Theresa W. Tobin, PhD
Dr. Theresa W. Tobin is the Director of the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach and Associate Professor of Philosophy. She is also the Associate Dean for Student Development at Marquette University. Theresa's academic research focuses on contemporary ethics with a special focus on ethical questions that arise at the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion and culture. She has written articles on themes related to gender, moral trust, and the nature and moral significance of spiritual violence for Hypatia, Metaphilosophy, Social Theory and Practice, and Human Rights Review.
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Marisola Xhelili Ciaccio, ABD
Marisola Xhelili Ciaccio is the Associate Director of the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach (CURTO) and a doctoral candidate in Philosophy at Marquette University. Prior to her role with EPP, Marisola was a Carceral Studies Fellow at CURTO and an Arthur J. Schmitt Fellow. Her academic research focuses on decolonial criticism of social systems, social identity, and moral psychology.
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Darren Wheelock, PhD
Dr. Darren Wheelock is the Faculty Liaison for the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach and a member of the EPP Steering Committee. As the EPP Faculty Liaison, Darren helps recruit faculty to teach EPP blended courses and helps prepare them to work with currently and formerly incarcerated students. He is also an Associate Professor of Criminology and Law Studies in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences and the Director for the Criminal Justice Data Analytics MS program at Marquette University.
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Shar-Ron Buie
Shar-Ron Buie serves as the Community Liaison for the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. Shar-Ron is a member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Defender Service Board of the Eastern and Western District. He is a justice impacted 100% Service-Connected Veteran who has engaged in significant activities representing veterans and justice impacted persons in criminal and civil cases. He is also an author who has had three short stories published. Shar-Ron is pursuing an MA in Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He holds a paralegal degree, an associates degree in Electronics, and a BS in Business Administration from UW Platteville. Shar-Ron also served with honor and distinction in the United States Marine Corps and in 2001, founded American Legion Post 1998 and served as its first elected Commander.
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Alexandra Gambacorta
Alexandra Gambacorta is a Teaching Assistant for the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In this role, she supports course management for the "inside" course, Creative Writing: Poetry. She is also conducting research on Trauma-Informed Pedagogy under the direction of Marisola Xhelili Ciaccio, the Associate Director of EPP. Alex is pursuing an MA in English at Marquette University, prior to which she earned her BA at Marquette University in Social Welfare & Justice and Writing Intensive English. Alex co-founded a student-athlete mental health organization, Student Health Allies and Peer Educators (SHAPE), to help connect students to resources on campus and break the stigma surrounding mental health. She is also a member of Marquette’s chapter of The Community, a nonprofit that addresses the effects of the criminal legal system through Pre-entry and Correcting the Narrative, and a member of Narrative 4, an organization that uses a story exchange model to cultivate radical empathy while empowering students to improve their communities and the world.
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Lexi Harwick, Social Welfare & Justice and Psychology 2022
Lexi Harwick is an undergraduate intern for the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In her role at CURTO, she works alongside the EPP Steering Committee to enhance the program’s public presence and support program evaluation. Some of her research interests and focuses of study include examining service provider perspectives of domestic violence/sexual abuse shelters and outreach centers, student perspectives of the traditional grading system, and the importance of the humanities in post-secondary education. Lexi is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin and in her free time she enjoys singing and playing the piano, guitar, and ukulele.
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Corena Smith, Philosophy 2023
Corena Smith is an undergraduate intern for the Education Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching, & Outreach. In her role at CURTO, she works with leadership to recruit current Marquette University students and justice-impacted students to enroll in EPP courses, and works to develop and plan strategies that assist students in the enrollment process, access to academic advising, career services, and holistic support. Corena has a passion for social justice and is double minoring in Social Welfare & Justice and Criminology & Law studies. Some of her research interests and focuses of study include studying the interaction between Moral Philosophy and the US Criminal Justice System.
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Alyssa Spies, Criminology & Law Studies and Sociology
Alyssa Spies is an undergraduate intern for the Educational Preparedness Program (EPP) at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In her role at CURTO, she works to implement and measure the success of EPP's blended courses. This research includes the construction of both pre- and post-test surveys, analyzing data, conducting community outreach, and presenting results of this research. Alyssa is also an intern at Table of the Saints, a grassroots nonprofit organization that hosts sober living homes for formerly incarcerated individuals. Additionally, she works at Marquette’s Engineering Academic Advising Center (EAAC) as a student worker and holds leadership roles in Marquette Bands (Vice President) and Criminology and Law Society (Secretary). After graduate Alyssa plans to do a year of service, go to graduate school, and eventually pursue a career in public policy.
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