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Students & Fellows

AFFILIATED STUDENTS

Katie Hanton
Graduate Assistant

RABITA RESHMEEN BANEE

Research Interests:

  • Organizational Behavior
  • Management and Leadership
  • Leadership Behavior
Joong Won Kim

JOONG WON KIM (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Race and Racisms
  • Racial Ideology and Language
  • Asia and Asian America
  • Gender and Masculinities
  • Sociology of Culture
Laura Nelson
Project Associate

LAURA NELSON (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Motherhood at the intersection of substance use disorder and justice involvement
  • Gendered approaches to substance abuse treatment
  • Policy and barriers surrounding reentry for parents
Aparajita Sengupta

APARAJITA SENGUPTA (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Political History
  • Welfare Policies
  • Disaster Management
Farha Sharmin
Graduate Assistant

FARHANAZ 'FARHA' SHARMIN

Research Interests:

  • Economic Development
  • Applied Econometric Analysis & Impact Assessment
  • Behavioral Economics & Strategic Decision Theory
  • Aging & Health Policy Analysis
Courtney Surmanek
Graduate Assistant

COURTNEY SURMANEK (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Theatre as a Tool in Conflict Management and Peace Building

  • Community Cultural Development 
  • Creative Placemaking and Placekeeping 
  • Asset-Based Community Development
  • Verbatim, Devised, and Ensemble Theatre
  • Theatre of the Oppressed
  • Methodologies in Research-Creation
Leslie Ann Toney

LESLIE ANN TONEY (CV)

Research Interests:

  • Black, decolonial, and transnational feminist frameworks.
  • Gender, health, and society in the Caribbean and Latin America.
  • Mental health and psychosocial outcomes for women and girls in under-resourced environments.
  • Sociology of sexuality and reproductive health for young women and girls.
Laura York
Graduate Assistant

LAURA YORK

Research Interests:

  • Community Health/Program Development
  • Substance Use Disorder (in the Geriatric Community)
  • Brain Health (in the Geriatric Community)

FELLOWS

Wafa Al-Daily, Associate Director for Global Initiatives, Virginia Tech Outreach and International Affairs (OIA)

SENIOR FELLOWS

Don Back, Director of the Language and Culture Institute, Virginia Tech

Andy Morikawa, Executive Director Emeritus of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (Virginia)

Minnis Ridenour,  Senior Fellow for Resource Development,  Virginia Tech

Edward Weisband, Edward S. Diggs Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences, Virginia Tech

AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS

Rachel Christensen, Project Research Associate, IPG, Virginia Tech

Lyusyena Kirakosyan, Senior Project Associate, IPG, Virginia Tech

Gary Kirk, Associate Provost & Executive Director at Dickinson College

Katy Powell, Director of the Center and Professor of English, Virginia Tech

Marcy Schnitzer, Assistant Provost for Diversity and Strategic Planning, Virginia Tech

Nancy White, Principal, One Robin, LLI