Meet Our Speakers & Workshop Presenters

Deirdre Hill Jenkins, Ph.D.

Assistant Director, TRIO Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program

Dr. Deirdre Hill Jenkins serves as Assistant Director of the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program at East Texas A&M University, a role she has held since 2011. Her career spans several TRIO programs, including Student Support Services and Upward Bound in Texas, Nevada, and Alabama. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Capella University and her bachelor's and master's degrees from Troy University.

Her professional interests include undergraduate research, graduate school preparation, student success, and educational opportunity. She also contributes to institutional research monitoring and undergraduate research collaborations.

Jenny Olin Shanahan, Ph.D.

Assistant Provost, Bridgewater State University

Jenny Olin Shanahan, Ph.D. (she/her), is Assistant Provost at Bridgewater State University, where she works across disciplines to expand equitable opportunities through undergraduate research, honors education, and other high-impact learning experiences.

Her scholarship focuses on racial and social justice in higher education, culturally responsive mentoring, and the transformative power of undergraduate research. She co-edits Routledge's textbook series on undergraduate research and has presented internationally on mentoring and inclusive education. She earned her Ph.D. in English from Marquette University.

Cassandra Hawkins, Ph.D.

Director, McNair HBCU Scholars Program, Jackson State University

Dr. Cassandra Hawkins directs the McNair HBCU Scholars Program at Jackson State University. An educator, researcher, and higher education administrator, she brings experience in academic leadership, research administration, public policy, and program evaluation. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University.

Her interdisciplinary interests include social equity, food insecurity, rural development, and community engagement. She is passionate about undergraduate research, mentoring emerging scholars, and expanding pathways to doctoral education.

Madison Cammaratta, M.Ed.

Student Success Advisor, College of Science and Mathematics, UMass Boston

Madison Cammaratta is a Student Success Advisor in the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She holds a master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Merrimack College and brings experience in academic advising, student development, and educational opportunity initiatives.

She is committed to empowering students to build confidence, navigate challenges, and prepare for future success in supportive learning environments where all students can thrive.

Christine Shaw, Ph.D.

Full Professor of Practice, Program Director, School Counseling at Merrimack College

Dr. Christine Shaw teaches in the Graduate School of Counseling and Social Work at Merrimack College. She serves as Research Coordinator for MASCA and as an editor for an international journal focused on school counseling.

Dr. Shaw brings more than ten years of experience serving on an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and over a decade of teaching graduate-level research both in person and online. She earned her Ph.D. in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University and her master's degree in Psychology from Westfield State University.

Shveta Parekh, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College

Shveta Parekh is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College. Over the past four years, she has developed and taught undergraduate neuroscience courses with a focus on engaging, research-based learning experiences.

Her work focuses on neuroscience education and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), which give students opportunities to participate in authentic scientific inquiry. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rachel C. Plews, Ed.D.

Director, Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence, Suffolk University

Dr. Rachel C. Plews directs Suffolk University's Center for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence, where she leads faculty development programming. She also teaches doctoral-level courses at Northeastern University and holds a doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Her international experience includes roles at EHL (École hôtelière de Lausanne) and HES-SO University of Applied Arts & Sciences Western Switzerland. Her work focuses on faculty learning communities, inclusive pedagogy, and supporting mentors of undergraduate researchers.

Jennifer Garfield-Abrams, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Sociology & Criminal Justice

Dr. Jennifer Garfield-Abrams is an urban sociologist whose ethnographic research explores culture, politics, and identity in changing cities and communities. She is deeply committed to teaching and mentorship, including through formal research assistantships and the McNair Scholars Program.

She approaches mentorship as a partnership, creating an environment where curiosity is encouraged, questions are welcomed, and mistakes and challenges become opportunities for learning.

David Gallant, M.A.

Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising, Suffolk University

David Gallant is Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising at Suffolk University. He has nearly four decades of classroom experience in rhetoric and composition, literature, communication studies, and popular culture history.

His undergraduate research experience spans intercollegiate debate, immersive study abroad, and McNair Scholar projects. His mentoring philosophy emphasizes guided self-discovery and helping students critically examine systems that reinforce entitlement and privilege.