Curious & ConnectEdD

Chrissy has worked in K12 education for the last ten years across the country. Chrissy has worked in PK-12th grades in public, charter, and private schools. She has loved being apart of the cohort and meeting incredible people! Chrissy spends her free time learning to code, hanging out with her fur babies and boyfriend, and running marathons for awesome causes such as Autism! Help me reach by goal by donating here https://bndfr.com/2f9n9! 

Ed currently serves as a senior director, human resources for Ross Stores. He's worked in human resources for over twenty- five years and has published two books, Hello, Job Search, and Hello, Career, to help recent graduates achieve success in their first jobs. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, Christy, their three kids, Sarah, Corinne, and Liam, and two puppies, Alfie (labradoodle) and Emmet (maltipoo). When he's not out walking the dogs, he enjoys attending concerts and sporting events. Connect with Ed here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbrayiii/

Amanda Slobe is the Founder of You Have A Visitor (YHAV) and a driving force behind disrupting the current state of few inclusive practices in travel. She has a passion for advocacy and travel, and she knows first-hand the heart bursts as well as the heartbreaks that come with having a sibling with disabilities and extra needs. Although Amanda is the Founder of YHAV, she has other facets to her life that she focuses on while still caring deeply for Kristin. She loves to surf, teach, and learn everything she can about a topic. She was introduced to the importance of communication when she and her family learned Sign Language in order to communicate better with Kristin. Amanda took that love for languages to Egypt where she earned a degree in International Human Rights Law, studied Arabic, and worked closely with asylum seekers and refugees living in Cairo.Check out her program's website below, at www.youhaveavisitor.com, and stay connected as it grows.

Joe is a Special Education Teacher who just transitioned into a new role as a Special Education Coordinator at a public elementary school in North Adams Massachusetts. He has a 10-year-old daughter who helps keep him both busy, and motivated, as well as a recently rescued American Bulldog. As a former chef he spends much of his free time in the kitchen, and looks forward to learning about other members of his cohort listening to their episodes while cooking! Connect with Joe here https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bennetch-859573238/

Christian Acemah is Head of School, Olney Friends School in Barnesville, OH. He also has senior leadership experience as Executive Director of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) in Kampala. Uganda. Previously, he served as Strategy and Program Development Director for the Africa program (ASADI) of the US National Academies Washington, DC. He also taught African Studies at Quest University in British Columbia, Canada. He started his career in global health and development in the Sudan-Uganda program of the Lutheran World Federation. He then joined UNICEF/GAVI in Geneva, Switzerland, to join the CEO's team as Executive Officer, Policy and Research. Christian loves the LLO program and our cohort! Connect with Christian here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-a-12711781/

Chris is an Operations Manager at The Ohio State University's Department of Student Life. Prior to starting in higher education, Chris worked in K12 education for nearly a decade. His most recent position was the Director of Westwood Preparatory Academy, a school that worked with students placed in residential treatment centers throughout Ohio. He is excited to learn more about other members of his cohort!Connect with Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-antjas-mba-b1abb6115/

Liisa has worked in B-20 education since 1993, as a teacher, state DOE director, leadership coach, and for education nonprofits. She's currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for CommonLit. Her older son is her econ/excel tutor and her younger son is her troubleshooter for all things technical. Liisa lives in Olympia, Washington and spends non-school & non-work time consuming pop culture or being the stereotypical PNW outside person. She's excited about hearing about everyone in the cohort, and is on "team original Vandy design." 

Carlee Diggins is a Organizational Transformation Senior Consultant at Deloitte. Carlee is passionate about centering people within organizational strategies to enable positive impacts. She has almost a decade of experience leading cross-functional teams and managing resources in the higher education and nonprofit sectors through data-driven behavioral, cultural, and organizational transformations. Working with a broad range of stakeholders, including students, higher education leaders, legislators, and executive leadership, she excels in understanding individuals' different frames and lenses while solving complex problems during organizational transformation processes. She is excited about bringing what she is learning at Vanderbilt University directly to her clients to develop inclusive, forward-thinking workplaces. You can connect with Carlee here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carleediggins/

Rob is a former blue-collar worker turned U.S Army soldier. In his free time, he likes to binge watch The Office while indulging on some Halo Top ice cream. Some of his hobbies include long-distance running and reading nonfiction books about food and nutrition. Although he does not know what the future holds for him or what his next move should be, what he does know is that, once he decides on what to do, life has a funny way of turning his plans upside down. For now, his focus is to get slightly better one day at a time.

Melissa has worked in K12 education for 22 years in a variety of roles in both public and independent schools. She is currently at the Episcopal School of Acadiana which is in beautiful Cade, Louisiana. She and her husband of 22 years have two teenage children, who know much more than their parents and three rescue dogs, who provide a constant source of entertainment. Melissa is excited to hear more about the members of her cohort!Connect with Melissa here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-gates-5377a8222

Leah is a Student Affairs professional who has worked at small, medium, and large public and private universities through her career; she currently works in Housing Operations at Temple University in Philadelphia. Leah studied at Lehigh University for both her Bachelor's and Master's where she developed her love for what happens outside the classroom as an athlete and resident assistant. She is a lifelong learner and hopes that Vanderbilt's EdD program will help her improve support for college students and make a greater impact in her communities. Connect with Leah here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-paulson-b6a221b5/

Katie Louise Weir is the Director of Professional Growth Systems for the Washoe County School District which serves 62,000+ students in Northern Nevada. Outside of her work in Human Resources, she loves spending time visiting Tahoe, Maui, and Texas with her two young children and husband.Connect with Katie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-louise-weir-8896ba21b 

Monica goes by the mantra: “a little better every day” when coaching her patients, students, or herself. She holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy and is Board Certified in Neurology PT, teaches at College of Saint Mary as an assistant professor in the DPT program, and takes on clinical work at a local hospital and through her wellness business, Second Act Club. She is pursuing an EdD and Vanderbilt to be a better teacher, researcher, provider, small business owner, and more!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicanross Second Act Club: https://2ndactclub.wixsite.com/fitness

Zohra is the author of “Take it with a grain of salt," released in May 2021. The book shares lessons that Zohra learned through experiences like a divorce, losing a parent, navigating her self-worth, managing a disability, and more. While writing is Zohra's passion, her purpose revolves around enhancing people's experiences through programs, strategies, and initiatives. Her portfolio of experiences spans as a people developer, coach, program builder, board advisor, and leader who devises Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive strategies that are executable and enable us to improve the lives of our professionals. Currently, Zohra is the Director of DEIB at Newsela and a board advisor at ArcBound while studying full-time at Vanderbilt for her Doctorate in Education (Leadership & Learning). Her goal is to continue building enriching experiences through programs and initiatives; concepts at her core are a growth mindset, being diverse in everyday actions, being inclusive in everything we do, and making accessibility a must and not nice to have.Connect with Zohra here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zodamani/ Personal Website: www.zodamoney.com 

Calla is the Director of College Counseling at PathIvy, a college advising startup based in Seattle, and splits her time between Wisconsin and India. She is eager to listen to everyone's podcasts as she cooks her daily HelloFresh & Blue Apron meals! Connect with Calla here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calla-buttke-6248a7b3/