IARSLCE is committed to building an Association that is rooted in equity and inclusion, and reflects the diversity of our memberships’ identities, perspectives, methods, practices, roles, and sectors. We invite members to use this election to ensure that the Board reflects the equitable and inclusive Association we are building. Please review the following biographies and cast your ballot by October 31, 2025.

Please see below for the full list of nominees, and scroll down to read their biographies and candidate statements.

2025 Board Nominees

Member-at-Large

Allison Walker (Wake Forest University)
Dan Richard (University of North Florida)
Deborah Tyndall (University of North Carolina Wilmington)
Doug Strahler (Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania)
Heather Fields Stern (Suffolk University)
Elizabeth Quansah (Auburn University)
Kenneth Schwartz (Tulane University)
Mac Benavides (Kansas State University)
Sandra Sgoutas-Emch (University of San Diego)
Thomas Dahan (Rutgers University)

Global Member

Berta Paz Lourido (University of the Balearic Islands)
Grace Ngai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Isabelle Lys (Australian Catholic University)
João Elton de Jesus (Catholic University of Pernambuco)
Karen Venter (University of the Free State)
Phinu Mary Jose (India but now in US?)
Renee Hector Kannemeyer (Stellenbosch University)

Partner Organization

Emily Phaup (Campus Compact)

Allison Walker (at-large)

Director of Community Partnerships and Experiential Learning
Wake Forest University (USA)

  • As Director of Community Partnerships and Experiential Learning, Allison identifies, develops, and maintains strategic partnerships to support community-based experiential learning at Wake Forest University. As the director of the ACE (Academic Community Engagement) Fellows program, Allison consults with faculty on strategies to design and execute service-learning courses and research, integrating student learning and community voices to engage diverse stakeholders in place-based initiatives. Allison’s poems and photography have appeared in numerous literary journals and her recent scholarly work in the Community Literacy Journal, The Journal of Writing Analytics, The Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics, and the edited collection, Teaching Writing in the Health Professions. Her research interests include narrative medicine and empathy studies.

  • My decade-plus scholarly trajectory in SLCE centers on empathy-driven, trauma-informed pedagogies that prioritize authentic community partnerships over extractive academic practices. As Managing Editor of Catalyst, an emerging SLCE journal, and current member of the Scholarship and Publication Committee, I bring deep editorial expertise and field-building vision to board leadership.

    My research focuses on critical reflection practices that disrupt traditional power dynamics in SLCE. Publications in The Community Literacy Journal, Teaching Writing in the Health Professions, and ongoing contributions to North Carolina Campus Engagement demonstrate sustained scholarly impact, and as an IARSLCE Practitioner-Scholar Community member, I embody the organization's commitment to bridging theory and practice.

    Recent presentations at IARSLCE (San Diego 2024; Durban 2025), Engagement Australia (2025), and Campus Compact (2025) and my contributions to Andy Furco's research agenda showcase my international perspective and conference planning experience. My LifeLines program, serving pre-K-12 students and memory-impaired seniors for over a decade, exemplifies community-centered research generating measurable outcomes.

    At Wake Forest University—an IARSLCE Alliance institution—I'm uniquely positioned to strengthen membership development and institutional partnerships. My experience leading our Carnegie Community Engagement classification process, combined with expertise in awards assessment through grant review work, positions me to contribute meaningfully to Awards and Recognition initiatives while advancing IARSLCE's mission of rigorous, reciprocal scholarship.

Berta Paz Lourido (global)

Associate Professor
University of the Balearic Islands (Spain)

  • Dr. Berta Paz Lourido is an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Spain, distinguished by an interdisciplinary background that includes Physiotherapy, Pedagogy, Bioethics, Audiovisual Communication, International Cooperation, and a Ph.D. with a European Distinction. Her research investigates Service-Learning (SL) as a catalyst for policymaking and institutional change towards more inclusive and sustainable universities. She leverages Service-Learning in physiotherapy to link community engagement with Planetary Health. She has been the driving force behind the SL unit at the UIB. She is the recipient of the First Prize in the I UIB Transition Agenda Awards (2025).

  • Dr. Paz Lourido is a SLCE scholar, a founding member of the Spanish SL Association, and a manager of the European Association for Service-Learning in Higher Education (EASLHE). Her governance work includes directing the European Service-Learning Public Declaration and co-authoring Guidelines for the Institutionalization of SL, for which she was instrumental in taking these policies to scale across Europe. She is an advisor to the Spanish quality agency ANECA on framework projects for civic responsibility and SL institutional policy structures. She has served on IARSLCE's Scholarship & Publications Committee and was an active participant in the Global Research Agenda forums and analysis meetings. With transdisciplinary expertise in the Health Sciences, diverse academic fields, and K-12 education, she is an advocate for a broad, inclusive research agenda. She is skilled at acquiring resources and building networks nationally and internationally.

    “I am seeking a leadership role to help advance IARSLCE's mission by bridging global research with tangible policy outcomes. My experience—from Founding Committee Member of the Spanish SL Association to managing European organizations (EASLHE)—equips me to translate our shared vision into action and fiscal sustainability. I am committed to providing the leadership needed to ensure our research informs global practice and achieves measurable change.”

Dan Richard (at-large)

Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of North Florida (USA)

  • Dan Richard is a Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, USA, and Co-Director of the Florida Data Science for Social Good program. He received his PhD in Experimental Social Psychology and Quantitative Methods from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. His primary research interests focus on lay-epistemology, research methodology, data science, and transformational learning. His SLCE research focuses on the transformative power of community engaged learning and research. He partners with non-profit and public serving organizations to advance and transform their capacity to do public good with data-driven and human-centered decision-making.

  • For me, community engagement feels like coming home. I became involved in community engaged teaching and research through experiential learning as a university professor. I recognized the transformative power of shifting from working FOR the community to working WITH the community. My early work in SLCE involved helping graduate students in psychology learn research methods and statistics through data analysis projects in support of non-profit organizations. I have since investigated the long-term impact of SLCE among college alumni, exploring how “dialogue across difference” and reflective practice impacts civic-minded professionals. More recently, I helped spearhead the Florida Data Science for Social Good internship program, which develops data science products in support of and in collaboration with non-profit and public serving organizations. The community of practice I experienced through IARSLCE has been a tremendous support from the beginning of my journey with SLCE, and I want to give back. I have served as section co-editor and editor of the IJRSLCE journal and have served on the IARSLCE Conference Committee the past two years. It is my joy to continue to support the work of our scholar-practitioners through Board leadership and participation in scholarly writing circles connected to the emerging global research agenda.

Deborah Tyndall (at-large)

Associate Professor
University of North Carolina Wilmington (USA)

  • I have 30 years of nursing experience and hold a PhD in Nursing Science. Community engagement is the prevailing theme of my career and a defining feature of my nomination for the Board of Directors. As a community-engaged scholar, my work exemplifies authentic, reciprocal partnerships where community members are central to every phase of research. This commitment is reflected in co-delivered presentations with partners at national and international conferences, joint success in securing external grant funding, and co-authored peer-reviewed publications that advance community impact and strengthen the scholarship of engagement.

  • My academic career began with teaching undergraduate courses on service-learning and leadership, where I initiated and sustained a five-year community-academic partnership to create service-learning opportunities for nursing and K–12 students to support global health initiatives in Guatemala. My current research advances youth mental health equity by integrating school nurses into school-based suicide prevention programs. Specializing in community-engaged research, I have spent more than a decade initiating and maintaining sustainable partnerships with underserved, rural K–12 public schools in North Carolina. As Lead Faculty Fellow, I led the development and evaluation of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s inaugural 2025 Community Engaged Scholars Academy. I serve as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship and have received competitive funding from the Engaged Scholarship Consortium and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to support my community-engaged work. I would also bring governance and event leadership experience from four years on the Sigma Theta Tau International, Beta Nu Chapter Board, where I organized induction ceremonies and fundraising activities. My leadership experience also includes organizing health fairs for K-12 schools.

Doug Strahler (at-large)

Associate Professor
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (USA)

  • Dr. Doug Strahler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Sport Management at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (SRU) with experience in digital media production, instructional technology, and leadership. His teaching and research focus on strategic communication, digital media, instructional technology, inclusive design, and community engagement. During his 16 years at SRU, he has organized several community-engaged learning projects, served as the Service-Learning Faculty Fellow, and continues to serve as a community engagement faculty associate. He also serves as a co-facilitator for the IARSLCE Practitioner Scholar Community and Campus Compact’s Mid-Career Learning Community.

  • My commitment to community engagement guides my teaching, scholarship, and service, and I’m eager to bring this perspective to the IARSLCE Board. At SRU, I’ve served as a community-engaged learning faculty fellow, facilitated our CEL FLC, and developed an advanced Community of Practice. Within IARSLCE, I completed the Practitioner-Scholar Community (PSC) in 2024 and co-facilitated in 2025 and 2026. Since 2023, I have contributed to the conference planning committee, reviewed proposals, and volunteered at the 2023 & 2024 conferences, gaining knowledge of IARSLCE and the conference.

    Beyond IARSLCE, I co-facilitate Campus Compact’s Mid-Career Learning Community and completed its Community Engagement Professional Credentialing program, where I was recognized as one of only four Certified Community Engagement Professionals. My scholarly activities include research in CEL, a recently published book chapter, and a co-authored paper on a CE FLC model, which reflects my commitment to advancing engaged scholarship. I’ve also served as the conference planner (2017) & president (2018) for the New York State Communication Association.

    I hope to contribute to the Board by offering a faculty perspective and drawing on my experience with faculty development and collaborative leadership, as well as represent the PSC to support IARSLCE’s mission and the growth of community-engaged scholarship.

Heather Fields Stern (at-large)

Asst. Professor of Practice / Executive Director
Suffolk University (USA) / The Mama Project (South Africa)

  • Heather Fields Stern, EdD, is Assistant Professor of Practice in Theatre at Suffolk University and Executive Director of The Mama Project. Her research focuses on transformative learning, arts-based research, and community engagement to advance access to higher education for marginalized women in South Africa. With professional roots as a Broadway stage manager, regional theatre manager and arts leader, she brings expertise in arts administration, participatory research, mentoring, and social justice in the arts, centered on integrating creative practice with community empowerment and inclusive education.

  • I am a scholar-practitioner whose work bridges service-learning, community engagement, resource development, and event planning in academic and community contexts. As Executive Director of The Mama Project, I lead an international initiative advancing access to the arts and higher education for under-resourced women in South Africa, blending arts-based research with sustainable community impact. My scholarship on transformative learning through community arts both informs my participatory research and shapes my commitment to mentoring students and faculty in engaged, equity-driven scholarship.

    My decades of professional experience as a professional theatre manager and event leader—on Broadway and at nonprofit organizations—have given me in-depth skills in managing large theatre productions, galas, arts events, and community projects. These experiences showcase my strengths in logistical planning, inclusive team leadership, and resource development. As a new member of IARSLCE, my experience attending my first conference in Durban was truly wonderful and inspired me to seek a larger role within the organization. Through my faculty and committee service, I live for collaboration, resource-building, and transformational leadership grounded in sustainable community impact, which I am eager to bring to the Board and the Association.

Elizabeth I. Quansah (at-large)

Director
Office of Outreach Global, Auburn University (USA)

  • Dr. Elizabeth I. Quansah earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and College/University Teaching Certificate from Auburn University, and an MBA in Management from Indiana University. She is the Founding Director of Auburn University Outreach Global, which advances international engagement, service-learning, and community development. Dr. Quansah has created and led global service-learning programs in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, serving thousands through education, healthcare, and capacity-building initiatives. A recipient of UPCEA’s 2020 International Leadership Award, she has presented widely on global education and continues to advance cross-cultural learning and engagement through innovative outreach programs and partnerships.

  • Dr. Elizabeth Quansah is a scholar-practitioner dedicated to advancing global service-learning and community engagement through innovative and engaged programming. As Founding Director of Auburn University’s Office of Outreach Global, she has developed and implemented numerous service-learning programs across Africa, Europe, and the Americas, engaging students, faculty, and international partners in projects that integrate education, healthcare, and community development. Her work emphasizes accessible, hands-on global learning opportunities for all students, particularly those unable to afford traditional study abroad programs.

    Quansah has led major community initiatives such as the Global Community Day Festival, the GlobalConnect Camp, and Fulbright in the Classroom, all of which bring global education and cultural awareness to K–12 audiences and local communities. She has extensive experience in event planning, resource development, and grant acquisition, securing funding from the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou, the Alabama Office of Minority Affairs, and other organizations.

    Dr. Quansah contributes to national conversations on international service-learning, capacity building, and higher education engagement. Her global perspective, leadership in university-community partnerships, and commitment to accessible, experiential learning uniquely position her to strengthen IARSLCE’s mission and support the Association’s continued growth and global reach.

Emily Phaup (partner organization)

Senior Manager, Professional Development
Campus Compact (USA)

  • Emily Phaup is the Senior Manager of Professional Development at Campus Compact. She holds a PhD in Science and Math Education, Free-Choice Learning, from Oregon State University. Her research focuses on institutional support for community-engaged faculty and graduate education in service-learning and community engagement (SLCE). Emily previously chaired the Graduate Student Network of IARSLCE and now co-chairs its Special Programming Committee. Emily’s previous experience includes supporting community-engaged learning for a consortium of five liberal arts colleges in the Pacific Northwest, leading 4-H youth development programs in Oregon, and volunteering extensively with local nonprofit organizations.

  • As an emerging scholar-practitioner in the SLCE field, my scholarship includes several publications in IJRSLCE, one under review with JHEOE, and multiple manuscripts in development. My research explores institutional support for community-engaged researchers, feminist theoretical perspectives, methodologies in SLCE doctoral research, and community engagement within small liberal arts colleges. Earlier work examined frameworks and practices in positive youth development (K–12) programming. I also serve as a reviewer for IJRSLCE, JHEOE, and JCES.

    I bring extensive experience in academic event and conference planning, having held leadership roles in organizing the Campus Compact national conference, national Extension conferences, and environmental education conferences, as well as serving on committees for IARSLCE and ESC conferences. In my current role as Senior Manager of Professional Development for Campus Compact, I design and coordinate national-scale professional development offerings for colleagues across the SLCE field.

    As an IARSLCE Board member, I would bring the perspective of an emerging scholar closely connected to graduate student voice with experience designing and delivering professional development offerings for our field. I look forward to continuing to serve as Special Programming Committee Chair, IARSLCE representative to the Dissertation Dish Committee, and contributor to conference planning and community-building efforts.

Grace Ngai (global)

Head and Associate Professor
Service-Learning and Leadership Office, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China)

  • Grace Ngai received her ScB (Honors) at Brown University in Engineering in 1994, and her MSE and PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1996 and 2001. She joined the Department of Computing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2002. Her disciplinary research interests are in the human side of computing – human-computer interaction, affective computing, and computer science education. Her commitment to altruism and experiential learning led her to service-learning, and her contribution has been instrumental in shaping PolyU’s service-learning programme. She is currently head of the Service-Learning and Leadership Office and associate professor at the Department of Computing.

  • Dr. Grace Ngai has extensive experience in service-learning program development and research. At The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), she has been instrumental in shaping one of the most comprehensive service-learning programs in Asia. As the founding chair of the committee for program quality assurance and the current head of the Service-Learning and Leadership Office, she helped build a program that engages 5,000 students annually, including 2,500 involved in international projects. Her contributions have earned recognition through awards such as the University Grants Council Teaching Award (2016), PolyU’s Times Higher Education “Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year” Award (2020), and multiple QS accolades.

    Grace is also a dedicated researcher. A recent survey article (Yahaya & Nadarajah, 2025) cited PolyU as one of the top 20 most influential institutions in service-learning over the past decade, with Grace named among the top 10 most prolific authors. She actively promotes scholarship in Asia as a member of the editorial board of IJRSLCE since 2020 and by organizing conferences to nurture regional research.

    Grace’s program leadership, research expertise, and commitment to fostering a global perspective on service-learning would bring valuable insights and strengths to the IARSLCE Board and its mission.

Isabelle Lys (global)

Senior Lecturer
Australian Catholic University (Australia)

  • Dr Isabelle Lys is a faculty/academic staff member at Australian Catholic University (ACU), School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences. As an ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students and staff, and local communities, Dr Lys advocates for Indigenous Knowings in Health and Biomedical Sciences (HBS). She has experience in teaching and research in both Community Engagement (CE) in HBS disciplines and in HBS courses. She completed De La Salle University Uniservitate Service-Learning Course (2022) and is a co-facilitator of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement Practitioner Scholar Committee (IARSLCE PSC) online course.

  • I am committed to working with communities to lead/develop Community Engagement/Service Learning (CE/SL) curriculum/projects that are inclusive, reciprocal and evidence-based. As a non-US board member, I can contribute towards the development and dissemination of CE/SL research at all levels of the education system locally and internationally. I completed the IARSLCE PSC online course (2024) and I am currently co-facilitating this course with colleagues in the US. Together with all PSC co-facilitators, we were invited to present on the work of PSC at an international conference in Sydney this year. My involvement in Australian Scientists in Schools government program means I regularly work with local communities and schools, particularly rural/remote and low Socio-Economic Status (SES) K-12 schools, to develop sustainable STEM programs, and to deliver curriculum/activities and projects in global citizenship and Indigenous Knowings in science. As a board member, I can contribute towards strategic leadership, inclusive agenda-setting and fostering scholarly communities of practice that advance knowledge and justice. I represent not only Australia, but I also represent voices of various communities within Australia, and in neighbouring countries to advocate and to ensure equity and equality for everyone so that anyone can attain access to education and research globally via CE/SL.

João Elton de Jesus (global)

Professor
Catholic University of Pernambuco (Brazil)

  • João Elton de Jesus is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP), where he also serves as Extension Coordinator and professor in the Humanities domain. He holds a master’s degree in Religious Studies and has extensive experience in community-based education, spirituality, and youth engagement. His research focuses on Service-Learning, integral education, indigenous and decolonial philosophies, and social transformation in higher education. His work connects academic practice with community partners, emphasizing ethics, belonging, and democratic participation in Latin American educational contexts.

  • I have devoted my academic and professional work to advancing Service-Learning and community engagement as transformative pillars in higher education. As Extension Coordinator at UNICAP, I lead institutional initiatives that integrate teaching, research, and social commitment through curricular Service-Learning projects across multiple disciplines. My work emphasizes reciprocity, ethics, spirituality, indigenous knowledge, and democratic participation in partnership with local communities.

    Since 2020, I have been actively involved in the Uniservitate program, which has strengthened my engagement with international networks and the articulation of Service-Learning within Catholic and Jesuit institutions. Being part of a Jesuit university allows me to contribute to greater involvement of institutions connected to AUSJAL and IAJU. I currently collaborate with the AUSJAL University Social Responsibility Committee, which provides a strategic platform to expand the reach of Service-Learning in Latin America.

    Although I am not yet fluent in English, I believe I can enrich the Association by amplifying other languages and voices—especially Portuguese and Spanish—which are essential for greater global participation and inclusion.

    I can help increase the involvement of Latin American universities within IARSLCE, fostering intercultural dialogue and strengthening the Global South perspective. My strengths include collaborative project development, strategic planning, and connecting academic practices with community needs. I am committed to promoting broader geographic representation and deeper engagement of Jesuit and Latin American institutions in the Association’s mission.

Karen Venter (global)

Assistant Director and Head of Service Learning in the Directorate of Community Engagement
University of the Free State (South Africa)

  • Dr. Karen Venter is Assistant Director and Head of Service Learning in the Directorate of Community Engagement at the University of the Free State, South Africa. Her research focuses on advancing the quality assurance of service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) through an integrated praxis approach. Her doctoral research produced the WHOLE model, designed to enhance flourishing in professional development and strengthen higher education–community partnerships. Dr. Venter leads SLCE capacity development at her university and is passionate about cultivating innovative, contextually grounded approaches to engaged scholarship that transform learning, research, and community engagement.

  • My passion for service-learning and community engagement lies in building bridges—between theory and practice, higher education and community, and across global contexts. My scholarship is grounded in my PhD, An Integrated Service-Learning Praxis Approach for the Flourishing of Professional Development in Community Higher Education Partnerships, through which I designed the WHOLE model to advance SLCE quality assurance. I lead capacity-building initiatives for staff and students at the University of the Free State, embedding reflection, reciprocity, and innovation into institutional practice.

    My IARSLCE journey began in 2016, when I attended the annual conference to interview service-learning pioneers such as Andrew Furco, Tim Stanton and Carol Ma, whose work profoundly shaped my own. Reconnecting with these scholars at the 2025 conference affirmed my belief in IARSLCE as a scholarly home that values both rigor and relationships.

    If elected to the Board, I would bring an international perspective, a commitment to transformative pedagogy, and experience in program development and evaluation. I am particularly interested in supporting the Conference Planning, Membership and Resource Development, and Scholarship and Publications committees, advancing inclusive, collaborative spaces where engaged scholars can thrive and share impactful work across diverse contexts.

    I am honored that Professor Andrew Furco, whose work has deeply influenced my own scholarship, has endorsed my nomination for the IARSLCE Board. His encouragement reflects the shared commitment we hold to advancing rigorous and relational approaches to service-learning and community engagement worldwide.

Kenneth Schwartz (at-large)

Executive Director of the Phyllis Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking
Tulane University (USA)

  • Ken Schwartz, serves as Executive Director of the Phyllis Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University, where he holds the Michael Sacks Chair in Civic Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship. Previously Dean of Tulane School of Architecture (2008-2018), he joined the university shortly after Hurricane Katrina and transformed the school's funding profile, raising nearly $25 million including securing a $15 million endowment gift from Mrs. Taylor in 2014. His research interests focus on social innovation, civic engagement, and sustainable design thinking. With extensive nonprofit board experience and proven strategic planning skills, Schwartz has positioned the Taylor Center as a leading force in social change initiatives, building strong partnerships throughout New Orleans and beyond while preparing for leadership transition in 2026.

  • Ken brings exceptional scholarly leadership and resource development expertise to the IARSLCE Board. As Executive Director of the Taylor Center for Social Innovation since 2014, he has built a thriving university-wide center focused on social and environmental change, managing 12 faculty and 4 staff members while establishing strong community partnerships throughout New Orleans.

    Schwartz's scholarly activities center on civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, and design thinking. His transformative leadership at Tulane School of Architecture (2008-2018) included launching innovative programs in community engagement and sustainable design. He has demonstrated exceptional resource development skills, raising nearly $25 million for the School of Architecture and securing the $15 million Taylor Center endowment gift, transforming a program with virtually no fundraising capacity post-Hurricane Katrina.

    His strengths include extensive nonprofit board experience, strategic planning expertise, and proven ability to build collaborative partnerships. As an IARSLCE member who attended the Durban conference, he brings direct association experience and enthusiasm for the organization's mission. With his upcoming transition from executive leadership in 2026, Schwartz offers increased availability and commitment to advancing IARSLCE's goals through his expertise in fundraising, organizational development, and community engagement initiatives.

Mac Benavides (at-large)

Assistant Professor
Kansas State University (USA)

  • Dr. Mac T. Benavides is an assistant professor in the Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University (K-State) in the United States. He earned his Ph.D. in leadership communication along with graduate certificates in conflict resolution and qualitative research from K-State. His academic and professional background are in the field of education at both the PK-12 and higher education contexts. As a community-engaged scholar, Mac’s teaching, research, and practice center around global and domestic community-based learning; reciprocal partnerships in community-driven sustainable development; leadership education; and creating inclusive and equitable learning environments at institutions of higher education.

  • Mac is actively involved in scholarship on service-learning and community engagement, primarily focused on elevating the voices of community partners regarding their experiences in collaborations with academic institutions. He is also involved with the Community Based Global Learning Collaborative, where he serves on the Knowledge Mobilization Action Team. Mac’s dissertation was awarded the 2022 IARSLCE dissertation of the year award, and he has presented at the last three annual IARSLCE conferences. Current scholarly projects he is working on include the validation of a developmental model that can inform learning-based interventions for sustainable development, a theory-to-practice-to-theory framework that illustrates the boundary-spanning opportunity of community engaged scholarship, and methodological innovations for engaging across lines of epistemological and disciplinary difference. Mac has professional experience in event planning, including work in university recruitment and student programming. He also completed undergraduate degrees and student practicum experiences in the K-12 education context.

    Statement from Mac: Thank you for considering my nomination for service on the IARSLCE Board. I am willing to stand for Board election.

Phinu Mary Jose (global)

Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock (USA)

  • With and MBA and a Ph.D. in management-teaching marketing and entrepreneurship.

    Published in the areas of Service Learning as a pedagogical tool.

    Presently employed at a Non Profit www.uucsr.org) in New York, helps bring Social Justice issues to the forefront of my research and scholarly interests.

  • The icing on the cake in my scholarly journey has to be the publication of a co-authored Chapter in Routledge! Apart from that a lot of my interests in research on service learning and community engagement has been through case studies and chapters in books and conference presentations. The opportunity to volunteer on various committees in IARSLCE has being very rewarding in strengthening relationships between institutions and scholars in this space. Helping organize Annual Conferences and Awards Committee work in IARSLCE has earned me lasting friendships and the Special Programming Committee's work is closest to my heart. Contributing to curating sessions, participating in them and leading discussions has been very educative and promising with the objective of spreading the word to Higher Education spaces outside the US.

    I was responsible to shape the service learning network at Christ University, Bangalore, India in my position as the Director of the Centre for Social Action. I also partnered with other institutions, community partners in South East Asia specifically to further the interests of the Academic fraternity. My keen interest in community partnerships and ability to transition from academic leadership to community projects helped apply concepts to core projects on the ground.

Renee Hector Kannemeyer (global)

Deputy Director: Social Impact and Transformation (seconded to the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest, AVReQ)
Stellenbosch University (South Africa)

  • Renee Hector-Kannemeyer is Deputy Director for Social Impact and Transformation at Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and a PhD candidate whose research explores racial repair and institutional transformation through critical psychology and autoethnography. Her work bridges Education as Repair, the Lückhoff Living Museum restitution initiative, and the transatlantic network of Universities as Reparative Institutions. Grounded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, she advances a relational and justice-centered approach to community engagement, linking local contexts of historical repair with global collaborations that challenge inequity, invites repair and rebuild trust between universities and communities. She also serves as a reviewer for the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement.

  • Renee Hector-Kannemeyer’s scholarship and practice are animated by Ubuntu the understanding that our humanity is bound together in relationship. Her approach to community engagement foregrounds justice, repair, and collective belonging, embodying IARSLCE’s mission to advance equity-centered research and practice in service-learning and community engagement.

    At Stellenbosch University, she leads the Lückhoff Restitution Initiative, a community-university partnership addressing the spatial and historical injustices of apartheid through educational collaboration and memorialization. This work, guided by the Advisory Committee on the Restitution Case Study chaired by the University’s Vice-Rector, reimagines education as a site of reconciliation and repair.

    Her leadership extends nationally and globally. She serves on the SCAN Steering Committee, a network bridging community, academia, and industry for social innovation—and she is currently coordinating together with Durban University of Technology and University of North Carolina, a Transatlantic Advisory Structure on Universities as Reparative Institutions, a global body linking South Africa to Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut and the University of Mississippi. This initiative aims to connect scholars across continents to study how higher education can serve as a reparative force in society focusing on identity restoration, healing and belonging as a result of the wounding of the Transatlantic slave trade.

    Renee advances critical and inclusive scholarship in the field. Her inclusion on the IARSLCE Board would strengthen the Association’s global reach and bring an Ubuntu-informed African perspective to its justice-centered mission. Her practice also draws from the African tradition of sharing circles, where knowledge is co-created through listening, reflection, and communal storytelling. Within these circles, narratives of loss and repair become pedagogies of belonging. Through this lens, Renee’s work transforms engagement into an act of collective remembering and mutual becoming.

    As a PhD candidate, she cultivates scholarship that bridges epistemic worlds, affirming the power of story as a transformative practice through which the IARSLCE community can deepen its global commitment to justice, equity, and repair.

Sandra Sgoutas-Emch (at-large)

Professor of Neuroscience and Senior Faculty Advisor USD Mulvaney Center
University of San Diego (USA)

  • Sandra Sgoutas-Emch is a professor and former director of the Center for Educational Excellence at the University of San Diego. She has been with the university since 1992 and is a senior faculty advisor with the Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness, and Social Action. Her research includes the scholarship of teaching and learning, engaged scholarship and stress management. She has published chapters and articles on community engagement and presented workshops on various topics in this area. She was the recipient of many awards including Woman of Impact, Distinguished Faculty, and a national finalist for the Thomas Ehrlich Engaged Faculty Award.

  • Dr. Sgoutas-Emch is a member of IARSLCE and other organizations associated with community engagement (CE). At USD, as director of the Center for Educational Excellence, she worked closely with the Mulvaney Center for Community Awareness and Social Action to create programming to help promote community engagement (CE) teaching and scholarship. As a faculty member in a STEM discipline, Sandra has implemented community engaged teaching and worked with K-12 schools to co-create projects around health and wellbeing. She understands the need to expand CE work to more STEM disciplines and has worked with organizations such as NSF, PKAL and the Society of Behavioral Medicine to advocate for engagement work.

Thomas A. Dahan (at-large)

Assistant Teaching Professor
Rutgers University School of Nursing-Camden (USA)

  • Thomas A. Dahan earned his PhD from the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Rutgers University Camden in 2019; his dissertation, Community Effects of Service Learning, was recognized by IARSLCE as the dissertation of the year. Dr. Dahan is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden and the director of the Rutgers Camden Public Health AmeriCorps, which has enrolled over 100 nursing students and community members to address social determinants of health in Camden, NJ, since 2022. His scholarly interests include improving the rigor of research on service learning and community engagement.

  • I am seeking nomination to the board of IARSLCE to support the professional and scholarly community that has been integral to my own scholarly formation. As a second-year PhD student, I presented a paper drafted in my quantitative methods class at the 2015 IARSLCE convening in Boston, and it was later selected for publication (personal first!) in the 2016 volume of IJRSLCE. As a member of the Graduate Student Network, I represented the network on the association’s conference planning committee in 2019. That year, I was recognized for my dissertation’s contribution to the field. From 2019 through 2022, I served as the treasurer for the AERA SIG41: Experiential Education and Community Engagement. Since 2022, I have led an AmeriCorps program that integrates national service experiences into course-based learning opportunities for students in our school of nursing and places community members in opportunities to serve alongside the service-learners enrolled in the program to address social determinants of health in their neighborhoods. In addition, I am my school’s biostatistician and support colleagues’ efforts by conducting statistical analyses and reviewing manuscripts and presentations for accuracy. I look forward to your support to bring my unique background and talents to the leadership of IARSLCE.