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Society for Experiential Education (SEE)SEE Fellows 2022-2024
Elisa Avila is the Experiential and Service-Learning Coordinator at Texas A&M University – San Antonio. Her work ranges from planning the logistics of service-learning partnerships and supporting students as they schedule service, to providing ad-hoc reflection sessions, offering consulting support, and facilitating workshops with faculty. She loves facilitating conversations about teaching and equity, especially creating space for instructors to blend DEIB principles with the Kolb Learning Cycle. Elisa’s sociological research focuses on community, race, and environment (both built and natural). As a scholar-practitioner, she hopes to bridge the gap between the social contexts of higher education and the practicalities of supporting student success through experiential education. Elisa has an MS in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and a BA in History and Sociology from Tulane University.
Ashley Bellet is the Assistant Professor of Costume Design at Purdue University and a professional designer and crafts artisan. She received her MFA from the University of Memphis, BAs in Theatre and English from Sewanee, and is completing her PhD from UW Madison. Ashley serves on the Board of Directors of The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) as the Vice President for Commissions, and as the Associate Editor for Education for the journal Theatre Design and Technology (TD&T). She has worked at The Santa Fe Opera, First Folio Theatre, Playhouse on the Square, and American Players Theatre, among others.
A social entrepreneur and nonprofit strategist, Tyler L. Hough has spent the past decade building and leading organizations that make a difference in the world. He currently serves as the executive director of the Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture and The Philadelphia Center. Together, these centers emphasize innovative, community-focused pedagogies that not only expand the traditional college classroom experience but also promote self-awareness, global citizenship, and engagement with issues like race, equity, and inclusion through critical place-based pedagogies.
Isabelle is the Director of the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning at the College of the Holy Cross. Isabelle also teaches in Holy Cross' first-year program and serves as a First-Year Advisor. Isabelle teaches disability theology and leadership and works with faculty and Worcester community partners in her administrative role, helping to implement community-based projects and placements in particular Holy Cross courses. Isabelle just completed her doctoral work at UMass Boston in higher education. Her dissertation, "Consciousness and Context for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" examines inclusive teaching practices and barriers and supports for implementing them in order to better teach to diverse populations. Isabelle earned her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 2014 and graduated from Holy Cross in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in religious studies. Isabelle loves running, reading, baking, and the Red Sox!
Karen Velasquez, Ph.D. is Director of Experiential Learning at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. She is a cultural anthropologist of education (Ph.D, Ed.M., Columbia University) interested in how people learn in diverse social contexts. Her work highlights the transformative impact of EL on the lives of students, faculty, and staff. She has edited two volumes on Diverse Pedagogical Approaches to Experiential Learning (Palgrave, 2020, 2022) and is co-editor of a volume on Engaging with Vocation on Campus (Routledge 2022) which explores the intersection of EL and vocation. She is the 2022 recipient of the Society for Experiential Education’s "Experiential Education Innovation in Higher Education Award."
Katia Maxwell is multi-lingual and fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, her Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Midwestern State University, and she is also Security+ certified. Dr. Maxwell has been teaching Computer Science and Information Technology courses for 11 years, 9 of those at Athens State University, where she is an Associate Professor and Director of Quality Enhancement Planning. She began her professional career working in administrative positions where she learned the importance of on-the-job training, which she translates today to her Experiential Learning curriculum. Dr. Maxwell has been involved in integrating Experiential Learning activities into her classes since she began at Athens State University in 2013. In 2021, Dr. Maxwell received the Athens State University Presidential Award for Meritorious Performance with the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan, and in 2022 was the recipient of the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. Her research interests are Experiential Education, Computer Science Education, Simulation and Modeling, and Human-Computer Interaction.
Dennis McCunney serves as the Director of Intercultural Affairs and adjunct faculty member of ECU’s Leadership Studies Minor and Master of Public Administration Program. Dr. McCunney earned his PhD in Higher Education Administration from Morgan State University, and his dissertation focus was on the formation of student culture around civic engagement, leadership and activism.
Lucy Morrison, originally from the U.K., directs the University Honors Program and Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. A Professor of English, she has published collections and articles in her field of Romantic British Literature throughout her career, and she currently co-edits the European Romantic Review. She is a Board member and former President of the Nineteenth Century Studies Association as well as co-founder of the Nebraska chapter of the Fulbright Organization. Lucy also publishes and is engaged in Honors education and serves on committees for both the National Collegiate Honors Council as well as the National Association of Fellowship Advisors. Lucy’s recent Urban Studies focus is evident in the many courses she designs and teaches, with service learning featuring in many of her and other Honors faculty’s courses. Ben Trager holds a PhD in Urban Education from UWM and currently serves as the Director of Experiential Learning and Community Engagement at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. As the director, Ben develops and supports university-wide vision and practices related to experiential learning, community-based learning, community partnerships, and co-curricular service. His scholarly and practical interests include the varied and changing purposes of higher education, the intersections of service-learning, internships, and other high impact practices, and participatory research methods. Ben has published work in The Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning and regularly presents at regional, national, and international conferences focused on education, community engagement, qualitative research, and educational philosophy.
Levi Thiele serves as the Director of Career Development at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). In this role, she leads the university’s central career center, develops student-centered programming, cultivates career ecosystem partners, and directs on-campus student employment and experiential learning programs. Prior to this role, Thiele spent a decade in nonprofit leadership and workforce development. She is also a proud UNO alumna with a PhD in Public Administration. Thiele is active in the workforce development community. She serves on the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Internship Advisory Board, co-chairs the Internship Committee for the Nebraska Tech Collaborative, and recently joined the Founding Board for Tech Nebraska. She is a current Board member and the Chair Emeritus of the Steering Committee for the Omaha STEM Ecosystem. Thiele is an active member in the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Nebraska College Career Services Association. SEE Fellows 2020-2022SEE Fellows Home |
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