Anchor Institutions Task Force (AITF)

Associate Professor, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering; Director, Engineering Exchange for Social Justice; Sr. Faculty Liaison, Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action at University of San Diego

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, University of San Diego (USD) Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Odesma Dalrymple, is a proponent of education equity as a key mechanism for ensuring just social growth and development. As a trained engineering education scholar, Dr. Dalrymple’s professional and engagement work is focused on transforming engineering education and its public image; making it more inclusive, and socially connected. Towards that goal Dr. Dalrymple has co-created and co-leads the Water Justice Exchange, and currently serves as the director of the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice. Both initiatives are based at the University of San Diego, and focus on advancing efforts at the nexus of engineering, community engagement, and eco-social justice.

Dr. Dalrymple has also co-developed and co-facilitated a variety of STEAM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education outreach programs which focus on youth and communities that are underrepresented in the STEM workforce. The most recent of these programs are the STEAM Academy and STEAM Youth and Community Conference, which celebrated their 10th and 9th annual offering this summer, respectively.

At the University level, Dr. Dalrymple serves as one of three Senior Faculty Liaisons for the Mulvaney Center for Community Awareness and Social Action, and previously served as the inaugural chair of the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering (SMSE) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action Committee.

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Anchor Initiatives at University of Pittsburgh

Shatara Murphy serves as a strategic leader, thought partner, project manager and collaborator to foster relationships with University and community-based stakeholders that advance the University’s role as an anchor in the region. Pivotal to her role, Shatara also supports the Buy, Build, Hire LOCAL program—Pitt’s commitment to hiring more of our neighbors, helping businesses grow, and awarding more construction, service and purchasing contracts across the region. Additionally, Shatara stewards Pitt’s housing affordability initiatives and its Walk to Work program and serves as a convener and resource partner to non-degree workforce development efforts across the University.

Shatara received a Master of Business Administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. She serves as a board member of Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) and is the president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Black MBA Association.

Director and Associate Dean, Center for PreCollege Programs; Co-Chair of the Chancellor's Education Anchor Team at Rutgers University-Newark

Sheronia Rogers is a seasoned national leader in higher education and the nonprofit sector, bringing over 35 years of expertise in program administration, youth development, and organizational development. In 2015, she joined Rutgers University Newark (RU-N) in the Office of University Community Partnerships (OUCP), where she provided leadership for community engagement initiatives. In 2017, she was commissioned by the Office of the Chancellor to spearhead RU-N's inaugural University-Assisted Partnership with the Southward Community Schools Initiative and a local comprehensive high school. In this role, she mobilizes university resources to foster holistic support and strategic collaborations among faculty, staff, students, families, corporate partners, and community stakeholders.

Currently, Sheronia serves as the Director/Associate Dean for the Center for PreCollege Programs and Co-Chair of the Chancellor's Education Anchor Team, leading university youth development initiatives and faculty collaborations across Rutgers and the state. Before her tenure at RU-N, she was the Vice President of Programs and Operations at the New York Urban League, where she directed education, employment, and capacity-building programs aimed at enhancing opportunities for African American and underserved communities. Additionally, she spent a decade championing innovations in policy and practice as the Project Director of Youth & Faith-Based Initiatives at the Fund for the City of New York. Sheronia is currently a doctoral student (ABD) at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

Executive Director of Near West Side Partners

Lindsey St. Arnold Bell is the Executive Director of Near West Side Partners (NWSP), where her skills and experience in convening diverse, multi-sectoral partnerships, and leading community engagement efforts have positively affected city policy on issues surrounding health and public policy. Since joining NWSP in 2016, Lindsey has played an instrumental role in the organization, including the development and implementation of NWSP’s Strategic Plan, the HUD Choice Neighborhood Initiative transformation plan and related Action Activities, the NWS Appreciative Inquiry Summit and the resulting projects, including Concordia 27.

St. Arnold Bell is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies and completed her undergraduate studies in community education.