Catalyzing Transformational Change in Higher Education and Philanthropy

Location

Virtual

Free

You are invited to the following virtual program:

A Virtual Black History Month Spotlight Conversation with Dr. Joi Spencer and Pamela Gray Payton

Date and Time: February 28 at 4:00 p.m. PT

Gather online at 4 pm on February 28 as we hear from Dr. Joi Spencer, Interim Dean & Professor, School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego and Pamela Gray Payton, Vice President, Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer at The San Diego Foundation. They will come together in conversation about how they are approaching intersecting issues of racism and poverty to create new possibilities for bridging racial gaps in education and wealth, in order to bring about universal community prosperity.

More on Pamela Gray Payton:

As Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer, Vice President of Community Impact, Pamela oversees The San Diego Foundation's Community Impact programs, leading the organization’s strategic initiatives that advance quality of life for San Diegans. She plays a critical role in developing cross-sector partnerships and implementing future strategic plans for The San Diego Foundation.

Pamela previously served as the Assistant Vice President, Community, State, and Local Government Relations; as well as Assistant Vice President of University Communications at the University of San Diego. In both roles, she worked closely with university leadership, campus and community partners, local and state government, and statewide and national higher education associations developing and implementing strategies that advanced the mission of the University of San Diego while addressing humanity’s most urgent challenges.

Pamela has served as Board President for RISE San Diego and the Kim Center for Social Balance, and has also volunteered as a board member for La Jolla Country Day School; the San Diego Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; and Girl Scouts San Diego.

More on Dr. Joi Spencer:

Dr. Joi Spencer is Interim Dean and Professor of Mathematics Education in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego (USD). Dr. Spencer’s work is centered on educational equity in higher and K-12 education.

Dr. Spencer’s work has resulted in the launch of the doctoral program in Education for Social Justice, the implementation of school-wide professional development on anti-racism and SOLES’ first Diversity Postdoctoral Fellows Program. Dr. Spencer’s research investigates the mathematics learning opportunities of African American and other minoritized youth. Along with colleagues Drs. Perla Myers and Odesma Dalrymple she runs the STEAM Academies, interactive summer learning labs for middle and high school students from under-serviced communities in San Diego. The goal of these academies is to shift the narrative and outcomes of Black and Latinx students in mathematics and science. Spencer is CO-PI on the NSF Grant, "Bridging the World of Work and Informal STEM Education '' and she recently submitted a $3.1M NSF Grant on Racial Equity in STEM. Both studies seek to understand and build affirming and liberatory STEM learning experiences for Black, Latinx and other minoritized youth.

Dr. Spencer recently chaired the Editorial Board for the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) and is the president of the California Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (CAMTE). Her most recent publication, Access, Power and Participation in Mathematics Classrooms captures the role of observation in advancing equity in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Her forthcoming book, No Place at the Table: Anti-Black Racism in Schools, will be published by Teachers College Press.