CHICOPEE, Mass. — College of Our Lady of the Elms will hold its fourth annual Black Experience Summit in celebration of Black History Month on Friday, Feb. 26 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event is hosted by the Elms College President’s Office and the Office of Diversity and Engagement. Due to COVID-19 protocols, this event will be held virtually via Zoom.

“The Black Experience Summit will bring national experts in student affairs leadership and social justice advocates to Elms College for an important dialogue on the educational, cultural, economic, spiritual, and social justice aspects of the Black experience,” said Antoinette Bonnie Candia-Bailey, Ph.D., vice president of student affairs and chief diversity officer at Elms College.

Highlights of the event will be the keynote speech by Gretchen Givens Generett, Ph.D., interim dean and professor in the School of Education at Duquesne University, and a panel discussion regarding the Intersectionality of Blackness in Higher Education. 

Concluding the summit will be a Call to Action, through which participants will actively engage in discussing how they can all contribute to a better tomorrow.

“The theme to this year’s Black Experience Summit is Underscoring Resilience: A Call to Action and we welcome everyone interested in furthering their understanding of the trials, triumphs, and ongoing challenges of African-Americans to attend,” said Harry E. Dumay, Ph.D., MBA, president of Elms College. 

The summit will feature a keynote speech by:

• Gretchen Givens Generett, Ph.D., the keynote speaker, is interim dean and professor in the School of Education at Duquesne University. She is also the Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach. Generett is a qualitative researcher whose work centers on educational stories that have been rendered invisible. Her scholarship intermingles traditional sociology of education, African American studies, and feminist studies with more progressive concepts of justice that examine agency, empowerment, and action.

Panelists for a discussion on the Intersectionality of Blackness in Higher Education include:

• Kellie Dixon, Ed.D., director of student affairs assessment and staff development at North Carolina A&T State University. She has over eight years of experience within student affairs (i.e. housing and residence life, judicial affairs, student organization advising, multicultural affairs, assessment). 
• Brent Lewis, Ph.D., associate vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at James Madison University. He has nine years of experience working in student affairs (housing and residence life, student conduct, student activities, LGBTQ+ services, commuter student services, & multicultural services). Lewis is committed to ensuring all students have a positive campus life experience, with a focus on the lived experiences of minority and underrepresented students.
• Chazz Robinson, M.Ed., a doctoral candidate at the University of Buffalo pursuing his Ph.D. in higher education administration. Robinson has three years of experience within student affairs (i.e. housing and residence life, advising, admissions, transitional/ access programs). Additionally, Robinson has had the opportunity to intern for NY Gear UP, an initiative in New York State that assists low-income students by preparing them to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

The Call to Action panelists are: 

• Antoinette Bonnie Candia-Bailey, Ph.D., vice president of student affairs and chief diversity officer at Elms College. Candia-Bailey received a bachelor degree in sociology from Lincoln University in Missouri, a master’s degree in art, rehabilitation counseling from Michigan State University, and a doctoral degree in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University. She is a student-centered leader with nearly 20 years of progressive higher education experience in the areas of housing and residence life, diversity and inclusion, student engagement/leadership, campus ministry, athletics, health center, counseling center, fraternity and sorority life, first-year experience, disability resources, gender and sexuality, and academic initiatives.
• Keshawn Dodds, M.Ed., executive director of the Boys & Girls Club Family Center in Springfield. He became well-known as a high school football player in Springfield and was awarded a football scholarship to American International College in 1997. After graduating with a B.S. in education, Dodds became an elementary school teacher within the Springfield Public Schools. He later worked as a mayoral aide for Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan. Dodds earned his master of education degree from AIC and was director of diversity and community engagement at the college.
• Melinda Adrienne Pellerin, received her B.A. in history/social sciences /secondary education and holds a Master’s in Educational Technology from Lesley University. Her achievements and work as an inner-city educator were highlighted in a speech by the late Senator Edward Kennedy on the Senate floor in 2006 when she was named the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Sr. Melinda is a pastoral minister at Holy Name Parish in Springfield, Massachusetts, a chaplain at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center, and a member of the diaconate board for the Diocese of Springfield.

The free event is open to the public, the Elms community, and anyone who is interested in issues of social justice, equality, and diversity.

Online priority registration will continue through February 19. Visit www.elms.edu/summit to register and a Zoom will be sent to all attendees prior to the summit. 

About Elms College

Elms College is a co-educational Catholic college offering a liberal arts curriculum that prepares students holistically for a purposeful life in a diverse and interconnected world. Founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Elms College has a tradition of educating reflective, principled and creative learners, who are rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to civic and social obligations, and capable of adjusting to change without compromising principle.