GREETINGS FROM VILLANOVA uNIVERSITY

Greetings From Villanova University
Maghan Keita, PhD, professor of History and
director of the Institute for Global Interdisciplinary
Studies at Villanova University, has been elected
chair of the Board of Trustees of the College
Board.
In announcing the election, College Board
President David Coleman praised Dr. Keita’s vision
and dedication to education, particularly to
diversity and global education. Dr. Keita’s election
and the announcement of it occurred at the Annual
Meeting of the Members of the College Board on
October 26, 2012 in Miami, Fla.
“As a faculty member, I would like to help the College Board strengthen
ties to faculty across the country,” Dr. Keita said. “In addition, as
Trustees we will remain mindful of the investments we must continue to
make to a world of students and their families who have put their trust in
us. We need to open the doors and fill every seat with learners,
delivering equity and excellence on behalf of all our children.” Dr. Keita
joined the faculty of Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences in 1988. As director of the College’s Institute for Global
Interdisciplinary Studies he oversees an academic unit whose primary
purpose is to provide students with a skill set that will foster critical and
analytical thinking and problem solving, preparing them for responsible
global citizenship. Dr. Keita’s teaching and research focuses on African,
African-American, European and World histories, political economy and
Development Studies. He is the author of numerous works in his area of
specialty, including Race and the Writing of History: Riddling the Sphinx
(Oxford University Press, 2000).
Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to
higher education. Today the membership association is made up of over
6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to
promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year the College
Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful
transition to college through programs and services in college readiness
and college success—including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement
Program®.
About The Keynote Speaker
Dr. Keith Leaphart - Since the age of 11, Keith’s life
has been defined by entrepreneurship starting with
what his middle school teachers referenced as an
“illegal” candy business that he operated as a student
in the Philadelphia School District. Undeterred, Keith
then used his business acumen to ascend to the role
of “head paperboy” in his West Oak Lane
neighborhood. Luckily, these events would not be the
highlight of his career as he successfully matriculated
from Central High School then to Hampton University,
graduating with a B.S. in Biology in 1996.
In 2003, Keith completed a five-year dual degree DO/MBA program at
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Saint Joseph’s University
respectively. Despite the inherent challenges of a dual degree program,
Keith successfully operated both a commercial cleaning and event
planning business during that period. It was those entrepreneurial pursuits
that gave him his initial exposure to the fascinating design and print
worlds, and led him to aggressively pursue a greater interest in the
industry. As the Brand Manager of Replica, he works with the team to
create the strategic vision for the brand. His strong interpersonal skills
help to bolster relationships with both current and future clients
About The Panelists
Julani Ghana is one of the region’s experts in areas
higher education recruitment and retention specializing
in high school and postsecondary student development.
His work has taken him to cities such as Philadelphia,
Chester, Atlanta, Camden, Harrisburg, and Cleveland.
Mr. Ghana is also the former Manager of Community
Relations for the Philadelphia 76ers where he led their
sports, and community educational outreach initiatives
including the 2002 NBA All-Star Weekend Activities and
was an integral part of their successful expansion of
basketball, business, and educational activities into Philadelphia’s Latino community.
In 2004 he formed Pro Sports Community Consultants, a sports marketing and
community education consulting agency that connected creative educational
programs and business projects to a number of professional athletes thereby helping
them establish an independent community legacy through non-profit development.
Mr. Ghana returned to youth educational and career development as the Director of
the College Access Center Delaware County on the campus of Widener University,
where he spends much of his time assisting students and parents interested in
pursuing their college or career options.
As a successful businessman and community educator, Mr. Ghana also travels
extensively throughout the region teaching entrepreneurial skills to college students
and mid-level professionals in pursuit of starting their own businesses, developing
mentoring programs for young Black & Latino Male Scholars, connecting nontraditional fundraising opportunities to faith based and community organizations, and
training personal development specialists.
Dr. Anthony Driggers is committed to empowering
students to achieve their goals. He has an innovative
approach for addressing the issues of college access,
persistence, and graduation. Throughout his career Dr.
Driggers has worked at various higher education institutions.
He is the founder of Options Without Walls, LLC, an
education consulting practice. He is also the Director of
Community College of Philadelphia’s Northwest Regional
Center.
Dr. Driggers believes that with strategic planning, individuals can pursue their
academic and career goals. He has provided counsel and guidance to thousands of
students, both traditional students and adult learners, as they reached their goals. He
works with undergraduate students, graduate students, doctoral candidates, and allbut-dissertation students. He has designed successful strategies for funding an
education, applying to college, selecting a major, persistence, college transfers,
pursuit of advanced degrees, and graduation. Dr. Driggers has a special interest in
college access and the college persistence of African-American males.
Dr. Anthony Driggers is a graduate of Howard University, where he received a
Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. He also earned a Master of
Science Administration in Human Resources Management from Lincoln University, and
a doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from Widener University. His
areas of expertise include college admissions, retention and persistence, and
historically Black colleges and universities. Dr. Driggers is also a consultant and
Director of Education Services for Delaware Valley College Tours, Inc. Over the last 15
years, he has conducted a myriad of college enrollment workshops for high school
students and parents. Dr. Driggers has also provided consulting services to a number
of non-profit organizations.
As a former admissions officer Dr. Driggers has worked with undergraduate and
graduate students, including international students. He has been recognized by
Lincoln University and Southeastern University for his outstanding work in admissions.
He has also published scholarly research on the issue of college persistence for
African-American males. One way that Dr. Driggers maintains an active presence in
the research community is through his membership on several dissertation
committees.
Lynne Sutherland, Ph.D. currently works as the Director of
Student Success Initiatives at the Community College of
Philadelphia.
At the College she has responsibility for
developing and maintaining initiatives designed to increase
student persistence, retention and graduation rates. Some of
the initiatives handled by her office include an Academic Early
Alert system, Colonial Colleagues (an academic peer support
group) and Complete with 15 (an accelerated degree completion
program).
From 2001 to 2013, Lynne worked to increase postsecondary access for students
traditionally underrepresented in higher education as the Project Director for the
TRIO Upward Bound Program at the Community College of Philadelphia. Before joining
the College, she worked as Coordinator for the Community Learning Center in the
Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico, Consultant for the Center for Creative
Leadership in Greensboro, NC and Coordinator of Program Development and
Assessment for Eckerd College. Lynne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from
Temple University and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the
University of Michigan. Lynne has a strong commitment and passion for supporting
first generation students in achieving the dream of being the first in the family to
earn a college degree.
Tchet Dorman has a wide variety of experiences in higher
education and community development, as
professor, administrator, and community activist.
a
university
Tchet has had numerous experiences with middle school, high
school
and
undergraduate
students
as
a
professor/instructor/teacher, administrator, counselor, and
advisor. He has been the director or assistant director of several
educational programs designed to assist students in
matriculating to and/or graduating from high school, college and graduate school
while at Temple University, LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee),
Swarthmore (PA) College, the University of Pennsylvania, Albright College, the
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, Vassar College, LaGuardia Community College,
Oberlin College and Lebanon Valley College.
Tchet is an advanced doctoral student in African American Studies at Temple
University, where he also received his Master’s in African American Studies. He
received his bachelor’s degree in Black Studies and Government from Oberlin College
in Ohio.
Jorge Salazar is an organizer, responsible for helping to
coordinate the Pennsylvania Dream Act campaign as well as
developing grassroots work in affected immigrant
communities. Jorge is originally from La Paz, Bolivia and has
lived in Philadelphia since the age of 7. Jorge is a
DACA beneficiary and the struggle for comprehensive
immigration reform is especially personal to him since many
of his friends and family are currently undocumented. Jorge
has been involved as an activist for CIR since 2006, when he
worked on the "Day without an Immigrant" rallies. Jorge has
been a member of DreamActivist Pennsylvania, the New
Sanctuary Movement and La Puerta Abierta youth mentorship program. Jorge is a
proud alum of the Center for Progressive Leadership New Leaders program and The
New Sanctuary Leadership School.
Steve McWilliams teaches in the Communication and Theater
programs at Villanova University. Steve hold degrees from
Rutgers University, Villanova University, and an M.F.A. and
Ph.D. from Temple University. Along with his teaching
responsibilities, Steve has acted as the Advisor to Students with
Disabilities for the past 20 years. In that capacity, Steve has
been an advocate for the disabled students on the Villanova
campus and in the Delaware Valley. Outside of his University
responsibilities, Steve has written, directed, produced and
acted for the stage, screen, and television. He has produced, co-produced, or
directed several acclaimed documentary films, including five films that focus in
individuals living with disabilities. “Coming Off the DL” and “Beyond These Walls have
received awards throughout the world in film festivals and by disability
organizations.” “Coming Off the DL” focuses on the lives of two students, Frank
Kineavy and Nick Gaynor, who were born with cerebral palsy and their careers as
managers of the Villanova basketball program. “Beyond These Walls” tells the story of
the students at the Overbrook School for the Blind and role of music in the lives of
visually impaired students. Currently Steve is producing a television show, “Mission
Possible with Eric Legrand,” which features stories of disabled athletes.