The second speaker in the Inclusivity Series, Dr. Stephen John Quaye, will be facilitating sessions on intergroup dialogue one week from today — on Jan. 28 — in the Robert H. Stephens Room. The event will also be available via livestream. The sessions for faculty and staff include:
- Noon-1 p.m. – Keynote presentation
- 1-1:45 p.m. – Facilitated workshop
Registration for the event (whether attending in person or via livestream) is requested. It is co-sponsored by the Campus Climate Team’s Safety and Inclusivity Workgroup, Student Life and TRIO.
In this presentation, participants will learn different terminology (e.g., privilege, power, oppression, intersectionality). In the workshop following the presentation, participants will learn dialogic skills for enabling them to engage in healthier cross-racial dialogues.
Dr. Quaye is associate professor in the higher education and student affairs program at Ohio State University and an associate editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Quaye focuses on understanding how students can engage difficult dialogues honestly and productively, as well as how storytelling is used as an educational tool to foster reflection and learning across differences. He also is interested in the strategies educators use to facilitate these dialogues and what they learn about themselves in the process.
William Whitener has recently joined the college as a police officer. He previously worked as a Section 9 inspector for Springfield Housing Authority and as a full-time police officer in Peoria. William is an LLCC alum, having taken criminal justice courses at the college. He can be reached at 
Alexa Brown has recently joined the college as human resources associate. She previously served as an HR intern at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly for six months. Alexa is currently working on an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Illinois Springield. She can be reached at 
Courtney Polkowski is the new employee recruitment coordinator for LLCC Human Resources. She has worked in employee recruitment for the past four years, most recently with coast-to-coast recruiting at Strategic Solutions. Courtney earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. She can be reached at 
Gaye Catlin, administrative assistant to the dean of health professions, was seriously injured in a fall at her home on Dec. 5, 2019. She was treated for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries in the Intensive Care Unit of HSHS St. John’s Hospital and transferred to RMS Specialty Hospital in Chicago on Jan. 9. A Facebook page, “
Carley Young has recently joined the college as student success coach. She previously worked for the University of Southern Mississippi as coordinator of academic initiatives and assessment. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from University of Illinois Springfield and is pursuing a doctorate in communication from USM. She can be reached at