26th National McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research Conference

Opening Speaker

Coming Soon.

Dr. Wallace Southerland III

Vice President for Student Affairs
Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois

Dr. Wallace Southerland III has 32+ years of higher education experience which includes leadership, adjunct faculty, and TRIO oversight roles. Currently, Dr. Southerland is vice president of student affairs at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois where he is responsible for academic and retention support, student engagement, career services, student mental health and wellness services, leadership development, residence life and housing, disability support, and other services that promote lifelong learning and success. Through TRIO and other student service work, Dr. Southerland has advised, mentored, coached, and worked with students in nearly every phase of the educational pipeline from 5th grade through preparation for doctoral degrees including supervision of nearly all the federal TRIO educational programs. Moreover, Dr. Southerland has devoted his career to serving and working with undergraduate, graduate, and online students and families from diverse backgrounds including first-generation, low-income, disability, veteran, historically excluded and underserved, international, and LGBTQ+. Additionally, Dr. Southerland has 14 years of experience in global distance learning universities such as Walden University, University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Kaplan University serving in roles such as an adjunct faculty member, dissertation chair, and university research reviewer.

Dr. Southerland is a founding staff member and co-chair of the National McNair Scholars Research Conference and the author of the McNair Scholars’ Pledge. Dr. Southerland received his B.A. degree in English and M.S. degree in counseling from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration from the University of Maryland.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Chelsey Green

Associate Professor
Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Chelsey Green is Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music. She is described as passionate, electrifying, and innovative, international recording artist. Chelsey Green breaks down stereotypes of string performance. A Native of Houston, Texas, and a violinist, violist, vocalist, and educator, she combines classical and various contemporary styles to make string sing. Dr. Greene says "I want my students to embrace and know their instrument. Beyond solid intonation and great technical facility, I want my students to be confidently versatile, [and] fully equipped with the tools to effectively convey personal artistry and move fluidly through the various genres they may encounter in their professional career. I also strive to educate students on the realities of what is necessary to create and sustain a career in this ever-changing music industry as a string player. Performance highlights include appearing on stage and screen with Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life tour), Charles Lloyd (Library of Congress Commission Premiere), Regina Carter (MidAtlantic Jazz Festival), Lizzo (62nd Grammy Awards), J. Cole (CBS's Late Show), MC Lyte (Essence Music Festival), Kirk Franklin (costar in nationally syndicated Walmart commercial), and more. Five studio recordings with Chelsey Green and the Green Room Project, including The Green Room, which debuted on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and the iTunes Top Ten Jazz Albums chart.

Dr. Green received her B.M. degree from University of Texas at Austin, her Masters of Music from Peabody Conservatory at the John Hopkins University, and her D.M.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park.

BREAKFAST: Dean's Panel

Chesapeake Ballroom, 7:45 a.m. - 9:20 a.m., Friday March 14^th, 2025

Dr. Susan M. Rivera ( Moderator )

Dean, The Graduate School
Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Susan Rivera is Professor of Psychology and Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland. As dean of the college, Dr. Rivera promotes a culture of inclusive excellence, and encourages impactful research and scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and partnerships both across and beyond the campus.

Prior to this role, Dean Rivera was Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and a faculty member of the UC Davis MIND Institute and the Center for Mind and Brain. Dr. Rivera recently stepped down as editor in chief of the journal Human Development and is a current member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IAAC) under the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Her research investigates the interplay between genes, brain function and structure, and environment across the lifespan (from infancy to old age). She has been conducting research with neurotypical and autistic individuals, and those on the fragile X spectrum of involvement, for nearly 25 years. Using brain imaging (EEG/ERP and functional and structural MRI) and eye tracking techniques, she investigates research questions about how underlying brain activity and behavior supports the development of skills such as attention, visual perception, face processing, sensory processing and emotion regulation, that are necessary for adaptive cognitive and social-emotional well-being.

Dr. Mark Ginsberg

President of Towson University
Towson, Maryland

Experienced higher education leader with a demonstrated history of driving enrollment growth and student retention, launching new programs, and partnering with community and other higher education organizations. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Teaching, Recruitment, Retention, Forecasting Enrollment Projections, Academic Advising, and Educational Technology. Strong marketing and enrollment professional with extensive knowledge of Slate and digital marketing strategies. Over 15 years of experience working with adult and graduate populations.

Luncheon: COLLEGE PRESIDENTS’ CONVERSATIONS

Coming Soon.

Dr. Rhea Roper Nedd ( Moderator )

Director, Center for Student Diversity
Towson University, Maryland

Dr. Rhea Roper Nedd, is the Director of the Center for Student Diversity at Towson University and leads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at the University. She oversees programs that focus on students of diverse identities and intersections, including: African American and the African Diaspora, Latine/x, LGBTQ+, Asian Pacific Islander Middle Eastern and Desi Americans (APIMEDA). As the Director of the Center for Student Diversity, she is responsible for implementing the Diversity Strategic Plan through program initiatives to create a sense of belonging, to celebrate the diversity of students and their communities, and to bring about systemic change. At Towson University, Dr. Roper Nedd is an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science. Her current course, “Themes in African and African American Studies,” remains consistent with her work on and with underserved communities and incorporates her research on marginalized populations and development initiatives.

For more than nine years Dr. Roper Nedd served as the Director of the McNair Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. She developed programs that led to increased retention and graduation rates as well as guided students on research methodologies and the dissertation writing process. Dr. Roper Nedd remains committed to advocating for equity and access for low-income, 1st generation, and traditionally underserved populations.

Dr. Roper Nedd earned her Ph.D. from Howard University, her Master of Arts from The Catholic University of America, and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Stephen Roth

Associate Provost and Dean
Graduate School, University of Maryland, College Park

Stephen Roth is Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. He has been on the faculty at Maryland since 2003 and a professor in the School of Public Health since 2014. Prior to joining the Graduate School in 2023, Dr. Roth held a variety of leadership roles on the campus, including as associate chair and graduate director for the Department of Kinesiology; Interim Director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Director of the Public Health Science B.S. program; and most recently as Associate Dean for academic and faculty affairs. Dr. Roth also served as director of outreach and instructional innovation for the university's Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.

Dr. Roth is a professor of kinesiology and affiliate faculty for the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) graduate program, and his scholarly research focuses on human genetic variation and its implications for health and exercise-related traits, including the ethics of genetic testing for talent identification in sport. Dr. Roth is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Kinesiology. He also serves as an editorial board member for Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Dr. Roth earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, and B.S. in health and human performance from the University of Montana.

Dr. Janet C. Rutledge

Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Janet C. Rutledge is currently serving as the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is also a faculty member in the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department. Prior positions in the Graduate School include Associate Dean, Senior Associate Dean and Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Before coming to UMBC she was the program director for the Graduate Research Fellowships Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). In her prior positions at NSF she served as a program director in the Division of Engineering Education and Centers and the Division of Undergraduate Education. She also chaired the NSF-wide coordinating committee for the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. Formerly she was on the faculty in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Northwestern University with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Under Dr. Rutledge’s leadership, the Graduate School at UMBC manages the full “lifecycle” of a graduate student from recruitment and admissions to progressions and graduation. The Graduate School has transitioned to a nearly paperless system for processing admissions applications, and they are in the process of transitioning their progressions and graduation systems. During her tenure she created the graduate student development unit that manages their diversity, retention, and completion activities. Their activities have been supported by external grants such as the NSF Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) and LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate, both phases of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) PhD Completion Project, the CGS Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion, and the TIAA-CREF/CGS Enhancing Student Financial Education project. She was instrumental in UMBC’s receiving recognition by the CGS and Peterson’s for “Innovation in Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community.” The graduate student development unit has recently expanded to include postdoctoral affairs. Dr. Rutledge received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received the M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her primary research area is modeling and compensating for the effects of sensorineural hearing loss and other communication disorders. She is the author of numerous journal and conference publications, an undergraduate textbook, and holds a patent. She has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on over $20 million dollars in grant funding in support of research and graduate education, mostly from federal agencies and private foundations. In addition to grants previously mentioned, she also served as a co-PI for the NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant and for the I 3 grant on Evaluation, Integration and Institutionalization of Initiatives to Enhance STEM Student Success. Among her honors and accomplishments, Rutledge has served as a Trustee of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for more than 25 years, and as an ABET engineering program evaluator for the IEEE and the Biomedical Engineering Society. Rutledge serves on the Council of Graduate Schools Board of Directors, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program Advisory Committee, and is chair-elect of the GRE Board. She is Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Barrie School, (an independent school serving grades PK-12).

Dr. Karen Panetta

Dean for Graduate Education

Dr. Karen Panetta is the Dean of Graduate Education for the School of Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University. She is a prolific inventor changing lives through her pioneering approaches to solve society’s greatest challenges using technology. She was a computer engineer for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) where her algorithms played an instrumental role in developing the first complete digital twin of a CPU design capable of running software programs that have redefined semi-conductor manufacturing and test processes and led the way for other complex system simulations to be possible.

Karen Panetta received a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Boston University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. As the first female electrical engineer to be given tenure in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, Panetta continues to promote the interests of women in her field. From 2007 to 2009, she was the worldwide director for IEEE Women in Engineering, the largest international professional organization dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists, and she served as editor-in-chief of the IEEE Women in Engineering magazine. She is the faculty adviser to the Tufts student chapters of both the Society of Women Engineers and the IEEE, and is founder of the nationally acclaimed Nerd Girls program, which promotes engineering disciplines to young students. She is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was awarded the 2013 IEEE Award for Distinguished Ethical Practices for exemplary contributions and leadership in developing ethics and social responsibility in students. She has received several NASA and National Science Foundation research grants, including the NSF CAREER Award. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Panetta the Presidential Award for Science and Engineering Education and Mentoring. Karen Panetta’s research focuses on developing efficient algorithms for simulation, modeling, and signal and image processing for security and biomedical applications.

Dr. Kimberly Griffin

Professor and Dean of the College of Education
Graduate School, University of Maryland, College Park

Kimberly A. Griffin (she/her) became dean of the College of Education in 2022. She previously served as associate dean for graduate studies and faculty affairs and as a professor in the Higher Education, Student Affairs and International Education Policy Program. Prior to joining UMD, she was a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University, an assistant dean for graduate studies at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and an admissions officer at Stanford University. As a scholar, Griffin identifies herself as a “problem-based researcher” and her work aims to promote access, equity, and justice in higher education. Much of her current research and writing focuses on mentorship, career development, and faculty and graduate student diversity. Her research has been funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Institutes of Health, and National Science Foundation. She previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Diversity in Higher Education from 2018 - 2022.Griffin’s work has been widely recognized for its relevance and effectiveness in addressing persistent problems in higher and science education. She received the Promising Scholar/Early Career Award by the Association for the Study of Higher Education in 2013, and was named an Emerging Scholar in 2010 and Diamond Honoree in 2020 by ACPA. For the past three years, she was named one of the 200 most influential education scholars by Education Week.

Griffin earned degrees from Stanford University, the University of Maryland, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Miriam Okine Davies

Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Graduate School, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Miriam Okine Davies is Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs and Enrollment Management with the Graduate School at Howard University, where she helps lead graduate student support initiatives and directly supports the management of strategies and initiatives related to the enrollment and support of graduate students. She earned her BA in Political Science and Public Policy from Swarthmore College and her MBA in Strategic Management from George Washington University. She has spent over 17 years in the education sector working at the grassroots level, in public policy research, and in the higher education sector.