Susmetha is the Student Administrative Assistant at IGR. Within her role, she works with students and faculty where she supports enrollment for IGR dialogue courses and organizes the training course application process. Susmetha also coordinates the National Intergroup Dialogue Institute that is hosted by IGR every year. She is a University of Michigan alumna where she received a B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in Medical Anthropology.
Elizabeth is the Program Coordinator for the Student Experience Team (SET). She works with a team of undergraduate and graduate students to develop, organize, and carry out programming for IGR students with intentional goals of relationship- and community-building. Elizabeth was first introduced to intergroup dialogue during a course at Michigan State University (MSU) which eventually lead her to be a facilitator in the first cohort of the MSU Dialogues program.
Charles retired from the Psychology faculty at U-M. A clinical psychologist, he served for 15 years as Co-Director of IGR. Since retirement, he has consulted with more than 40 universities across the nation regarding the creation of intergroup dialogue programs, based on the U-M model. He currently lives in Columbus, OH, and is an adjunct lecturer in psychology at OSU and a consultant at their Multicultural Center. Charles’ Ph.D. and M.A. are from Vanderbilt University. He also holds an M.A.
Hamida is a Student Life Senior Program Manager supporting IGR’s Student Engagement Team. She holds an MA in Higher Education with a concentration in Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. Hamida's first encounter with IGR was the Psych 405 course (now ALA 421) as a newly minted Resident Advisor in 2004, and this dialogue experience informed the trajectory of her professional and academic careers. Hamida's undergraduate background is in sociology, political science, and classical archaeology.
Mark is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Michigan and a founding faculty member of the Program on Intergroup Relations. Mark is an activist scholar conducting research, teaching, consulting and organizing on issues of social justice and personal/organizational change around race and gender equity, and of the psycho-social impact of childhood cancer.
Roger Fisher is an Associate Director of IGR. In his role, Roger teaches training and practicum classes, directs IGR's partnership with the School of Social Work on the Summer Youth Dialogue Program, performs high-level administrative functions for IGR, trains K-12 professionals, consults with other Higher Education institutions on dialogue programs and works on special Student Life projects. He is an U-M alumus and has a B.S. in Psychology and also did graduate work in Psychology.
Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor and Emeritus Research Director
Patricia Gurin is the Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan. She is a Faculty Associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research and of the Center for African and Afro-American Studies. She directs the research program of The Program on Intergroup Relations, a curricular program co-sponsored by the College of LS&A and Student Life. A social psychologist, Dr.
Stephanie is a Lecturer at The Program on Intergroup Relations and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at U-M. Her teaching and research foci include diversity, equity and inclusion policy in higher education, intergroup dialogue and social justice education. As a Lecturer, Stephanie teaches courses for the Program and coordinates the Race & Ethnicity Engagement efforts between IGR and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.
Scott Hwang is the LSA Associate Director of IGR. In his role, he assists with the overall program administration, serves on the IGR Leadership Team, the IGR Curriculum Committee, manages and leads the IGR recruitment team, as well as aides with the search process for the Faculty Co-Director position. He is currently an Ed.D. Candidate at the University of Pittsburgh in the discipline of Social and Comparative Analysis of Education, earned a Master's in Higher Education from Geneva College, and completed his undergraduate work at Gordon College.
Donna serves as the LSA Faculty Co-Director of IGR. She works in partnership with the Student Life Co-Director to provide campus leadership in student learning in the areas of intergroup relations and social justice education. Donna guides curricular activities, mentors student research assistants, leads programmatic efforts to conduct research and is the academic advisor for the minor.
Alex Kime is a LEO Lecturer with The Program on Intergroup Relations in addition to being a writer, teaching artist, and transdisciplinary facilitator from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They received their Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Social Policy and Evaluation as a National Community Scholar and previously received Highest Honors in Creative Writing & Literature as an undergraduate.
Henry Mochida directs the communications strategies for three units in Student Life: The Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR), Spectrum Center (SC), and the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA). He has had the opportunity to launch a number of new initiatives including a podcast, annual reports, an award-winning video series, and shifting signature events online. Beyond creating content, he also coordinates efforts with the Student Life Development office, working to increase donor engagement and promoting social justice education.
Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
Shana is the Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives. She works to build capacity for dialogic skills, practices, and programs amongst University of Michigan faculty and staff and in service of students. Shana also provides intergroup dialogue consultations to outside colleges and universities, coordinates the annual National Intergroup Dialogue Institute, and teaches IGR courses and seminars. She is a contributing author to IGR's new textbook Introduction to Intergroup Dialogues.
Lori Sherman is the Administrative Assistant Sr. at IGR. She works closely with leadership and staff, provides executive-level support, coordinates office operations, organizes events, workshops, and conferences, and oversees the daily operations of the Program. She also provides assistance with budgeting, finances, and personnel and is responsible for the development and implementation of department policies and procedures in compliance with University, Student Life, and LSA policies. Lori is the liaison for technical support and facility concerns.
Deborah Slosberg is the Assistant Director for The Program on Intergroup Relations. She works with the Student Life team to provide co-curricular programming through CommonGround, SET, and strategic partnerships and with IGR staff to provide intergroup dialogue consultations to outside colleges and universities and to help coordinate the annual National Intergroup Dialogue Institute.
Monita C. Thompson currently serves as the Student Life Co-Director of The Program on Intergroup Relations and is a member of the Student Life Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead team. Her work in intergroup relations focuses on the training, development, and support of peer educators in skills and techniques of intergroup dialogue facilitation, conflict management, and on becoming a social change agent.
She holds a BS in Criminal Justice from Tennessee State University and an MAE from Western Kentucky University.
Cesar Vargas-Leon is a Program Manager supporting IGR’s CommonGround. He works with a team of graduate and undergraduate students to execute requested programs that raise awareness about social identities, prejudice, stereotyping, power, privilege, and oppression for students who are part of the University of Michigan’s community. Cesar is passionate about transforming spaces, structures, and systems through the art of storytelling. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Latinx Studies from the University of Michigan. The process of attaining an M.A.
