Robert S. Smith, PhD

Dr. Robert S. Smith is the Director of the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach and Harry G. John Professor of History at Marquette University. His research and teaching interests include African American history, civil rights history, and exploring the intersections of race and law. Rob is the author of Black Liberation from Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter in the Debating American History Series, and Race, Labor & Civil Rights: Griggs v. Duke Power and the Struggle for Equal Employment Opportunity. Rob also serves on the Board of Curators for the Wisconsin Historical Society, is the Resident Historian for America’s Black Holocaust Museum, and is Chair of the Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission.

Sam Harshner, MPA, MA, ABD

Sam Harshner is the Director of Graduate Studies for the Public Service MA program and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Urban Affairs Minor, both programs that are anchored through the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. He also teaches in the Public Service, History, and Political Science Departments at Marquette University. He is a veteran of fifteen years of public service where he worked for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Wisconsin State Budget Office, the Center on Wisconsin Strategies, and the Department of Children and Families. Sam has an MPA from the Lafollette School of Public Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in History from Marquette University. He is currently completing a dissertation on gender, ideology, and class formation in Colonial Boston in the History department at Marquette University. 

Benjamin Linzy, ABD

Benjamin Linzy is the Senior Researcher at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach at Marquette University. In this role, he assists the Director with CURTO’s primary research agendas. He also serves as the host and producer of CURTO Conversations, the Center’s podcast, and he is the Video Editor & Producer for the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Marquette University. His research through CURTO centers around the topics of community policing, white nationalism, and state violence. Ben works as the Program Coordinator for Humanities Without Walls (HWW) in support of the $1.3 Million HWW grant project at Marquette University jointly developed between the HWW Consortium based at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Marquette University. In his spare time, Ben volunteers as the Editor-in-Chief for the Milwaukee Turner’s The Owl newsletter. He received his MA in global history with an emphasis on Middle East North African history from Marquette University in 2017 and is currently finishing an MS in Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. His pending dissertation is entitled, “By Badge, Bullet, and Baton: Police Use of Force in the Progressive Era.”

Amanda Platt

Amanda Platt is the Graduate Assistant of Programming and Undergraduate Interns at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She is pursuing an MEd in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Marquette University. Amanda graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2018 with a degree in Global Communication. After graduation, she served with AmeriCorps for two years at a local non-profit called College Possible where she coached high school students at Milwaukee High School of the Arts on their path toward becoming first-generation college students. In her role at CURTO, Amanda assists the Director with building and coordinating CURTO’s undergraduate student internship program and supporting relationships with key stakeholders through CURTO programming.

Kathryn Storm

Kathryn Storm is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching, & Outreach and pursuing an MA in Modern U.S. History at Marquette University. She graduated from American University in 2020 with a degree in Political Science and Minors in Education and History. In addition, she previously interned in the House of Representatives and with Global Kids, an education focused nonprofit. Her research focuses on Civil Rights, Social Movement Theory, and how these affect public policy today. Kate's work at CURTO focuses on research regarding the use of electronic monitoring on youth in Milwaukee Juvenile Corrections.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Gabriel Velez, PhD

Dr. Gabriel Velez is the Faculty Director of the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. He is also an Assistant Professor and Developmental Psychologist in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership (EDPL) in the College of Education at Marquette University. Gabe studies identity development in adolescents, particularly in relation to citizenship, human rights, and peace, including young people’s understandings and responses to peace education and restorative justice in educational contexts. In his work at CURTO, Gabe contributes to building better understandings and synergies to support Milwaukee-area Black and Latino/a young people’s thriving and college and career success.

Troy D. Washington, PhD

Dr. Troy Washington serves as the Director of Restorative Justice and Educational Equity for the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. He is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Marquette University. Troy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where his research focused on urban education with a concentration in community-based nonprofit leadership. He began training in restorative justice in 1995 as a practitioner at a youth facility. While learning the tenets of restorative justice and the practices of peacekeeping circles, Troy developed a passion for restorative practices. In the pursuit of this passion, he has traveled extensively to countries where restorative practices thrive, participating in circles in Tokyo, Dominican Republic, and Brazil, developing skills and learning application policies of restorative justice. As a dedicated practitioner Troy acts as a liaison between the integrating tenets of restorative justice, and building prospective through an alternative approach to punitive discipline. He also conducts restorative justice workshops throughout the United States and abroad.

Saúl López, MA

Saúl López is a Graduate Research Assistant and Pedagogy Advisor for the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. He is pursuing a PhD in Educational Policy and Leadership (EDPL) in the College of Education at Marquette University. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up on the South Side of Milwaukee. He graduated from Marquette University with a BA in Writing Intensive English and an MA in Spanish Language, Literature, and Cultures. As a McNair Scholar at Marquette University, Saúl researched the perceptions first-generation college students hold about themselves as writers. He also worked on multiple research projects that focused on Writing Center Tutoring Pedagogy and first-generation students. His current research focuses on Latinx Student Experience, Engagement with Latinx families, Community Based Education and Community Based Research.

Verónica Mancheno, MA

Verónica Mancheno is a Graduate Research Assistant and Pedagogy Advisor for the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She has been a K-12 classroom teacher for over 18 years. She is pursuing a PhD in Educational Policy and Leadership (EDPL) in the College of Education at Marquette University. Verónica has an MA in Education from Alverno College with a focus on Administrative and Instructional Leadership, and her undergraduate studies at Carthage College focused on the secondary education of Heritage Spanish Speakers. She also holds a Montessori Elementary Education Diploma from Association Montessori Internationale. Her current research focuses on the education of children and youth of minoritized communities in the K-12 school setting, as well as the development and retention of teachers of color.

Iris Soto Ruiz

Iris Soto Ruiz is a Research Assistant to the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. Her work at CURTO focuses on coordinating both the Youth Consulting Project and collaborations with College Possible. Iris is pursuing an MEd in Educational Policy and Foundations in the College of Education at Marquette University. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Universidad de Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and a MA in Spanish from the University of Oregon.

Max Herteen

Max Herteen is the Youth Consultant Lead for the Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In his role at CURTO, Max coordinates and hosts meetings with Milwaukee-area high school students and works to translate their advice and visions into meaningful events. Max is a first-year doctoral student in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University. He graduated with Honors degrees in English and History and a minor in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021. Max enjoys running and watching his favorite teams, and he is thrilled to be studying and working in his hometown of Milwaukee.

Jennifer Kiefer Fenton, PhD

Dr. Jennifer Kiefer Fenton is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She also teaches courses in social and political theory and in professional ethics in the Political Science Department, the Public Service MA program, and the Healthcare Technology Management MS program at Marquette University. Her research draws on the political theory and philosophic activism of Jane Addams as a resource for professional ethics, public administration, nonprofit and organizational leadership, and workplace democracy. In her role at CURTO, Jen coordinates the Milwaukee Roots Democratizing Local History Project and Milwaukee Roots Dialogue Series and serves as a liaison between various education and outreach programs at CURTO. She also supports the Director by overseeing CURTO’s annual values-centered strategic planning and implementation, an initiative run by graduate students enrolled in CURTO’s Public Service MA program.

Melissa Gibson, PhD

Dr. Melissa Gibson is a Curriculum Consultant for the MKE Roots Project at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. Currently, she is piloting a social studies course she designed called "Explore MKE" at St. Joan Antida High School. Melissa is an Assistant Professor and Teacher Educator in the Department of Educational Policy & Leadership (EDPL) in the College of Education at Marquette University. She studies how diverse schools work to enact educational justice, particularly in relation to liberatory and anti-racist pedagogies and through social studies and citizenship education. Prior to joining the Marquette University faculty, Melissa was a middle and high school social studies and English teacher in the US and Mexico.

Tiara Badie

Tiara Badie is a Graduate Research Intern at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She is a third-year law student here at Marquette University. Tiara graduated from Howard University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Tiara is working in partnership with All Voting is Local - Wisconsin to research issues regarding voter suppression and student engagement with voting. During her time at CURTO, Tiara has begun writing a series of articles focusing on jail-based voting in Wisconsin. The series seeks to inform the public of incarcerated voters' barriers when trying to cast a ballot. Logistical challenges, not legal ones, typically limit access to the ballot, so Tiara aims to inform the public, empower voters, and promote the changes needed to make voting accessible to everyone. Tiara currently serves as a Student Advisory Board member for Campus Vote Project after previously serving as a Wisconsin Democracy Fellow. Tiara has dedicated much of her work in law school to researching voting and civil rights issues and helping provide quality legal aid to those in the community who may not otherwise be able to afford it. 

Matt Baray

Matt Baray is Communication Intern at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach, working specifically to assist CURTO's work with the Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission. Matt is a law student at Marquette University Law School. He graduated from Gonzaga University in 2017 with a degree in History and Minors in Political Science and Art. After graduation, Matt spent two years back home in California working in public education. During that time, he spent a year working as an elementary school substitute teacher and a year as an AmeriCorps high school guidance counselor. As a law student, Matt has demonstrated an interest in social justice issues and has completed internships with the ACLU of Wisconsin and the Office of Governor Tony Evers. At the Governor’s Office, he directly contributed in the state pardon process, and worked to ensure an equitable process for all applicants.

Grace Alvarez

Grace Alvarez is a Research Assistant on the James Ferguson II Research Project at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She also works on the Milwaukee Roots Dialogue Series, a virtual dialogue series at CURTO that uses local history of social change movements and Milwaukee’s rich cultural landscapes to generate important conversations about social justice and reflect on one’s place in building a more equitable society. Grace also serves as a Program Assistant in the Center for Community Service. She is a senior with a double major in Peace Studies and Applied Mathematical Economics. Grace grew up in rural Pennsylvania and dreams of returning to the area one day to build a life on the farm.

Arianna Balton

Arianna Balton is an Andrew Goodman fellow at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. She is majoring in Marketing. Her work at CURTO focuses on empowering youth voting. 

Natan Fessahaye, Chemistry 2025

Natan Fessahaye is an undergraduate research assistant at America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM), a collaboration project between ABHM and the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In his research, Natan is especially interested in immigration in the city and where people come from and why. In his role at CURTO and ABHM, Natan provides first-hand insight into the Milwaukee community and supports these research initiatives. In his free time, Natan enjoys producing music.

Martina (Ina) Ramos, Biomedical Sciences & Chemistry 2022

Ina Ramos is the Website and Digital Media Intern at the Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach. In her role at CURTO, she works with leadership on implementing CURTO's strategic plan for building its web presence, and she manages CURTO website updates and other social media platforms. She is also a Chemistry tutor for the Office of Student Educational Services and she also does undergraduate research in the Integrative Neuroscience Research Center in the College of Health Sciences in the Evans Lab.