About me
In the spring of 2022, I was appointed to launch a new Office of the University Ombudsperson (Ombuds Office), following five years without Mason enjoying an ombuds presence. Before coming to Mason, I spent over two decades at Oberlin College in Ohio, holding positions in the Office of the Dean of Students and as a Visiting Lecturer in African American Studies. During my final five and a half years there, I served all campus constituencies as an Ombudsperson and Director of the Yeworkwha Belachew Center for Dialogue (YBCD).
My practice rests on the foundations of social justice mediation, conflict management coaching, reflective structured dialogue, and nonviolent communication. I continue pursuing the study and practicing conflict transformation and interpersonal communication modalities. I am active within the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and the Virginia Mediation Network (VMN). I earned a B.A. in English Literature from Spelman College and an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in African Literature.