivot to DEI work was necessary. Embarking on her 4th year at Morgan, Tara has learned a lot, is ready to learn more, and keeps Morgan at the forefront of DEI as it ascends to Research 1 status.

Dr. Jasmine A. Lee, MSW, PhD

Vice President for Equity and Inclusive Excellence Goucher College

Dr. Jasmine A. Lee is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice scholar, practitioner, trainer, and coach. She is Vice President of Equity and Inclusive Excellence at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. More than anything, Dr. Lee wants people to know that she believes in the world-changing power of radical love and belonging in the academy.

M’Balu (Lu) Bangura

The Office of Equity and Fair Practices Chief of Equity and Fair Practices Enoch Pratt Free Library

Lu Bangura is an experienced and award-winning Civil Rights Advocate, Executive Leader, and DEI Professional. She considers herself the "Inequity Eliminator". As a first-generation American & college graduate, Lu uses her personal & professional life experiences to inspire innovation, acceptance, & understanding. She has extensive experience in DEI strategic planning, professional development, and crisis management. Lu is currently the Chief of Equity and Fair Practice for a major library system; prior to this role, she was the first Equity Specialist for Baltimore City and spearheaded equity and human rights initiatives for the City of Tacoma. Lu’s unwavering commitment to community building has earned her recognition on the International Human Rights Commission's 2019 Human Rights Defenders Almanac, Maryland's 2020 Top 40 VIPs list, Maryland's 2021 Top 40 Leading Women list, The Library Journal’s 2023 Movers and Shakers list, and The Baltimore Sun’s Top 25 Women to Watch list.

Jeffrey R. Ash, Ed.D.

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion The Universities at Shady Grove (USG)

Jeffrey R. Ash is currently The Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) for The Universities at Shady Grove (USG). Prior to assuming the CDEIO position, Dr. Ash was the Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion, and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) The School of Nursing. During his tenure at the School Nursing, The organization was recognized and the recipients of Insight into Diversity, highly acclaimed, Healthcare Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award five consecutive years, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. In his role, Dr. Ash served as the primary advisor to the Dean and senior leadership on all diversity and inclusion issues within the School of Nursing. Dr. Ash currently serves on the Board of Trustee’s at The Green House Project, and Broadmead Senior Living. Dr. Ash has published The Changing Face of Academic Nursing: Nurturing Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity Journal of Professional Nursing (JPN) and a chapter “Dimensions of Diversity” in the Ronch, Weiner text, Person Centered Elder Care (2013). His academic background includes: Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics, from Towson University, Master of Science Degree in Human Resources Management from University of Maryland, University College, and a Doctoral Degree in Urban Educational Leadership, from Morgan State University.

Christopher S. Beegle, MSW, LCSW-C

Director of Clinical Services the Center for Restorative Change UMB School of Social Work

Christopher S. Beegle is the Director of Clinical Services at The Center for Restorative Change, is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Christopher has over 15 years of experience in direct services including as a teacher in Massachusetts and as a social worker in child welfare in Maryland. He has served as the director of Family Connections Baltimore, a voluntary program that collaborates with families to address their emergency needs, navigate systems, and focuses on healing and power building. Christopher has directed and managed the evolution of service delivery at Family Connections, embedding anti-racist and anti-oppressive service-delivery approaches to the existing models of Family Connections (FC), Grandparent Family Connections (GFC), and Trauma Adapted Family Connections (TA-FC). Christopher is a facilitator and curriculum developer of the SHARP framework, leading the implementation efforts in human service systems across the state of Maryland, including Baltimore City Department of Social Services. He remains focused on evolving human service systems, especially child welfare, to address racism and oppression as part of a trauma responsive system.

This panel aims to discuss the importance of dialogue in an increasingly polarized world and identify effective ways that dialogue helps us bridge differences to create more authentic and connected spaces for everyone.

Learning Objectives:

1. To increase knowledge and understanding around dialogue and its importance to sustaining social justice and building inclusive spaces.
2. To identify best practices for handling difficult dialogue effectively in personal and professional spaces.
3. To describe how professionals and organizations can utilize dialogue to improve connections and create an inclusive organizational culture.

Moderator: Julia Scott - Assistant Director of EDI Programs University of Maryland School of Social Work

Julia Scott (she/her) is the Assistant Director of EDI Programs in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Social Work. In her role, she develops diversity and inclusion-focused education, programs, and events for the SSW faculty, staff, students, and local community. Locally, Julia also works with Baltimore Racial Justice Action (BRJA), which works with individuals and organizations to fight against racism & other forms of institutional oppression. With BRJA, she serves as an Advisory Board Member, Primary Trainer, and 13th of the Month Event Co-Coordinator. Her interest revolves around using Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppression frameworks to approach community building and leadership programming. She is a proud graduate of Morgan State University.

Melissa Zieve - Senior Director for Program, Scholarship, and Operations Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies

Melissa Zieve currently serves as Senior Director for Program, Scholarship, and Operations at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS), following decades of experience in local social justice, religious, and education communities. As a community organizer, she brings a relational, connection-centered approach to her nonprofit leadership and strategic thinking. She is passionate about bringing people together to learn more about each other and to find value in their differences. In addition to her work with ICJS, Melissa is currently an active leader in BUILD - Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development, where she sits on the Strategy Team and strives to build a better Baltimore. She is also an active member and past-President of Bolton Street Synagogue and has shared her experience and insights about board leadership with others across the country as a mentor and coach through the Union for Reform Judaism. Much of her current work focuses on helping people to dialogue across difference.

Ariya Hayes-Lawson

 Clinical/Macro MSW Student

Ariya Hayes-Lawson is an Advanced Year student at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work, pursuing a dual Clinical/Macro concentration with a specialization in Behavioral Health. Prior to arriving at the School of Social Work, Ariya spent four years working in undergraduate admissions, partnering with high schools and community organizations across several metropolitan cities on the East Coast and in the Midwest to create more equitable pathways to admission for Black and brown students, and those who are first-generation and low-income. Beyond this professional role, Ariya also spent time in partnership with youth and community leaders as a Community Advisory Board member for an organization that uses youth-led restorative practices to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Her work with youth within and across both spaces has influenced her orientation to social work and her belief that youth-centered and community-led action should frame how we address the carceral systems embedded in our schools and neighborhoods. At the School of Social Work, Ariya engages with groups across different roles in ongoing conversations about systems of inequality and the impact they have on our work. As she continues to develop her social work praxis, Ariya intends to leverage her field experience in a Baltimore City Community School and at Family Connections Baltimore, a community-based agency, to build power and partnership with community members to better effect change and disrupt these inequitable systems of racism and power.

Dr. Samantha Fuld

Clinical Assistant Professor University of Maryland School of Social Work

Dr. Samantha Fuld (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (SSW). Her professional focus has been the incorporation of critical-social models of understanding ableism in social work education and practice, promoting a trauma-informed neurodiversity-affirming lens to assessment and clinical service provision. Dr. Fuld teaches in both the foundation and advanced curricula and is currently co-chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion curriculum committee at the SSW.

Rosemary Ferreira

Associate Director Intercultural Center University of Maryland, Baltimore

Rosemary Ferreira serves as the Associate Director of the Intercultural Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Through this role, she develops programs and initiatives that support historically marginalized and excluded students. Driven by her own experiences as a first-generation working-class student of color, Rosemary has served as an educator and scholar-practitioner in Baltimore and D.C., her hometown of New York City, and her parent's homeland of the Dominican Republic. Rosemary earned her M.Ed. in Student Affairs from the University of Maryland, College Park and her B.A. in Environmental and Urban Studies from Bard College.