Chancellor's Commissions on Equity by Design

The purpose of the Chancellor’s Commissions on Equity by Design is to tap into national universities and campus organizations and partners to explore current issues, insights, research, best practices, and resources to create and sustain change to foster an equitable environment on our campus, with a focus on increasing student success and professional fulfillment. Each Commission is also focused on implementing objectives and action items in our Strategic Plan as well as new opportunities. Anticipated plans for each Commission for the 2026-2027 academic year, according to each, are:

Commission on Disability & Advancing Accessibility

For 2026-2027, this Commission will continue to promote awareness and understanding of disability and accessibility throughout the campus community, as well as the ongoing efforts to reduce barriers to campus accessibility. Plans include a focus on neurodiversity, implementation of improved accessibility within learning and office spaces, and collaboration with other Commissions and student groups.

Members

Elizabeth Parrett – Staff, Co-Chair
Michael Sturm – Faculty, Co-Chair
Matthew Bodek – Staff
Colleen Houseman – Staff
Janeen Madison – Faculty
Jennifer Zosh – Faculty

Commission on Empowering Women

For 2026-2027, the work of this Commission is planning to organize the “Connect & Grow Faculty, Staff, and Student Networking” event. During this event, students have the opportunity to ask questions, learn from experiences, and build meaningful connections across campus. We will also work on a proposal to apply for funding (EOPC) to organize some mentoring workshops (and invite alumni from the local industry to mentor our students), just like this year. The goal is to foster belonging, strengthen student confidence, and directly contribute to student success at Penn State Brandywine.

Members

Nasibeh Zohrabi – Faculty, Chair
Christina Billie – Staff
Nicola Difronzo-Heitzer – Staff
Julie Gallagher – Faculty
Falesha Ghee – Staff
Jamie Hawthorn – Part-time Staff
Megann Hedgecock – Faculty
Maryam Khan – Staff
Dana Martin – Faculty
Olga Moskaleva – Staff
Lusine Mueller – Part-time Faculty
Aaron Rape – Faculty
Shruti Shrestha – Faculty
Martin Yeh – Faculty

Commission On Interfaith & Spiritual Inclusion

For 2026-2027, this Commission plans to build on 2025-2026 work by developing student-centered initiatives such as Sacred Paths to Peace, a fair-style gathering that invites students to share and explore diverse spiritual, religious, and ethical perspectives in a setting grounded in dialogue and mutual understanding. We also aim to strengthen campus support structures by developing a clearer pathway through which students can express concerns or obstacles they may encounter in living their spiritual life ways on campus, helping to ensure that inclusion is both meaningful and actionable.

Members

Paul Greene – Faculty, Chair
Mark Boudreau – Faculty
Evan Bradley – Faculty
Steve Cimbala – Faculty
Falesha Ghee – Staff
Tracy Lea-Dorsey – Faculty
Stephanie Fitzgerald – Part-time Staff
Maryam Khan – Staff
Janeen Madison – Faculty
Kenneth Murphy – Staff
Kimberly Schultz – Faculty

Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Equity

For 2026-2027, this Commission’s goals are to provide educational resources for and about LGBTQ+ people at Penn State Brandywine. The Commission seeks opportunities to increase the visibility and representation of the broader LGBTQ+ community, and to create spaces for a safe and accepting environment.

Members

Teresa Slobuski – Faculty, Co-Chair
Terrie Wong – Faculty, Co-Chair
Christina Billie – Staff
Evan Bradley – Faculty
Ed Dixon – Staff
Laura Evans – Faculty
Megann Hedgecock – Faculty
Patton Vo – Staff
Kathleen Yanoshak – Faculty

Commission on Racial & Ethnic Justice

For the 2026-2027 school year, the Commission on Racial & Ethnic Justice will focus on recommending strategies for improving the retention and graduation rates for all students of color at Penn State Brandywine. We will gather data from institutions of similar size and racial/ethnic makeup, examine strategies that have proven success both anecdotally and those within academic research, and analyze the feedback provided to the commission in the past two years from our students of color on campus. We will use all this data to craft a realistic set of recommendations for improving retention and graduation of students of color on our campus and present these recommendations to campus leadership.

Members

Chair, To Be Determined
Olugbenga Adeyinka – Faculty
Tina Brackett-Wood – Staff
Nicola DiFronzo-Heitzer – Staff
Laura Evans – Faculty
Julie Gallagher - Faculty
Marinda Harrell-Levy – Faculty
Gary Miller – Staff
Amy Miller-Spavlik – Staff
Deb Ousey – Faculty
Gemma Rapone – Part-time Staff
Patton Vo – Staff
Kelly Wallace – Part-time Faculty

Commission on Veteran & Military Success

For 2026-2027, the Commission will continue to advocate for our student veterans; celebrating and elevating Military Appreciation Week at Penn State Brandywine; supporting student veterans as they work to establish a recognized student veteran organization on campus; and conducting focus groups with student veterans to better understand their experiences and identify ways the campus can more effectively support and advocate for them.

Members

Gary Miller – Staff, Chair
Earl Catagnus – Faculty
Stephen Cimbala – Faculty
Maureen Fielding – Faculty
Shawn Riley – Staff

Commission on Sustainability

The focus of the Chancellor’s Commission on Sustainability for 2026–2027 will be to recommend, promote, and support sustainability initiatives across campus that uphold the campus’ value of Sustainability. “Sustainability – We strive to be good stewards of our economy, our people, and our environment –(people, planet, prosperity) – to promote health, resilient, and inclusive communities.”

The Commission will also promote and support Penn State’s approach to Sustainability, “Penn State takes a holistic approach to advance solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges, incorporating the strengths of diverse perspectives, disciplines, and societal needs.”

The Commission will present to the Chancellor a plan or goals for the Commission each year for endorsement.

Members

Rachel Skinner – Faculty, Co-Chair
Co-Chair, To Be Determined
Olugbenga Adeyinka – Faculty
Stephanie Fitzgerald – Part-time Staff
Tracy Lea-Dorsey – Faculty
Olga Moskaleva – Staff
Kenneth Murphy – Staff
Zoia Pavlovskaia – Faculty (Leave FA 2026)
Aaron Rape – Faculty
Marina Skyers – Faculty
Karen Theveny – Faculty