CMSI Announces its 11th Cohort of ELEVATE Fellows!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jacinda Nembhard | jacinda.nembhard@gse.rutgers.edu
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., March 6, 2026 – The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting our 11th annual early-career faculty training program, ELEVATE (Enriching Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators) in New Brunswick, N.J., from June 10th to June 12th, 2026.
Today, we're pleased to announce this year's cohort of ELEVATE Fellows:
- Chioma Ezeh-Kehinde, Elizabeth City State University
- Katherine R. McCance (Katie), The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Tailisha Gonzalez, Lehman College of the City University of New York
- Carlos Noel Chapman II, Grambling State University
- Astrid Sierra, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Alejandro Prado, California State University, Northridge
- Ayana Best, Howard University
- G. Preston Wilson, Jr., Fisk University
- Leslie A. Anderson, Morgan State University
- Samina Gul Ali, Kean University
- Adrián Ríos, Imperial Valley College
- Jéssica Marisol Marroquín, Rutgers University, Newark
- Olivia Solomon, Prairie View A&M University
- Adrian Maria Valadez, California State University, Northridge
- Cristiano Eduardo Rodrigues Reis, Howard University
ELEVATE is a three-day professional development opportunity created specifically to address the unique needs of early-career faculty members at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Drawing from the expertise of CMSI and our affiliates, ELEVATE will support the ongoing learning, training, and networking of early career MSI faculty by providing workshops, opportunities to network with peers, and a platform for collaboration.
Participants will have the opportunity to further develop their skills through hands-on workshops that will cover academic writing, grant writing, teaching, mentoring, and achieving tenure. ELEVATE will further enrich fellows’ learning by providing sessions geared towards helping early-career MSI faculty navigate the professoriate and understand their identities within their institutions. Knowledge obtained from these workshops will help participants enhance the visibility of MSIs in national conversations by producing high-quality research and practice.
Join us in congratulating these scholars on their selection for ELEVATE!
Read more about our 2026 cohort here.
