As the Vice President for Community Engagement and the Executive Director of the Swearer Center for Public Service, Mary Jo Callan leads a key institutional commitment to elevating the focus on effective, coordinated community engagement in Providence and Rhode Island. In partnership with campus and community stakeholders, Mary Jo cultivates a broader range of relationships aligned with Brown University’s core mission of serving society through education, research and partnerships. Learn more about Mary Jo. 

Sekelile "Seke" Mkhabela is the community engagement Data and Project Specialist. Seke’s focus includes collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data for the Community Benefits Report (as a part of Brown’s PILOT Agreement with Providence), supporting the Community Engagement Council’s Assessment and Impact Committee and creating data visualizations to support presentations and other communication materials as part of Brown’s overall Community Engagement Agenda.

endawnis Spears (Diné/ Ojibwe/ Chickasaw/ Choctaw) is an educator working in the public humanities. She provides culturally centered support, guidance and advising to the Vice President for Community Engagement and offices across the University on engagement with tribes and Indigenous communities from the New England region, with a focus on Southern New England. A focus of this position is to help the University to build sustained, mutually beneficial and institutional partnerships with regional tribes, including providing a visible and accessible point of contact and coordination for Brown University’s engagement with regional tribes. 

Wendy Wallace is the Director of Civic Engagement for Brown University, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the institution's strategy around community engagement. She coordinates anchor resource initiatives such as supplier diversity and inclusive pathways, as well as college access programs and workforce development opportunities. Dedicated to nurturing Brown’s relationships with community partners, fostering student leadership and advancing Brown’s mission of active citizenship and community, Wendy is instrumental in driving initiatives that empower individuals and inspire collective action for a more just and equitable society.

As the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access and University K-12 Engagement, Joi-Danelle Whitehead steers equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives in the Division of Pre-College and Undergraduate Programs and oversees strategic local, community-based and national partnerships that center the college readiness of low-income, first-generation-to-college and other historically marginalized student populations. As a member of the University’s community engagement team, Joi provides strategic guidance, consultation, coordination and professional development that helps strengthen the University’s collective ability to engage in impactful, reciprocal and sustainable partnerships with K-12 schools, districts and youth-serving organizations.