News and Highlights
First Meeting On Sept. 28, 2020 (Virtual)
About UEC
We Are The Change!
Urban Educators for Change (UEC) is an interdisciplinary Graduate Student Association that works for the advancement of scholarship that promotes transformative urban education through six strands of study: urban, mathematics, reading, English literacy, TESOL, and elementary education.
We aim to provide support for graduate students who work within these strands of urban study to advance urban education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the city of Charlotte, and other urban centers across the nation and world.
UEC Board Members
2019 - 2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
Deneen Dixon-Payne
President
Deneen Dixon-Payne is a third year doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in the Curriculum and Instruction program with an emphasis in Urban Education. She attended Winston-Salem State University where she received a B.A. in Elementary Education. She then earned her M.A. in School Administration at Gardner-Webb University. Deneen has taught elementary and middle school students in both Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Forsyth County schools for over 20 years. She has been an academic facilitator, testing coordinator and new teacher coach. Her research interests include diversity and inclusion in gifted education for Black girls , Black girls in STEM and culturally responsive leadership.
Yvonna Hines
Vice President
Yvonna Hines-McCoy is a doctoral student in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education (Urban Education) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also works as a social studies teacher and instructional coach. Her research interests include addressing issues of equity and achievement in K-12 urban settings. She can be reached via email at yhines@uncc.edu.
Charlottte Hancock
Treasurer
Charlotte R. Hancock is a doctoral student in the Curriculum & Instruction, Urban Literacy, TESL program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She earned a Master’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in Literature, Languages, and Culture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on best and effective practices in dual language and world language, policies and practices that support multilingualism, and culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Her scholarship is informed by her prior work as a high school Spanish teacher and an elementary school dual language teacher and coordinator. She currently serves as the Dual Language/Immersion Advisor to the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina.
Candace Chambers
Secretary
Candace R. Chambers is a third year Ph.D. student in the Curriculum & Instruction, Urban Literacy program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in secondary education from Jackson State University, and a Master’s degree in English from the University of Alabama with a concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and English Studies.For over 5 years, Candace has taught and tutored writing composition. Candace currently is a part-time instructor of English at Central Piedmont Community College and Ashland University, where she teaches English composition in the Second-Chance Program for incarcerated students. Additionally, Candace is the CEO of Educational Writing Services, LLC (www.edwritingservices.org), and she conducts community-based writing workshops to assists students with writing scholarship essays using her text, Write Your Way to a Successful Scholarship Essay.
Marquis Mason
Senator I
Marquis Mason began his teaching career as a high school Biology teacher in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Since that time, he has teaching experience n middle grades science and project-based learning before moving into the role of instructional coaching. In his current role as a New Teacher Support Coach, Marquis partners with school districts in the southwest region of North Carolina to plan and deliver professional development and coaching that aligns with best practices for providing quality instruction to students in the K-12 setting. Marquis received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Winthrop University; Masters in Middle Grades Education from UNC-Charlotte; and Post Masters Certification in School Administration from UNC-Greensboro. Marquis is a doctoral student in the Urban Education, Curriculum and Instruction program at UNC-Charlotte. His research interests include Black teacher recruitment and retention, specifically Black males in STEM.
Antoinette Rochester
Senator II
Antoinette (Toni) Rochester is a doctoral student in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education (Urban Education) at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She is also the Graduate Research Assistant at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Her interests include addressing issues of equity amongst minority students and the intersection between race, policy, and education. She can be reached via email at aroches1@uncc.edu.
Jimmeka Anderson
Media Specialist
Jimmeka Anderson is a Doctoral student in the Urban Education program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a focus on urban students and critical digital media literacy. She received her master's degree in Educational Media with a focus on New Media Literacies and Global Perspectives at Appalachian State University. While serving as the Founder and Executive Director of I AM not the Media, Inc. for eight years, she has developed curriculum and award winning community programs that empower youth through media literacy and media creation (www.iamnotthemedia.org). Additionally, Jimmeka is the Chapter Lead for North Carolina for the national Media Literacy Now organization, the creator of the Teen Media Literacy Conference in Charlotte, NC (www.tmlconference.com) and serves on the Student Leadership Council for the National Association of Media Literacy Education.
Location:
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
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Email :
urbaneducatorsforchange@gmail.com