Advisory Committee
Jessica DeSpain - CODES Curriculum Director
Jessica DeSpain, PhD, is a professor of English and co-director of SIUE’s IRIS Center. She collaborated with the STEM Center on the Digital East St. Louis Project, in which middle school students built a website about the culture of their city. She also directed the Conversation Toward a Brighter Future 2.0 program, which uses digital storytelling to study intergenerational relationships.
Connie Frey Spurlock - CODES Community Director
Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, is an associate professor of sociology and the faculty director of SIUE’s Successful Communities Collaborative, a cross-disciplinary program that supports one-year partnerships between the University and communities aligned with the EPIC Network, an award-winning program for fostering partnerships. She is also the director of SIUE's Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center.
Jessica Harris
Jessica Harris, PhD, is vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SIUE and previously served as associate professor of historical studies. She collaborated with faculty, students, the Honors Program, and the Office of Academic and Student Affairs to launch a pilot of Sustained Dialogue, a powerful five-stage social action model encouraging dialogue between people with cultural differences.
Earleen Patterson
Earleen Patterson, PhD, is associate vice chancellor for Student Opportunities, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SIUE. Patterson served SIUE since 1994 as director of Student Opportunities for Academic Results (SOAR). In this capacity, she has always taken a holistic approach to promoting the engagement, retention and graduation of underrepresented students, based on a foundation of research, leadership and vision.
Howard Rambsy
Howard Rambsy, PhD, is a Distinguished Research Professor of literature. He has taught a wide range of American and African American literature courses and coordinated more than 300 public humanities projects concentrating on African American literature and cultural history.
Maurina Aranda
Maurina Aranda, PhD, is an assistant professor of biological sciences and a first-generation college-going Latina from rural Michigan. She came to SIUE in 2019 and teaches biology and science education courses. Her research interests are largely focused in identifying ways to improve student knowledge of biology through creating inclusive spaces – both in and out of the classroom.
Margaret Smith
Margaret Smith, PhD, is a research assistant professor of digital humanities in the IRIS Center and a historian of medieval and early modern Ireland. She contributes to the Center’s projects in a number of capacities, including digital humanities teaching and training, project development, grant-writing, and community engagement.
Sarah Stover
Sarah Stover works in the Student Opportunities for Academic Results (SOAR) program. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Blackburn College and her master's degree in Human Development Counseling from University of Illinois Springfield. During her graduate studies she worked for the UIS Department of Service-Learning and found her passion for working in higher education.
Jill O’Shea Lane
Jill O’Shea Lane, EdD, is the chief academic officer at Lewis and Clark Community College. She was previously an assistant professor of speech. Lane has extensive experience in higher education and government. She served as the director of governmental relations at the Illinois Community College Board where she lobbied the Illinois Legislature on behalf of community colleges.
Jen Cline
Jen Cline, PhD, is an associate professor of sociology at Lewis and Clark Community College. She designed and coordinates their Honors College which is an interdisciplinary program incorporating the humanities and social sciences. She has experience developing honors interdisciplinary courses related to social problems. She is also vice president of the Alton Main Street Executive Board.
