Shawntal Brown, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Senior Outreach Program Coordinator

Division of Campus and Community Engagement

shawntal.brown@austin.utexas.edu

Shawntal aims to advance and promote servant leadership through her research, service, and formal academic appointments. In her current appointment as Senior Outreach Program Coordinator for Initiatives for Campus Support in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, Shawntal builds connections with students, staff, and faculty so that campus community members can experience a welcoming campus climate. She employs a research-based approach to community building, including leveraging campus climate assessment findings, to develop resources and strategically approach campus outreach to support environments at the university.

Her equity lens is also evident in her service and accolades. Shawntal is the co-president of the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (TADOHE) and provides Texas administrators with professional and personal development opportunities in alignment with TADOHE’s mission and vision of equity and inclusive excellence. Additionally, she received the NASPA Region III DEI Mosaic Award through her advocacy and research.

Shawntal’s research focuses on university presidents and their commitments through an organizational perspective. Her work, Mapping Pleasure, and Pain on Women’s Bodies: Southern Black Feminist Geographic Interventions in the journal, Gender, Place, and Culture. Additionally, she has co-authored with Dr. Michael A. Goodman in ACPA Developments titled, “It’ll be like Biden and Harris”: A Black Woman’s Conundrum in Collegiate Student Government. To bridge research and practice across disciplines, Shawntal regularly presents at different conferences including the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA), Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUPSA), and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)

Betty Jeanne Taylor, Ph.D. (she/her)

Assistant Vice President, Division of Campus and Community Engagement

Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy

bjwtaylor@austin.utexas.edu

Dr. Betty Jeanne Taylor (she/her/hers) serves as Assistant Vice President in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement (DCCE) at The University of Texas at Austin, where she leads initiatives to develop a welcoming campus climate, enhancing a sense of belonging for students, staff, and faculty. In this role, she created the first university-wide teaching seminar, having led over 1,000 teaching assistants in exploring elements of course design and processes. She recently led the development of Initiatives for Campus Support – a centralized university unit where students, staff, and faculty can share their campus experiences and receive peer support.

Dr. Taylor is a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, as an Assistant Professor of Practice, teaching and advising graduate students in the Program in Higher Education, Leadership, and Policy. Previous roles at UT Austin have included Director of Greek Life and Education in the Office of the Dean of Students and Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology, where she co-instructed courses on Intergroup Dialogue and conducted research for a multi-university study. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and received a B.S. in Communication and an M.S. in Higher Education, both from Florida State University.

Dr. Taylor’s research interests focus on campus climate, intersectional identity development, and sense of belonging. Recent publication includes a co-authored chapter in the text A House Where All Belong: Redesigning Education Abroad for Inclusive Excellence (2022) and an article in the journal Education and Urban Society (2021). She is a recipient of the President’s Outstanding Service Award and the Texas Parents Association Staff Merit Award from The University of Texas at Austin.

Andres Paredes

Senior Student Associate

Initiatives for Campus Support

Andres (he/him/his) serves as a Senior Student Associate for Initiatives for Campus Support. He is a chemistry undergraduate interested in research and chemical education. He holds membership in various organizations on campus, including the Junior Fellows Program, The Longhorn Band, and Texas Blazers. Andres is passionate about acting as a resource to those in the University/Austin community, and improving campus climate and belonging.

Kirthi Gummadi

Senior Student Associate

Initiatives for Campus Support