Office of Multicultural Affairs Staff
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Connie Dang Director After completing my undergraduate degree, I dedicated my professional career to education. My career in higher education at GVSU has spanned over almost two decades in various capacities including human resources, affirmation action, university counsel and currently the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA). At GVSU, in addition to serving as the director of the OMA, I also serve as advisor of the Asian Student Union and Delta Phi Lambda; advisory member of the Inclusion and Equity Division Advisory Board; vice chair of the Kutsche Office of Local History; member of the MyGVSU Climate Study Committee and member of the WGVU TV/Radio Engage Committee. In 2009, I was appointed by the Governor to serve as a vice chair and commissioner of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission. In the community, I serve as advisory council of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council of Varnum; member of the West Michigan Advocates & Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT); co-chair of the Governor's Global Michigan Initiative Cultural Ambassadors; and community project partner for United States Census 2010. I earned a bachelor of science at Western Michigan University and a masters degree in public administration from Grand Valley State University. I was initiated into Pi Alpha Alpha, national honor society for the field of public affairs and public administration and an honorary member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Society. I have the privileged of being a proud mother of Alex, who is amazingly gifted in arts, music and language and Julia, who is also incredibly gifted in arts, music, theatre and anything that she touches. |
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Bobby Springer |
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Allison "Alli" Roman Assistant Director As a recent addition to the OMA family, I am so excited to be here at GVSU! I serve as the coordinator of the Multicultural Cohort Program, the Wade H. McCree Program, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Cesar Chavez Celebration. I was born in the Bronx, NY and raised in Jersey City, NJ. At 13, I moved to California where I attended both high school and undergrad. I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 with my Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare. In 2012 I moved to Ann Arbor, MI to pursue my Masters in Social Work concentrating Community Organization with Children and Youth. During my graduate study, I was very active in student organizations. I led the Latino/a Social Work Coalition (LSWC) as well as the Students of Color of Rackham (SCOR). I also was a member of the Association of Black Social Work Students (ABSWS). I also worked two years with the University of Michigan GEAR UP program as well as the University of Michigan School of Social Work Office of Student Services. I also recently worked for the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group, where I spent the summer working on various evaluation projects around the state. I completed my MSW in April 2012 and had the honor to be my graduating class' MSW Student Speaker. Some fun facts about myself: I am the oldest child, I was born on a holiday, and I will often use song lyrics in conversation (and if you are lucky, I will sing them). I enjoy music, movies, singing, & dancing! And my absolute favorite thing to do is work to help students! |
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Kristie Scanlon Assistant Director I have worked in Higher Education for 12 years and am thrilled to call the Office of Multicultural Affairs my home. I received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Grand Valley State University and a master’s degree in Social Work from Western Michigan University. Before coming to GVSU, I served in a variety of roles including Assistant Director of Admissions and Orientation, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership Programs and Executive Director of Student Life. At GVSU, I serve as the coordinator of the Multicultural Cohort Program, OMA Ambassador Program and Native American Heritage Month. I serve as co-chair of the West Michigan Presidents Compact Committee Student Life team.
I am a busy mother of two small children and enjoy spending my free time with my family and friends. I always have my camera with me and enjoy photography, scrapbooking and being creative. Lake Michigan is my favorite place to be and I love the Detroit Tigers! |
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Oliver Aguilera Multicultural Assistant I am thrilled to be part of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. I currently serve as the assistant to the director. In my role I maintain all financial records which include multiple budgets and grants. I also oversee the everyday operation of our office. I have served the GVSU community in various capacities for over 10 years. I began my career at Grand Valley as the Pew Campus Copy Center/Receiving Coordinator. Prior to coming to the OMA, I served as an academic department secretary for the BSW program at the School of Social Work. Currently, I am seeking an interdisciplinary degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in anthropology and urban studies. I have always had an interest in pluralism; I love learning about different cultures and their built environments. I love the time with my family and I enjoy traveling to which ever direction the winds may take us. I also enjoy shoveling snow in the winter and maintaining our garden in the summer. "Harmony without uniformity" ~Confucius |
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Linda Ray Office Coordinator My career at GVSU began August 2010 in the human resources department. I was excited when I had the opportunity to join the OMA team as office coordinator in January 2012. Before working at GVSU, I was employed at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce for seven years as Manager of Diversity Initiatives. This position gave me great experience and knowledge of how diversity plays an important role in our daily lives. I’m also committed to embracing all cultures and prepared to advocate for equality. Currently I’m pursuing my bachelors’ degree in Business Management. However I enjoy spending all my time with my son and my tea-cup chiwawa name Ceasar. |
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Doris Penn
Graduate Assistant
My interest in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is to work with students, faculty, and staff to help assist and respond to the needs of any underrepresented student at GVSU.
I was born and raised in the Peruvian Amazon. In Peru, I have worked in higher education at the Peruvian Institute of Business administration (IPAE) as an Admission Specialist and Financial Assistant for several years. I believe education is a powerful tool to help people learn, develop new skills, and learn about each other. Therefore, after finishing my undergraduate degree at GVSU I worked with at-risk youth high school students in the Grand Rapids Public School system and migrant worker families in West Michigan.
I earned a technical degree from the Peruvian Institute of Business Administration (IPAE) with a concentration area in Finance and a bachelor in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources from Grand Valley State University. Currently, I am a member of the Latino Community Coalition in the West Michigan and a collaborator with the National Community Development Institute (NCDI) of West Michigan.
In my free time I like travel and take part in recreational activities, camping and dancing. I enjoy teaching my daughter and her friends about different types of South American folk dance, music, food, fruits, and clothing. We also enjoy studying different musical instruments, especially Violin.
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Page last modified October 11, 2012
