R.I.S.E. Certificate Program
About the Program
The TCU R.I.S.E. Certificate Program is hosted in partnership between TCU Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The TCU R.I.S.E. Certificate is designed to provide participants tools and learning opportunities to advance personal and professional development in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Selected participants will be challenged to:
- Improve their intercultural development through personal assessment
- Strengthen skills in advocacy and social change activism
- Develop strategies to interrupt structural and systemic issues of power, privilege, and oppression.
The TCU R.I.S.E Certificate program graduates will be empowered to move concepts into concrete action.
2024-2025 Session Dates
All sessions will take place from 9 a.m. – noon. Participants must attend all sessions to receive the TCU R.I.S.E. Certificate.
- Session 1 - Expanding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Awareness - October 18
- Session 2 - Developing & Demonstrating Intercultural Competence - November 15
- Session 3 - Understanding Social Justice & Systems of Oppression – December 6
- Session 4 - Interrupting the “isms” - February 7
- Session 5 - Agency & Action: becoming an Agent of Change - March 7
- Session 6 - Utilizing an Inclusive Excellence Framework - April 11
- Closing Celebration - May 14
For more information please email Suhail Johnson at Suhail.Johnson@tcu.edu or Aisha Torrey-Sawyer at a.sawyer@tcu.edu.
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Britny Adkison, Family Liaison, Starpoint/College of Education
Action Plan: Froggie Friends Initiative
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Ariane Balizet, Professor of English; Associate Dean for Faculty and DEI
Action Plan: THRIVE Initiative
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Annie Dervishi, Budget Analyst, Finance & Administration
Action Plan: Pathway to Next: Inclusive Excellence for the Finance & Administration Unit
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Jennifer Dias, Lecturer, Psychology
Action Plan: Diversity in Psychology-Course Creation
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Romelia Gallegos, Area Supervisor, Residential Housekeeping
Action Plan: Comprende? Spanish Language Safety Skills Training
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Jerry Garcia, Instructor, History
Action Plan: Diversifying Curriculum in History Department
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*Lizzette Green, Associate Director- Access Initiatives, Admission
Action Plan: Inclusive Excellence Leadership Symposium
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Terrence Kirk, Compensation Assistant, Human Resources
Action Plan: Recruitment, Retention & Career Development of People with Visible/Non-Visible Disabilities
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*Colleen McColgan, Transfer Admission Counselor, Admission
Action Plan: Inclusive Excellence Training for Office of Admissions
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Lea McCracken, Associate Chaplain and Church Relations Officer, Religious & Spiritual Life
Action Plan: Know Your Neighbor Workshop
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Andrea McDew, Title IX Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity
Action Plan: Consent Campaign--Sexual Assault on Campus
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Regina Middleton, Assistant Registrar, Training & Professional Development
Action Plan: Advancing Inclusive Excellence within the Office of the Registrar
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Jennifer O'Keefe, Academic Advisor, College of Communication
Action Plan: Transfer Student Support in College of Communication
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Carrie Patterson, Instructional Designer, School of Medicine
Action Plan: DEI Micro-Learning for School of Medicine
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Shweta Reddy, Professor, Fashion Merchandising
Action Plan:
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Brandon Timmon, Customer Support Consultant II, Information Technology
Action Plan: Enhancing Facilities & Housekeeping Staff Engagement
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*Kelly Trager, Asst. Professor of Professional Practice, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Action Plan: Increasing Women in Business Network
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Bianca Upshaw, Graduate Academic Advisor, Neeley Graduate Programs
Action Plan: Neeley in Color: Supporting Black Students in Academic Crisis
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Sarah Walters, Coordinator, Music Admissions, School of Music
Action Plan: Equitable Admission Process (School of Music)
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Kristina White, Clinical Education Coordinator, Kinesiology
Action Plan: Graduate Student Parental Leave
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Emily Barrios, Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Coordinator, School of Medicine
Action Plan: Prioritizing DEI Learning in Department
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Ahrein Bennett, Public Health Research Associate
Action Plan: Lack of Priority and values of cultural sensitivity in research
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Leah Carnahan, Assistant Director, Counseling Center (CARE)
Action Plan: Strategic Plan for TCU CARE Office
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Dave Cooper, Assistant Dean, Dean of Student Office
Action Plan: Restorative Justice Model for Student Conduct
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Gigi Dean, Executive Assistant for Vice Chancellor of Marketing & Communication
Action Plan: DEI Audit for TCU Marketing & Communications Department Suppliers
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Philip Dodd, Director, Leadership & Experiential Learning
Action Plan: DEIB Training for Student Leadership & Involvement Staff and Student Leaders
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Kate Evans, Lab Coordinator, Nutritional Sciences
Action Plan: Plan to Encourage TCU Administration to Respond to Food Insecurity on Campus
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Miriam Ezzani, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership & Higher Education
Action Plan: Align College of Education with Inclusive Excellence Framework toolkit
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Eric Gilbert, Police Sergeant, TCU Police
Action Plan: TCU Police Strategies for Community Outreach
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Benjamin Janesko, Professor and Chair, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Action Plan: Global Excellence Position in the College of Science and Engineering
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Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Music
Action Plan: Impact of Raised TOEFL Requirements on Students
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Cebrail Karayigit, Associate Professor, Counseling & Counselor Education
Action Plan: Advocacy training for Counseling graduate students
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Jackie Keiser, Senior User Interface Developer, TCU Marketing & Communication
Action Plan: TCU Strategic Accessibility Program
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Brandon Manning, Associate Professor of English
Action Plan: Implement Assessment to Measure Student Belonging
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Susie Olmos-Soto, Senior Consultant, Human Resources
Action Plan: Building Community & Academic Success Through Language
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LaTrina Parker Hall, Director, McNair Program
Action Plan: Mentoring Program for Underrepresented Frogs
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Cameron Potter, Manager of Employee Success, Human Resources
Action Plan: Create DEI Dashboards for Managers & Departments
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Khadevis Robinson, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, Ƶ
Action Plan: Community engagement through proactive partnerships
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Reggie Wilburn, Associate Provost, Undergraduate Affairs
Action Plan: Eliminate Equitable Success Barriers for Students
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Olivia Williams, Director, Neeley Graduate Academic Programs
Action Plan: Community Engaged Speaker Series
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Amy Peterson
Social Media Manager, Marketing & Communication -
Amy Stewert
Instructor, School of Music - Andrea Kaelin
Associate Head Coach, Women’s Golf - Brooke Scogin
Director, Fraternity and Sorority Life - Caroline Collier
Director of Editorial Services, Marketing & Communication - Charles Dewar
IT Coordinator, IT - Chris Gilbody
Director, Financial Education & Scholarship, TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine - Clint Thomas
Director, Asset Management & Technical Services, Facility Services - Crystal Page
Care Coordinator, Dean of Students Office - Dora Aguilera
Administrative Assistant, Campus Recreation - Eric Simanek
Professor, Chemistry - Erin Houchin
Director of Brite Housing, Brite Divinity School - Glenda Daniels
Associate Professor, Nursing - Isuru Perera
Research Compliance Coordinator, Office of Research & Graduate Studies - Krista Scott
Associate Professor, Theatre - Lynita Yarbrough
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Communication Sciences & Disorders - Lynné Cravens
Art Galleries Manager, School of Art - Marc Melanson
Assistant Manager, Facility Services - Mat Wenzel
Instructor, English - Mayra Guardiola
Faculty Development Coordinator, Office of Faculty Affairs & Development, TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine - Meredith Curtis
Instructor, Biology - Shelia Williams
Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost
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Angela Gonzaga, Director of Operations, Women’s Basketball
Action Plan: Create a DEI Training Tracking Tool for Ƶ Department
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Ann Tasby, Program Director, Accounting and Office of Inclusive Excellence Neeley School of Business
Action Plan: Undergraduate Mentoring for Students of Color
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Anne Rooney, Executive Director Graduate Programs, Neeley School of Business
Action Plan: Prepare Neeley MBA and MS graduates to lead inclusively and to advocate for DE&I in their post-graduate careers.
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Brian Gutierrez, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
Action Plan: Create a plan to Diversify Candidate Slates for High Level Hiring
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Candice Payne, Director, Budget Office
Action Plan: Create Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Inclusive Excellence Initiative
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David Dibble, Director of Parent Giving, University Advancement
Action Plan: Increase Awareness of TCU Donors to the urgency and importance of DEI initiatives
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Dr. Eric Yorkston, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Marketing Department
Action Plan: Create a Recruitment plan to diversify enrollment in Neeley sales certificate program
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Dr. Frank Hernandez, Dean, College of Education
Action Plan: Development of an Employee Resource Group (ERG) focused specifically on Latinx males
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Imani Wimberly, Assistant Director of Residence Life, Housing & Residence Life
Action Plan: Create a food pantry on campus for students navigating food insecurity
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Dr. Janine Kraus, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Loyalty Giving
Action Plan: Adding focus on DEI initiatives in University Advancement new employee orientation
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Jess Price, Academic Advisor, John V. Roach Honors College
Action Plan: Improved Honors Experience for First-Generation Students
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Kelcia Righton, Hall Director, Housing & Residence Life
Action Plan: Create a mentorship program within the residence halls for incoming females of color
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Lindsay Cowdin, Coordinator of Theatre Operations, Theater Department
Action Plan: Create a Recruitment Plan to attract a more diverse student body for the theatre program
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Melissa Austin-Weeks, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Alumni Relations
Action Plan: Generating Effective DEI Training for Alumni Association Volunteers
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Sara Sorenson, Assistant Director of Admission Programs, Office of Admissions
Action Plan: Create an Inclusive Excellence Scholarship for enrolling first-year students
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Dr. Sophia Garcia, Biology Instructor, College of Science and Engineering
Action Plan: Creating Equitable Access to Student Research Opportunities in the College of Science and Engineering
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Stephen Dominy, Associate Director, Fraternity & Sorority Life
Action Plan: Enhance recruitment and retention efforts of diverse graduate student candidates in the Higher Education Leadership program
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Suhail Johnson, Senior Coordinator, TCU and UNT Health Science Center School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Action Plan: Create a Communication Plan for Student Interest Groups
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Dr. Trung Nguyen, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Action Plan: Provide Mental Health Support for BIPOC Faculty and Staff
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Dr. Vanessa Roberts-Bryan, Assistant Dean of Student Development, Student Development Services
Action Plan: Focus on the Role of Staff Assembly as DEI Change Agents
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Dr. Wendy Macias, Associate Professor, Strategic Communication
Action Plan: Schieffer College Recruiting & Sustaining Inclusive Undergraduate Excellence
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Dr. Will Gibbons, Associate Dean/Associate Professor, College of Fine Arts
Action Plan: Incentivize and Recognize DEI Efforts in the College of Fine Arts
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Dr. Zoranna Jones, Assistant Dean, School of Interdisciplinary Studies
Action Plan: Designing DEI Education and Training for Introduction to University Life Course Instructors