App State honors champions of inclusive excellence, on campus and in the community

Dr. Jamie Levine, associate professor in App State’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence Faculty Award.

Interim Chief Diversity Officer Jamie Parson said Levine has “truly ignited change within her department.” In her nomination letters, Levine was lauded for making “equity, fairness and acceptance her mission.”

Levine has served as an inclusive excellence liaison in App State’s Center for Academic Excellence for three years. She has led her department in the execution of inclusion surveys and established a diversity, equity and inclusion committee within the department that includes student representation. She also created a discussion group through the URGE (Unlearning Racism in GEosciences) program, which focuses on improving accessibility, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and community.

Levine said she works to foster an inclusive environment on campus because “we need to focus on making everybody who is here feel valued, included and respected.”

Yolanda Adams, family resource coordinator for Watauga County Schools (WCS), was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence in the Community Award.

Adams joined WCS in 2012 as the district’s Spanish interpreter and translator, and was then promoted to her current position. WCS Superintendent Scott Elliott praised Adams for her ability to build trusting relationships that extend through and even beyond the school system. He said, “She advocates and supports others in a manner that empowers them to advocate for themselves and to support others.”

Locally, Adams implemented a statewide initiative, the Juntos Program, which helps encourage 8th through 12th grade Latino students to pursue higher education. She also works to build bridges between the Latino community and law enforcement by helping organize events, including Coffee with a Cop and the Latino Fair. In 2020, she received the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Baker/Jones Woman of the Year Award.

Adams said her Chancellor's Award means “my voice is being heard, and I’m able to make an impact in our community.” She continued, “We are empowering and advocating for those who are underserved.”

App State student Chandler Smith, a senior nutrition and foods major from Mecklenburg County, was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence Undergraduate Student Award.

In her nomination letters, Smith’s work to support campus programming, including Body Positive App State, was highlighted, with one letter stating, “Chandler is a true advocate for her peers and those within the community.”

Smith said she believes diversity and inclusion are ongoing issues and she is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important work.

Eris Jenkins, an App State graduate student majoring in student affairs administration from Asheville, was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence Graduate Student Award.

Parson said Jenkins serves as an intern in the Office of Diversity and she was impressed with Jenkins’ depth of knowledge and interest in emerging issues in the diversity, equity and inclusion space.

In their letters, nominators focused on Jenkins’ work to “make space for people” and how Jenkins finds a “great deal of joy in leading diversity, equity and inclusion work across campus.” Jenkins is the residence hall director in App State's Appalachian Heights and the office assistant for the Henderson Springs LGBT Center.

Regarding why they further diversity and inclusion at App State, Jenkins said, “I want people to feel like they belong here and that they deserve to be here.”

Lamont Sellers, App State’s director of intercultural student affairs, was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence Staff Award.

Parson said Sellers was hired in 2020 “at the height of the dual pandemics of COVID and racial injustice,” adding that he takes a “dynamic approach” to his position and is revitalizing the university’s approach to intercultural student development. Sellers also serves on the university’s Diversity and Inclusion Accountability Team.

One nomination letter noted his “steady demeanor” and “keen insight,” and others praised his calm and thoughtful approach, which “allows potentially triggering topics to be discussed collaboratively rather than combatively.”

Sellers said he is passionate about elevating diversity and inclusion at App State because he is “an educator at heart. This work is what fulfills me and gives me hope for our collective future,” Sellers said.

App State’s University Housing was presented the Chancellor’s Award for Inclusive Excellence Department Award. Dr. Brandon Nelson, App State’s interim director of university housing, accepted the award on behalf of the department.

Parson said, “University Housing’s proactive approach to addressing issues of equity serves as a role model for our campus.” One nomination letter noted the department’s commitment to inclusion “truly exists at a cultural level” and has a profound impact on the inclusion of both students and staff.

The department’s staff has participated in professional development opportunities, including implicit bias training and the Intercultural Development Inventory. Regarding the latter, the staff attended one-on-one sessions with certified facilitators to process their results and establish personal development plans.

Nelson said hundreds of staff and students support University Housing and are on the front lines with App State students. “Their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is imperative so all students who come to Appalachian feel welcome,” Nelson said.