Compassion

Cynthia Demetriou | She/Her 

Vice Provost, Student Success and Retention Innovation

Cynthia Demetriou, PhD, oversees multifaceted programs, supports, and policies for undergraduate retention and student success at the University of Arizona. With numerous publications and presentations, she is a leader for student success research and practice. A recipient of a $3.3M ‘First in The World’ grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Demetriou oversees The Finish Line Project including direct student service and empirical investigations focused on degree completion for first-generation college students. Dr. Demetriou holds multiple degrees including a PhD in Education, with a focus on Educational Psychology, Measurement and Evaluation, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an EdM from Harvard University, and a BA from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She started her career as a classroom teacher and believes in the power of education to transform lives

Elliott Cheu | He/Him 

Interim Dean, College of Science

Elliott Cheu is the interim Dean of the College of Science and a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Arizona. He started his academic career at Stanford University, where he majored in physics. While at Stanford, he participated in research at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), which piqued his interest in understanding the most fundamental elements of the Universe. This interest next led him to Cornell University where he obtained his Ph.D. in physics, with an emphasis on particle physics. After graduate school, Elliott obtained the Robert R. McCormick Fellowship at the University of Chicago, working on the KTeV experiment. This experiment was the first to discover a phenomenon called direct CP violation, which demonstrated the difference between matter and anti-matter. In 1996 Elliott moved to the University of Arizona, and has been here ever since. He currently performs research at the Large Hadron Collider, searching for new phenomena related to dark matter.

Iman Hakim | She/Her

Dean, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health

Dr. Iman Hakim is a professor of public health and the dean of the University of Arizona (UA) Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH). Dr. Hakim is the Mel & Enid Zuckerman Endowed Chair in Public Health and the founding director of the Global Health Institute at UA. She is a member of the UA Cancer Center and Sarver Heart Center at the UA College of Medicine. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Nutrition at the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UA College of Medicine.

Her research focuses on health promotion, dietary interventions, and the role of gene-environment and gene-nutrition interactions in chronic disease prevention.

Dr. Hakim earned her medical degree from Cairo University in Egypt where she completed her Pediatric residency. She received her PhD in in child health and nutrition from Ain-Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, and her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine.

Ivy Banks | She/Her

Associate Vice Provost, Diversity & Inclusion

Ivy Banks serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Diversity & Inclusion where she oversees the Office of Multicultural Advancement, Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement, Initiatives for Organizational Inclusion, Survivor Advocacy Program and the Ombuds Program. In her role, Mrs. Banks leads our campus on diversity and inclusion education, best practices, and strategies.

Mrs. Banks joins the University of Arizona from the Northern Arizona University where she serves as Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs – Engagement & Inclusive Excellence. In this capacity, she has been responsible for advising department chairs and deans on how to attract and retain diverse candidates through trainings and one on one consultations. Mrs. Banks currently leads initiatives to unify academic and student affairs engagements through targeted messaging, using predictive analytics systems and aligning efforts to enhance support around first year, first-gen students of color.  She has implemented the Inclusion & Diversity Scholars program which expanded freshman diversity mentoring from 30 students to 650 diverse students in one year. Mrs. Banks has also implemented campus-wide Inclusion Zone, TRANSparency Zone and DREAM Zone training, served as a leader in designing the first Diversity Strategic Plan as well as overhauled the Safe Zone training curriculum.  She currently oversees the Office of Indigenous Student Success, Multicultural & LGBTQIA+ Student Services, First-Gen Programs, Leadership-Engagement-and Peer Mentoring, TRIO programs and divisional initiatives such as the STAR program for early start for first generation students and the Indige-Bridge program which provides an early start for Native and Indigenous Students.

During her time at the University of Akron School of Law, Mrs. Banks led recruitment efforts and redesigned the recruitment strategy to expand recruitment to include diversity alumni in key cities and update admissions marketing materials to align with the growing millennial student population. She developed the Pathways program which resulted in a contractual relationship between Akron Law and Central State University, the only Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Ohio. In conjunction with the Akron Bar Association Diversity Committee, Mrs. Banks increased diversity participation and membership with the bar association and led the Law and Leadership Institute Program at Akron Law. As a Senior Lecturer, Mrs. Banks designed and delivered courses on Contracts Law Lab, Criminal Law Lab and bar preparation courses and served as co-chair of the Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and implemented diversity programming and recruitment.

Mrs. Banks has been awarded the Anthony “Tony” Ross Award for service to Black and African-American students, the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award and the LGBTQIA Commission’s Ally of the Year Award, at Northern Arizona University.  From the University of Akron, she received Leadership Excellence Award, Akron Law BLSA Alumni Banquet and Alumni of the Year, Akron Law Black Law Students Association.  Mrs. Banks was awarded the Dean’s Commendation for Outstanding Student Engagement in the Classroom from Bryant & Stratton College.

Mrs. Banks, a proud First-Generation student, earned a Juris Doctor from University of Akron, School of Law, a Master’s of Education degree in Educational Leadership-Community College/Higher Education from Northern Arizona University, is working on a Masters of Education in Learning Design and Technologies from Arizona State University and completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cleveland State University. She is an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. which is one of the four historically African-American sororities. She has also acquired trainings and certificates from Cornell University in Faculty Institute for Diversity along with Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA), Section 504 and Decision Maker Certifications.

Tori Upton | She/her

Coordinator, Student Assistance 

Dean of Students Office 

Student Assistance Coordinator with the Dean of Students Office. I have been in the role for a year and half, and I am thankful to work alongside a very energetic and passionate team. I do consider myself a Wild Devil, as started my undergrad program here at the University of Arizona and transferred to Arizona State University to complete my degree. I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Family and Human Development in May 2016 and I am currently pursuing my Masters Degree in Educational Leadership through Northern Arizona University. With a background in case management, customer service and interpersonal relationships I have been able to collaborate with the amazing students to strive for success. In my role, I am able to connect with students of diverse backgrounds as they navigate the challenges of life while pursuing their educational goals. I am eager to continue my professional path in higher education and establish additional connections along the way!

Nura A. Dualeh | She/her

Director, Arizona's Science, Engineering and Math Scholars Program (ASEMS) and Director of Retention, Graduate College

Nura Dualeh has worked in higher education in the areas of international education and exchange, financial aid, multicultural student affairs, graduate school preparation and STEM equity. She earned her B.A. degree from Williams College and her M.A. degree from The University of Arizona. Nura collaborates with a wide network of faculty, staff, and administrators to create future-facing, inclusive programs that support student recruitment, retention, and success. Her student advocacy and leadership has been recognized with several awards including the UArizona Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award, the MLK Distinguished Leadership Service Award, the Governor’s Award for Excellence, and the Parent of the Year award. Nura affirms each student’s aspirations, while nurturing their talent and wellbeing. Compassion, joy and radical hope inform her work, as she believes this generation’s future is much, much brighter than their past.

Tony Viola IV | He/Him

Project Coordinator, LSWHTA

Tony Viola is a first-generation college student from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Currently, he is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies in addition to being a Support Specialist for Upward Bound – TRiO and a Project Coordinator for a youth focused experiential archaeology program called Linking Southwest Heritage Through Archaeology. Tony is also a member of several groups and organizations focused on supporting Indigenous students in education including Voices of Indigenous Concerns in Education (VOICE) and Indigenous Intellectual Warriors (IIW).

Skyler Cully | She/her

Disability Cultural Center Peer Mentor

Skyler is a senior at the U of A studying molecular cellular biology and family studies. Although only working with the Disability Cultural Center (DCC) since August, she has previously been involved in the undergraduate biology research program (UBRP) where she worked in a neurogenetics lab on campus. Before COVID, she volunteered at pediatric hospitals dressed as a princess multiple times a week.  She is grateful to have the opportunity to speak at this event.

 Faten Ghosn | She/Her

Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Government & Public Policy

Dr. Ghosn holds the Melody S. Robidoux Foundation Fund Professorship in the School of Government & Public Policy at the University of Arizona and is a Faculty Fellow at the Veterans Education and Transition Service Center. She has published in numerous academic and policy outlets. Her current research focuses on enemy images, ethics in fieldwork, forced migration, and transitional justice. 

Dev Ashish | He/Him

Clinical Neuropsychologist

Dr. Dev Ashish is a clinical neuropsychologist at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Tucson, AZ. In addition to conducting cognitive evaluations, he also provides cognitive training for patients with mild cognitive impairment and early dementia. He is an educator and a researcher. He has graduate degrees and previous background in statistics and artificial intelligence. He also has a longstanding meditation practice with special interest in Lovingkindness Meditation.

Deanna Lewis | She/her-Ze/zir

Deanna is a well-experienced public health practitioner and healthcare provider. In 1984, Mz. Lewis made history as the first woman firefighter in the history of the Tucson Fire Department. Deanna’s access to ALL Tucsonans by responding to 9-1-1 calls, as a firefighter/EMT/Paramedic, illuminated the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks (known as the social determinants of health). Her 20-year tenure in the fire service cultivated an indelible code for service, unabashed activism for primary prevention & harm reduction, and a passion for population health.  Interested in reducing health disparities, Lewis’ focus has always been on medically under-served communities.  In 2002, to address and increase access to healthcare services, Lewis co-founded the non-profit Dequenesh Community Health| a mobile health unit. In 2004, she graduated from Stanford University’s physician assistant program and has been a practicing physician assistant in Arizona for sixteen years. She, also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Eller, and holds a Doctor of Public Health from the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Mz. Lewis is a recipient of two Haury Program grants. The Haury Program’s Partnership grant is for the Gender Diversity Initiative, a partnership with the Kore Press Institute | Lisa Bowden, which seeks to address the issue of safe school environments for LGBTQ+ youth grades K-12. The second award is from the Haury Program’s Next Gen grant which supports an Advancing Community-Campus Collaborations initiative and was instrumental in the piloting of the Center 4 Community Campus Connections (C4). C4 strives to co-create thriving communities that respects and values all identities and all intersections. 

Jenny Simon, MC, LPC, PhD | She/Her

Life Management Counselor, Thrive Center

Jenny Simon is an award-winning author and a higher-education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Transformative Learning and Change from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Simon served as the Clinical Director for an acclaimed CACREP University, where she supervised students for their Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Jenny has been a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Arizona since 2006. She is currently working as a mental health counselor for the Thrive Center, University of Arizona. 

Andrea Romero | ​She/Her/Ella

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Dr. Andrea Romero is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at the University of Arizona where she is the lead administrator on faculty matters related to professional development, hiring, promotion, reviews, leadership development. Dr. Romero is a professor of Family Studies and Human Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a faculty affiliate in Psychology, Mexican American Studies, Gender and Women Studies, Latin American Studies, and Public Health. She served as the director of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families from 2015-2019. Dr. Romero’s scholarly work has examined community-based participatory action research methods to end health disparities in underprivileged communities. In addition to authoring two books and publishing numerous research articles, her externally funded research agenda has looked to build community partnerships to help find solutions with the common goal of equity and social justice. She has received numerous awards for her leadership and service, including the Cesar Chavez Award, the Dr. Alfredo De Los Santos Award for Service and Teaching, Mujer en la Lucha Award, the Woman of the Year Award by the Hispanic Professional Action Committee, and the Richard Ruiz Diversity Leadership Faculty Award. She is currently President for the National Latinx Psychological Association.

Corey A. Talley |He/Him

Academic Counselor within the C.A.T.S. Academics department

Corey Talley joined the C.A.T.S. Academics team in 2018 as an academic counselor. In his time here he has worked with Track and Field, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Swimming and Diving, and Football. In addition to his academic counselor role, Corey serves on the ICA Inclusive Excellence Council. This program focuses on enriching departmental and institutional equity, diversity and inclusion for both staff and student athletes.

Prior to joining the C.A.T.S. Academics team, Talley was an intern in the Florida State University Student-Athlete Academic Services department. There, he worked specifically with Track and Field and Softball.

A native of Williamsburg, VA., Talley holds a B.S. Degree in Sport Management and a M.A. Degree in Higher Education Administration, both from West Virginia University. Corey is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.