Office of Inclusion

Black, African, and African American Resources and Initiatives
Hello and Welcome to Northern Arizona University!
The creation of the Black Excellence and Student initiatives is an affirming response to the mission statement guiding the Office of Inclusion (IMQ). The goal for Black Excellence and Student Services is to create culturally relevant programs and provide services to advance the holistic support of Northern Arizona University’s Black community. Through intentional partnerships that will work together to increase the recruitment, retention, academic achievement, and self-advocacy of our Black student population we want our Black/African American Students, Staff, and faculty to celebrate their culture. Through our initiatives, the office of Black Excellence and Student Initiatives is here to address the needs of the Black/African American student community and provide support throughout their time at Northern Arizona University.
Purpose
Black Excellence and Student Initiatives is a student-led, student centered, administratively supported initiative through the Office of Inclusion. Our Black Excellence and Student Initiatives serve our Black, African, African-American student population on Northern Arizona University’s campus and offers events open to all of our students, staff, faculty and the surrounding community.
The primary aim is to reflect and to develop understanding of ethnicity and racial identity, intersectionality and to build community within the NAU campus community. The IMQ hosts meetings, events, workshops, and trainings where attendees can share in fellowship and participate in intersectional dialogues around topics such as race within higher education, safety, power, privilege, community, and black excellence within and outside of our campus and Northern Arizona Community. Through Black Excellence, we seek to build community through the shared interest and/or identity of blackness.
BLACK Student Clubs, Organizations, and Greek Life Accordion Closed
Visit True Blue Connects for the most up-to-date list of student clubs, organizations, and fraternity/sorority chapters on campus.
- African Students Association
- Black Student Union
- Phi Beta Sigma
- Sigma Gamma Rho
- Zeta Phi Beta
- Louis Stokes Alliance For Minority Participation (LSAMP)
- Ladies Of Truth
- Gold N Brown Jacks
- Soul Sugar
Faculty, Staff, and Community Support
*Persons listed have agreed to share personal information along with area of expertise or skills.
**If you would like to connect with someone on this list, please email inclusion@nau.edu or martin.tease@nau.edu and put “Black/African American Resources and Support” in the subject line.
NAU Faculty Accordion Open
Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Educational Psychology
Also associated with:
College of Education
Debra Edgerton, MFA (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor, School of Art
Also associated with:
College of Arts and Letters
Part time Faculty, Center for Health Equity and Research
Also associated with:
College of Health and Human Services
Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Health and Human Services
Associate Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Health and Human Services
Associate Professor, Department of Ethnic Studies
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Chair, COE: Teaching and Learning
Associate Professor, College of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning
Also associated with:
College of Education
Faculty leadership; guiding curriculum review; quality assurance activities; department resource management while catering to our diverse student population.
Chair, Dental Hygiene
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Dental Hygiene
Also associated with:
College of Health and Human Services
Assistant Professor of Practice
The W. A. Franke College of Business
Kenneth.Mitchell-Phillips@nau.edu
Lecturer, Department of Ethnic Studies
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Professor, Department of Educational Leadership
Also associated with:
College of Education
Dr. Patience Ogunbanjo
Part-Time Faculty
The W. A. Franke College of Business
Dr. Grace Okoli (she/her/hers)
Assistant Clinical Professor Department of Educational Leadership
Also associated with:
College of Education
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Educational Leadership
Also associated with:
College of Education
Professor, Department of Politics and International Affairs
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Assistant Professor of Practice
The W. A. Franke College of Business
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Part Time Faculty, Center for Health Equity and Research
Also associated with:
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Chair, Global Languages & Cultures
Associate Professor, Department of Global Languages and Cultures
Also associated with:
Spanish
College of Arts and Letters
Professor, Department of Ethnic Studies
Also associated with:
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Professor, School of Art
Also associated with:
Indigenous Research & Teaching Circle
College of Arts and Letters
NAU Staff Accordion Closed
Ashley Martin-Casler (she/her/they/them)
Academic Advisor, Intermediate, University Advising
Campus Living Community Coordinator, Cowden Hall
Destinee King (she/her/hers)
Social & Cultural Support Services Coordinator, Senior – SPF, Office of Inclusion: Multicultural and LGBTQIA+ Student Services
Bernadine Lewis (she/her/hers)
Program Director
The W. A. Franke College of Business
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resources
Also associated with:
Human Resources Administration
Assistant Director, Academic Programs, Institute for Human Development (IHD)
Also associated with:
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Title IX Coordinator, Office for the Resolution of Sexual Misconduct (ORSM): Title IX Institutional Compliance, Prevention, and Response
Also associated with:
Office of Legal Affairs & General Counsel
Tommy Newsom II (he/him/his)
Assistant Director, Student Life Experience, Residence Life
Also associated with:
Housing
Dr. Martin L. Tease (he/him/his)
Social & Cultural Support Services Coordinator, Senior – SPF, Office of Inclusion: Multicultural and LGBTQIA+ Student Services
Also associated with:
The University Diversity Fellows
Center for University Access and Inclusion NAU 100, Instructor
NAU Zone Trainings & DEI Workshops
Campus Living Community Coordinator, Wilson Hall
Kiara Weathersby (she/her/hers)
Manager, Student Development, Indigenous Student Success
Also associated with:
Student Affairs Mentoring Student Affairs Mentoring
Program Design | Coach | Mentor Training | Curriculum Design | Commissioner, Commission for Indigenous Peoples
Community Resources Accordion Closed
African Diaspora Advisory Council
Coconino County
219 E Cherry Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Jermaine Barkley, MA
Disaster Services Program Manager
American Red Cross Northern and Central Arizona Chapter
1750 Railroad Springs Blvd, Suite 1, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Deborah A. Harris, M.Ed.
NAU Associate Dean of Students, Retired, 2017
President, Southside Community Association (Operating the Historic Murdoch Community Center)
Director of Community Engagement, Bella Investment Group, LLC
Khara also volunteers and serves with various local and national groups such as the NAACP, the NAA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, NAA NextGen, Coconino County African American Advisory Council, Flagstaff Housing Commission, and the Executive Board of NAMI Flagstaff.
National Advancement for the Association of Colored People (NAACP)
NAACP Flagstaff Branch
PO Box 31263, Flagstaff, AZ 86003
http://www.arizonastateconferencenaacp.org
Rev. Cemie Clayton, Branch President
Carolyn A. Kidd, MBA (she, her, hers)
HR Analyst, Recruitment and Employee Relations
Chair, Diversity Team
Human Resources, Coconino County, Arizona
Jabarha “Kuttz” Nichols
2219 E 7th Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
First Missionary Baptist Church
219 S Elden St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
424 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Riverside Church of God In Christ
419 S Verde St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church
624 S O’Leary St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001