The programming team oversees the development of CommonGround's curriculum, training and onboarding of facilitators, coordination of workshops, and curriculum.
Meet the CommonGround programming team
Renée Boudreau
Workshop Facilitator
Renée (she/her/hers) is a junior studying women’s and gender studies with a minor in intergroup relations. She was a workshop facilitator with CommonGround for two years before becoming a program coordinator. Renée brings this previous experience into her work as she builds agendas and supports current facilitators. Her favorite parts about CommonGround are its values of community building and mutual care, because they’ve allowed her to build meaningful relationships across differences. These relationships, she feels, have built a strong team of people who are refreshed, authentic, and work well together. And, they carry into CommonGround workshops, which allows these values to be shared with other people. In a society with systems of oppression which support individualism and division, CommonGround creates a small pocket of the world that Renée is fighting to live in.
Jessica Bright
Program Coordinator
Jessie is a junior majoring in psychology and communications & media, with a minor in intergroup relations. She joined CommonGround this year as a program coordinator, but has been involved in IGR and dialogue facilitation since her sophomore year. She is extremely passionate about social justice work and loves the opportunities IGR provides to connect with others. Outside of CommonGround, she loves music, trivia nights, baking, and spending time with friends and family. She hopes to travel and explore different cultures and communities around the world, and after graduation plans to pursue a career in marriage and family counseling.
Judah Doty
Graduate Student Intern
Judah Vashti Doty is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana; however, she was cultivated in Atlanta, Georgia. Judah holds an undergraduate degree as a prestigious James Baldwin Scholar from Hampshire College (Amherst, MA) where she studied higher education (diversity and inclusion) and Africana studies. Judah is a current graduate student at the School of Education’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education where she studies higher education with a focus on diversity and social justice, and Africana studies through the lens of Black childhood, identity, and education. Judah serves as a graduate intern with Common Ground via IGR where she collaborates with colleagues to manage workshops and coach student facilitators. In her spare time, Judah enjoys exploration through travel, reading books - mostly non-fiction, and creating special memories with her family and friends.
Amanda Putti
Logistics Coordinator
Amanda is a senior majoring in neuroscience with a minor in community action and social change. She joined CommonGround as a freshman and has previously worked as a workshop facilitator and logistics coordinator at CommonGround. She was introduced to dialogue and social justice work in high school and has been passionate about it ever since. Outside of CommonGround, she has worked on developing educational material about community engagement and volunteering. In the future she hopes to work in the healthcare field and combat health disparities. Following graduation, Amanda will be working at the National Institute of Health studying antibiotic resistance.
Jasmyne Short
Graduate Student Intern
Jasmyne is one of the graduate student interns at CommonGround. As a graduate intern, Jasmyne oversees the evaluation team and assists in giving feedback on CommonGround workshops. Coming from Wisconsin, Jasmyne graduated last May from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Jasmyne is currently pursuing a master's degree at the School of Social Work, as a New Leaders in African-Centered Social Work Scholar in the management and leadership pathway. Outside of CG, she serves on the Field Advisory Board Committee in the School of Social Work and is the secretary of the Association of Black Social Workers Chapter at U-M. In her free time, Jasmyne enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and spending time with her cat Asher.