MOSAIC Advisory Board

Pat Arnold

Pat Arnold (they/them) is finishing their fifth year with Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) and the Women’s and Gender Studies program. As Assistant Director of Academic Programs. In this role, they advise all undergraduate and graduate students in GenCen programs, teach and design core WGS courses, and support interns, but will also be helping lead the creation of new educational initiatives that promote global gender and LGBTQIA2S+ diversity and representation open to all students at MSU. Pat is excited to find new pathways for students to gain that global experience and translate it to their research, career goals, and advocacy efforts while at MSU and beyond

Shannon Lynn Burton, PhD

Dr. Shannon Lynn Burton (she/her/hers) became the University Ombudsperson at Michigan State University in July 2018 after serving previously as both the Assistant University Ombudsperson and later Associate University Ombudsperson. During her 25+ year tenure in education, she has cultivated a culture of academic integrity, guided students on goal setting and educational choices and ensured institutional compliance with federal regulations. After 11+ years as an ombuds, she seeks to make the office a touchpoint for building trust within the organizations by creating a space where individuals, in particular students, can freely discuss their concerns in an environment that adheres to the International Ombuds Association (IOA) Standards of Practice: confidentiality, informality, neutrality and independence. Since beginning her tenure as University Ombudsperson, Shannon has been appointed to several committees examining structures of safety and support including the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup, the Positive Workplace Alliance, the Workplace Bullying and Harassment Ad Hoc Task Force, the Virtual Harassment Think Tank and the Police and Public Safety Committee.

Anjam Chaudhary, PhD

Dr. Anjam Chaudhary (she/elle/ella) is the global inclusion program director at the Office of International Studies and Programs at Michigan State University where she leads transformative programs particularly in inclusive leadership, intercultural awareness, and cross-cultural communication. Bringing a wealth of experience in fostering inclusive practices across a diverse community of students, staff, and faculty on a global scale, Chaudhary actively engages in initiatives to implement inclusion, access, opportunity, and excellence on local, national, and international platforms. She also shares her expertise through research contributions, conference presentations, and consulting projects focused on global inclusion and intercultural communication. In her secondary roles, she leads the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and serves as the co-academic director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship Programs.

Shreena Gandhi, PhD

Dr. Shreena Gandhi (she/her/hers) is a part of the Religious Studies Department at Michigan State University, where she primarily teaches classes on religion and race in the Americas. She is currently finishing up edits on a manuscript, A Cultural History of Yoga in the United States, which looks at the impacts of race, gender and class on how yoga is practiced and commodified in religious and secular spaces. She is also working on two other projects: one on religious seeking in the colonial and post-colonial global south, which uses her grandfatherÆs writings and books as primary evidence, as well as the writings of other colonial and post-colonial religious seekers. She is also working on a collaborative project on how to transform U.S. religious history into an anti-racist, anti-colonial and anti-sexist discipline which helps move forward the goals of decolonization. Dr. Gandhi has presented her work nationally and internationally, and is committed to intersectional scholarship and meticulous research grounded in facts.

Isaac Kalumbu, PhD (Chair)

Dr. Isaac Gabriel Kalumbu (he/him) is Assistant Director for Outreach in the African Studies Center at MSU. He was born and raised in Zimbabwe, and earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology with a minor in African American Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington. In 2011, he joined the university’s International Studies and Programs, first as Assistant to the Director of the African Studies Center, and later as Program Manager for the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program. Prior to rejoining the African Studies Center in August 2019, Isaac served as Student Advocate and Outreach Coordinator for the Office for International Students and Scholars at MSU for one and a half years. In addition to his academic and administrative work, Isaac is a GRAMMY Nominated singer and songwriter.

Michael Kaplowitz, PhD

Dr. Michael Kaplowitz (he/him) is a professor of environmental law, resource economics, and sustainable development. Kaplowitz holds a BS in Industrial Economics from Union College (NY) and a JD from Duke University. After practicing law in New York City, Kaplowitz returned to school and received an MA in Latin American Studies, Environmental Policy, and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a PhD in Resource Development and Resource Economics from Michigan State University (MSU). Kaplowitz currently serves MSU as one of its two Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR) to the Big Ten and NCAA. As FAR, Kaplowitz’s responsibilities center on looking out for and enhancing the welfare of student-athletes as well as the academic integrity of the athletics program. Additionally, Kaplowitz is engaged in CSUS undergraduate education teaching multiple sections of the department’s CSUS 200-Introduction to Community Sustainability. Kaplowitz is also working on international development and sustainability efforts in Ghana and Nepal with his graduate students and colleagues.

Eric Montgomery, Phd

Dr. Eric J. Montgomery (he/him) is a Cultural Anthropologist and Assistant Professor at Michigan State University where he serves as the Peace and Justice Adviser; he is also a long-time faculty member in the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University where Professor Montgomery serves as the Saperstein-Lentz Senior Fellow in Peace Studies. Montgomery organizes “Peace conferences” that have recognized the likes of Desmond Tuti, Mary Robinson, Noam Chomsky, and more recently journalist Danny Fenster and ER doctor Craig Spencer. Dr. Montgomery is also a filmmaker and social justice activist with research and work spanning the gamut of anthropology, African religion, and human rights. Montgomery has taught over 25 different courses in Anthropology and Peace and Justice studies over the past 20 years at several universities.

Brenda Nelson, PhD

Dr. Brenda Nelson (she/her) is the Associate Director of Community and Engagement for Culinary Services at Michigan State University. Brenda received her doctorate in Higher Adult Learning Education at Michigan State University with an emphasis in belonging, persistence, retention, and leadership. Brenda has delivered a multitude of moving presentations to encourage and motivate students and staff to define who they are and what passions drive them. The focus of her talks has been the concept of discovering and defining your authentic self. Brenda was awarded in 2018 the Inspirational Woman of the Year Award in the Professional Advancement category by the MSU Center for Gender in Global Context. She was awarded in 2018 the Equity and Inclusion Award from the Michigan chapter of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA-MI). She was also awarded the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award based on her commitment to excellence in 2014.

Desiree Qin, PhD

Dr. Desiree Qin (she/her) received interdisciplinary training in education, psychological anthropology and cultural psychology. Her research, funded by the William T Grant Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, focuses on highlighting nuanced, complex family processes that have been overlooked in quantitative work on Asian immigrant families, especially struggle in parent-child relations, e.g., emotional alienation, parent-child conflicts, communication challenges and negative impact of tiger parenting. Dr. Qin has co-edited multiple volumes on the post-1965 New Immigration, globalization and education, Asian American and Pacific Islander children and mental health, and most recently children and prejudice. Her recent projects examine academic and psychosocial adaptation challenges of Chinese international students. Currently, she is interested in decolonizing research methodology, mindfulness, and diverse models of knowing, healing and well-being in lifespan human development.

Frank S. Ravitch

Professor Ravitch (he/him) is a world renowned law and religion scholar and has also become known for his work on Japanese law and law and interpretive theory. Since joining Michigan State University College of Law, he has authored numerous books, law review articles, essays, book reviews, and book chapters, as well as amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court. His articles, which have appeared in highly regarded law reviews and peer reviewed journals, have primarily focused on law and religion in the U.S. and Japan, but he has also written about interpretive theory, civil rights law and disability discrimination. He is the Series Editor for the Law and Religion in a Global Context series published by Springer and serves as a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Semiotics and Law; the journal Religions; and has served as a peer reviewer for numerous books by publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, NYU Press, Harvard University Press, and Routledge. Professor Ravitch serves as faculty advisor to the Asian/Pacific Law Students Association; created and directs the Kyoto Japan Summer Program; has served on numerous faculty committees and tenure advisory committees.

Kristen Renn, PhD

Kristen Renn is a professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education and serves as associate dean of undergraduate studies for student success research. In 2021, Renn assumed the role of the Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education. Her research centers on college student learning, development, and success in higher education, with current projects focusing on low-income, first-generation students and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender college students. Other interests include college student identity development, student affairs administration, and women's higher education in international contexts. She is one of MSU's liaisons to the University Innovation Alliance and leads several grants related to college student success.

Morgan Shipley, PhD

Morgan Shipley (he/him) is the Inaugural Foglio Endowed Chair of Spirituality and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Michigan State University. My research, projects, teaching, and work related to the Chair focus on 1) understanding mystical and esoteric new religions that highlight spirituality as opposed to institutional religiosity, 2) positioning individuals and groups who increasingly identify as spiritual but not religious, and 3) situating the nature and manifestations of secular spirituality.

MOSAIC Center for Education and Outreach