January 10, 2025

North Star Collective 2025 Faculty Fellows Named

Record Number of Applications Submitted;

Fellowship supports BIPOC faculty career advancement, peer mentorship and racial healing

The New England Board of Higher Education announced 33 fellows who have been named to the North Star Faculty Fellowship, a professional development program for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty members whose institutions belong to the North Star Collective. The program, now in its fourth year, received its largest applicant pool to date and this fourth cohort of fellows brings the number of participants since its founding to 113.

The North Star Collective Fellowship is a semester-long fellowship created by BIPOC faculty for BIPOC faculty in New England. Grounded in tenets of reparative justice, the Fellowship promotes racial trauma healing by providing a nourishing community of care, mentorship, and professional development for BIPOC faculty in all fields. Fellows receive a stipend, participate in writing retreats and professional development workshops, and regularly meet to write in community throughout the semester.

The fellowship runs from January to May 2025.

The Founding Co-Directors of the North Star Collective are Dr. Tatiana M.F. Cruz and Dr. Kamille Gentles-Peart. Dr. Cruz is an Assistant Professor and Interdisciplinary Program Director of Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Simmons University and Dr. Gentles-Peart is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Roger Williams University and a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. Together, they lead all aspects of the collective’s work including consultation with collective member institutions and the fellowship.

“BIPOC faculty face unique challenges in academia. We designed the NSC faculty fellowship to address these specific struggles and provide a nourishing community of care, peer mentorship, and restoration that supports fellows’ professional development as well as holistic wellbeing,” Co-Directors Cruz and Gentles-Peart commented, “This year, we are excited to expand the NSC to 20 institutions and make this community available to more BIPOC faculty in the region. The record number of applications this cycle speaks to the continued need for affinity spaces of healing for racially marginalized faculty in higher education. Now with over 100 fellows across four cohorts, we are beginning to realize the transformative impact of the NSC in New England.”

Fellowship directors Cruz and Gentles-Peart have received positive feedback on the program to date:

  • In 2024, 100% of the faculty fellows said they would enthusiastically recommend the fellowship to other BIPOC faculty.
  • Similarly high numbers (95%) said they were drawn to the fellowship because of its writing retreat and found it and the midpoint getaway the most valuable aspects of the program.

The North Star Collective and its two founding co-directors, Dr. Cruz and Dr. Gentles-Peart, were honored by the ACE Women’s Network Massachusetts with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Justice Award in 2024 at its International Women’s Day commemoration at Salem State University.

The 2025 North Star Collective Faculty Fellows are:

  • Hisham Abdelrahman, Roger Williams University (RI)
  • Zahedur Arman, Framingham State University (MA)
  • Hadi Banat, University of Massachusetts – Boston (MA)
  • Trishnee Bhurosoy, University of Vermont (VT)
  • Chalais (Cee) Carter, University of Vermont (VT)
  • Justin A. Coles, University of Massachusetts – Amherst (MA)
  • Melissa Cuba, University of Maine (ME)
  • Jasmine A.H. Griffith, Rhode Island College (RI)
  • Alia Hadid, Rhode Island College (RI)
  • Christina Hodel, Bridgewater State University (MA)
  • Dorothea L. Ivey, University of Southern Maine (ME)
  • Florianne Jimenez, University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Jung Hyun Lee, Roger Williams University (RI)
  • Annie Lee-Zimerle, University of Southern Maine (ME)
  • Jacqueline Lubin, University of Hartford (CT)
  • Mbita Mbao, Salem State University (MA)
  • Juan Carlos Morales, Endicott College (MA)
  • Munkaila Musah, University of Massachusetts – Amherst (MA)
  • Samuel Odom, Simmons University (MA)
  • Karen Okigbo, University of Massachusetts – Boston (MA)
  • Alison Okuda, Worcester State University (MA)
  • Keyana Parks, University of Massachusetts-Boston (MA)
  • Sandra Sanchez, Framingham State University (MA)
  • Don Simmons, Jr., Simmons University (MA)
  • Qian Song, University of Massachusetts-Boston (MA)
  • Stephanie Tavarez, University of Hartford (CT)
  • Rashmi Viswanathan, University of Hartford (CT)
  • Jerry Whitmore, Jr., Boston University (MA)
  • Pamela Zabala Ortiz, Boston University (MA)
  • Luis Zambrano-Cruzatty, University of Maine (ME)
  • Sarah Brooks Zahed, Westfield State University (MA)
  • Chongyang (William) Zhou, Sacred Heart University (CT)
  • Ya Zhou, Salem State University (MA)

February 2, 2024

Largest Cohort of North Star Collective Faculty Fellows Named

New England Board of Higher Education Fellowship Offers Community, Mentorship and Professional Development for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Faculty

Boston, MA – The North Star Collective, an initiative of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), has named is largest cohort yet of 31 Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty fellows, drawn from the Collective’s 18 member institutions.

Now in its third year, the North Star Collective Fellowship is a semester-long fellowship created by BIPOC faculty for BIPOC faculty in New England. Grounded in tenets of reparative justice, the Fellowship promotes racial trauma healing by providing a nourishing community of care, mentorship, and professional development for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty in all fields.

The New England Board of Higher Education established the North Star Collective in 2021. In addition to the Faculty Fellowship, the North Star Collective provides programming for institutional members to collaborate, share best practices, and problem-solve on issues related to faculty racial equity on their campuses. These include in-person, one-day gatherings for campus administrators, staff, and faculty working on racial equity for faculty on their campuses.

The 2024 North Star Collective Faculty Fellows are:

  • Ebenezar Afarikumah (Goodwin University, CT, Business Administration)
  • Suzanne Angeli (University of Maine, ME, Molecular and Cell Biology)
  • Bodunrin Banwo (University of Massachusetts Boston, MA, Education Leadership)
  • Perla Barbosa (Salem State University, MA, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages/ TESOL)
  • Alexia Buono (University of Vermont, VT, Early Childhood Education)
  • Melissa Colón (University of Massachusetts Boston, MA, Education)
  • Mohammadmehdi Danesh (University of Hartford, CT, Architecture)
  • Jimoh Fatoki (Roger Williams University, RI, Management)
  • Chantrell Frazier (Framingham State University, MA, Chemistry)
  • Meng Guo (Eastern Connecticut State University, CT, Accounting)
  • Nandita Gurjar (Rhode Island College, RI, Elementary Education)
  • Myrlene Jean-Venant (Simmons University, MA, Social Work)
  • Seokyoung Kang (University of Bridgeport, CT, Biology)
  • Nabin Malakar (Worcester State University, MA, Physics)
  • Ana Marcelo (Clark University, MA, Psychology)
  • Miguel Montalva Barba (University of Massachusetts Boston, MA, Sociology)
  • Kaushik Mukherjee (Worcester State University, MA, Business Administration)
  • Vanita Naidoo (Salem State University, MA, Sociology)
  • Nahyun Oh (Eastern Connecticut State University, CT, Management)
  • Jonix Owino (Sacred Heart University, CT, Psychology)
  • Ashlie Perry Banerjee (Endicott College, MA, Criminal Justice and Security Studies)
  • David Ramírez (Rhode Island College, RI, Spanish and Latin American Studies)
  • Forrest Rodgers (Framingham State University, MA, Sociology & Criminology)
  • Seung Whan Ryu (Sacred Heart University, CT, Management)
  • Lara Salahi (Endicott College, MA, Journalism)
  • Zeina Salame (University of Vermont, VT, Theater)
  • Gohar Siddiqui (Clark University, MA, Screen Studies)
  • Stefano Tijerina (University of Maine, ME, Management)
  • Nayomi Walton (University of Hartford, CT, Nursing)
  • Brittany Williams (University of Vermont, VT, Higher Education)
  • Maurice Williams Jr. (Bridgewater State University, MA, Educational Leadership)

The fellowship runs from January to May 2024.

The Founding Co-Directors of the North Star Collective are Dr. Tatiana M.F. Cruz and Dr. Kamille Gentles-Peart. Dr. Cruz is an Assistant Professor and Interdisciplinary Program Director of Africana Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Simmons University and Dr. Gentles-Peart is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Roger Williams University and a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. Together, they lead all aspects of the collective’s work including consultation with collective member institutions and the fellowship.

With the addition of 31 new fellows named in 2024, a total of 80 faculty members across New England’s public and independent colleges and universities have or will participate as fellows. The fellowship provides a support network for BIPOC faculty to help navigate the challenges they face in their academic careers, promote mental wellness and health, and foster a community of care for fellows’ holistic wellbeing.

“We are thrilled to be in our third year of the North Star Collective and to help facilitate communities of care for faculty of color in the region,” Co-Directors Cruz and Gentles-Peart commented. “The response we received this year is an indication of the ongoing need for restorative spaces for faculty of color in academia. We are grateful for the support of our partners who make this possible.”

The North Star Collective is funded by institutional members (listed above) and generous support from the Hildreth Stewart Charitable Foundation and the Boston Foundation.

About the North Star Collective

The New England Board of Higher Education established the North Star Collective in 2021. In addition to the Faculty Fellowship, the North Star Collective provides programming for institutional members to collaborate, share best practices, and problem-solve on issues related to faculty racial equity on their campuses. These include in-person, one-day gatherings for campus administrators, staff, and faculty working on racial equity for faculty on their campuses.

The North Star Collective is funded by institutional members (listed above) and generous support from the Hildreth Stewart Charitable Foundation and the Boston Foundation.

About the New England Board of Higher Education

The New England Board of Higher Education advances equitable postsecondary outcomes through convening, research and programs for students, institution leaders and policymakers. Our vision is that everyone in New England will have lifelong access to affordable, high-value postsecondary education.