Staff Directory

Hometown: Red Wood City, California and Arlington, Texas

Hobbies: My favorite pastimes are exploring nature trails in Durham and Chapel Hill, watching my kids play sports, and listening to podcasts.

Why did you choose Duke OUSF?

I have a background in building, delivering, and assessing co-curricular programs for students. Being at Duke has enabled me to bring these skills to a dynamic group of merit scholars and nationally competitive scholarship applicants, which I thoroughly enjoy. One of the best aspects of my role is the broad range of students I work with--from graduating high school seniors to undergrads to graduate students and alumni.

My doctorate is in Learning, Design, and Technology, and my research focuses on the benefits of experiential learning and electronic portfolios for students, faculty, staff, and employers. Prior to arriving at Duke, I worked over 15 years in honors education.

The best thing about OUSF is the close-knit community. I am grateful for the amazing students and fantastic colleagues I have the opportunity to work with each day. 
 

Hometown: St.Louis, Missouri

Hobbies: I enjoy home renovation projects, gardening, traveling, and pasta making.

Why Duke OUSF?

I came to Duke in the fall of 2010 to enter the Ph.D. program in the Department of Political Science. I'm grateful for the many experiences I've had at Duke since: teaching courses, coordinating DukeEngage programs, interning at The Graduate School, serving as a college advisor, and working in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Joining OUSF in the fall of 2021 is the culmination of these experiences and I'm eager to work with the students, faculty, staff, and alumni that make up the OUSF community.

Hometown: Castle Rock, Colorado

Hobbies: Video games, reading anything and everything, and hanging out with my 7-month old

Tell us a fun fact about you.

I participated in the Disney College Program, and I got to help Mickey Mouse get ready in Hollywood Studios.

Sachelle Ford, who grew up in Georgia, brings over a decade of experience in research and curriculum development, assessment, teaching, program coordination and student development to her new role as director of the Rubenstein Scholars and  Duke LIFE (Low Income, First-generation Engagement) Office. Prior to taking this position in January 2020, she most recently served as interim director at the African American Cultural Center (AACC) at N.C. State University.

Dr. Ford has returned to Duke, where she served as lecturing fellow of Duke University’s Thompson Writing Program from 2014-2018. Her courses examined the Black Power movement, the history and culture of African American families, Caribbean literature and contemporary African American literature. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Brown University and a B.A. in English from Emory University, where she was a first-generation, low-income undergraduate student.

Andrew Lakis joined the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program in March 2021.  He brings with him 17 years of experience in education, leadership development, fundraising and organizational management.  In 2004, Andrew joined Teach For America as a teacher at Friendship Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.  A native of North Carolina, he worked as an instructional coach in Durham Public Schools and served in multiple leadership roles within Teach For America over the past decade. From 2015 to 2021, Andrew led Teach For America’s largest rural region, working with his team to recruit, train and support over 400 new teachers and partner with almost 1,000 alumni leaders working toward educational equity across eastern North Carolina.  During his tenure as executive director, he also oversaw the launch of Teach For America’s first rural regional summer teaching institute, Eastern NC Residency, and the redesign of Teach For America-Eastern North Carolina’s leadership development program.  Andrew received his BA in History from Duke University, where he was a Trinity Scholar, and his Masters in Elementary Education from American University.

Hometown: Moorestown, New Jersey

Dr. Lodewick is the long-time director of the University Scholars Program.  She holds a Ph.D. in French Literature.

Dr. Pierce is the Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy Professor of Mathematics. She was named a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2021 in honor of her contributions to number theory and harmonic analysis. Dr. Pierce has received a Rhodes Scholarship, a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Bonn Research Fellowship, a Birman Fellowship, and won the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2019. Outside the classroom, Dr. Pierce enjoys reading, art, and music.

Dr. Piece enjoys mentoring A.B. Duke Scholars as they pursue their own goals at Duke and beyond. She advises all incoming students to remember that we go to a university to learn more—we are here not because of everything we know already, but because of everything we don’t know yet.

Dr. Craig is the William T. Miller Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and is Director of the NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks and head of the Craig Lab in the Duke Department of Chemistry. His current research includes the design and synthesis of self-healing polymers and the study of transition states and reactive intermediates, and he teaches Chemistry 101: Core Concepts as well as Organic Chemistry. Trinity and Alumni Scholars alike benefit from his wisdom - and humor in the chemistry classroom! 

Adam Hollowell is Senior Research Associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and serves as Director of the Inequality Studies Minor. These positions reflect his long-held teaching and research activities related to ethics, religion, race, and public policy. Dr. Hollowell was a B.N. Duke Scholar while at Duke as an undergraduate student, and he is proud to support the B.N. commitment to social justice.

Dr. Zanalda is Professor of the Practice in the Social Science Research Institute, Department of Economics, and Department of History, and Director of the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies. An economic historian by training, Dr. Zanalda teaches courses on financial crises, emerging markets, international economy, and the history of globalization. A Karsh Scholarship Faculty Director since 2018, Dr. Zanalda enjoys mentoring and guiding international students through their Duke careers.

Professor Smith's expertise highlights race and ethnicity's role in shaping the American political landscape. Her research agenda illuminates the ways in which demographic dynamics influence citizens' and denizens' of the U.S. understanding of their own identity, their political attitudes, and their policy preferences.

Smith applies the knowledge gained from research to speak to issues that influence real people, including the effects racial attitudes on American politics, diversity issues, and access to resources that ought to be distributed equitably. 

Chris Simmons arrived at Duke in 2006 after serving in lead advocacy roles for the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, DC. Simmons is Duke’s principal point of contact and spokesperson on legislative and regulatory issues involving the federal government, Congress, and the Administration, in areas such as student financial aid, academic research, international education, tax policy, intellectual property, and immigration. He also oversees Duke in DC, Duke’s academic center and home for research and official events in Washington, DC.

Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

Dean of Academic Affairs,

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Education

Dr. Smith was first able to fuse his passion for education and sport at the University of California at Berkeley, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education while playing on the basketball team. At Berkeley, he won the 2006 Jake Gimbell Award which honors the student most committed to academic and athletic excellence.

After matriculating at Berkeley, he worked in San Diego’s inner city, teaching geometry at Lincoln High School and adult education at San Diego Community College. He also established the Phil Smith Basketball Camp to honor his late father, NBA All-Star Phil Smith, using basketball as a means to promote academic achievement. In pursuit of his passions, Dr. Smith has traveled extensively, directing basketball clinics in China, the Philippines and Panama. Furthermore, he was the Lead Teacher’s Assistant at the University of Cape Town, South Africa facilitating a course examining the effects of apartheid and American segregation on contemporary Black, urban economic development. He completed his Ph.D. in Cultural Studies in Education at The University of Texas at Austin. He then conducted post-doctoral research in Spanish at UT’s Mesoamerica Center in Antigua, Guatemala, studying the amalgamation of race, culture, education and athletics. His work has been published in the Journal of Urban Education and The Journal of Race, Gender and Class.

Prior to joining the faculty Duke, Alexandra was part of the founding team of Student U, in Durham, NC. Alexandra served the organization as Director of Operations, Founding High School Program Director, Inaugural Chief Program Officer, and Executive Director. During this time, Student U built a 11 year pipeline of supports, changed its mission, acquired a 55 thousand sq ft building, brokered a 11-million-dollar renovation project without debt, implemented structures to increase collaboration and shared decision making across the organization, and became a people of color lead organization at the Board and staff levels. She is most grateful and proud of the relationships she built with students, parents, co-workers, and the broader Durham Community. 

Currently, Alexandra serves as Associate Professor of the Practice in the Hart Leadership Program housed in the Sanford School of Public Policy. As a leadership ethics, policy and community engagement practitioner, Alexandra is animated by the following questions: What life experiences and opportunities propel individuals to live into their values and utilize their gifts in service of the world? What narratives and stories do leaders need to adopt or let go of to lead authentically and effectively? What “rules of life'' allow for an integrated, joyful and purposeful life? What are the core tenants of equity centered leadership and how do we prepare leaders to be effective equity champions? What creates and binds communities of purpose?  In addition to these questions, Alexandra is also curious about the role non-profit and philanthropic institutions play in shaping communities and public policy. Her interests converge in her classes: Women as Leaders, Lead the Way Durham, Border Crossing: Leadership, Ethics and Public Life where she aims to create a supportive and challenging learning environment that invites her students to localize themselves in the text and apply all the concepts they are wrestling with in class in their own lives. 

When she is not teaching, Alexandra continues to exercise her leadership muscles by serving on the following boards: MDC (Finance Committee Chair), The Beautiful Project, DataWorksNC (Board Chair), The Triangle Community Foundation (Outreach Committee). She is also the founder and principle of AnchorED Coaching and Consulting. Alexandra is also a trained Duke Health and Wellness Coach.  

To feed her soul, Alexandra hosts a supper club in her home, dances to the sound of the djembe on Saturday mornings, watches DPS school board meetings, sends her friends random memes she finds on Instagram, and travels to be with her family in Abidjan and Montreal. Alexandra is a proud immigrant from the Ivory Coast, child of a first-generation college student and the second of seven children. She dedicates her work to her parents, Safi Lufuma and Gregoire Zagbayou, lifelong public servants who gave her the world.

Hometown: Red Wood City, California and Arlington, Texas

Hobbies: My favorite pastimes are exploring nature trails in Durham and Chapel Hill, watching my kids play sports, and listening to podcasts.

Why did you choose Duke OUSF?

I have a background in building, delivering, and assessing co-curricular programs for students. Being at Duke has enabled me to bring these skills to a dynamic group of merit scholars and nationally competitive scholarship applicants, which I thoroughly enjoy. One of the best aspects of my role is the broad range of students I work with--from graduating high school seniors to undergrads to graduate students and alumni.

My doctorate is in Learning, Design, and Technology, and my research focuses on the benefits of experiential learning and electronic portfolios for students, faculty, staff, and employers. Prior to arriving at Duke, I worked over 15 years in honors education.

The best thing about OUSF is the close-knit community. I am grateful for the amazing students and fantastic colleagues I have the opportunity to work with each day. 
 

Hometown: Livermore, California and Port Jefferson, New York

Hobbies and Interests: Languages, baseball, animals, municipal politics, Indian food

Why did you choose Duke?

University towns are my favorite kinds of places, and the Research Triangle is a great university "town." Town-Gown relations is a major driver of my interest in municipal politics, and I've been a super volunteer or consultant on at least seven different campaigns! Mostly, though, I love college towns because I'm fascinated by the University phase of life, with all its challenges, growth, and newfound independence. I love talking with young people about the world and all that they want to do with it, and I'm excited to be part of Duke's effort to equip students to contribute, question, and change that world.

Hometown: Stockton, California

Hobbies and Interests: I spend a lot of time crossword puzzle-ing, reading, baking, and hiking. 

Why Duke?

The best thing about being at Duke is getting to be a part of OUSF! I am enjoying getting to know the Scholars, hearing about their interests and goals, and watching them tackle new challenges. I have great colleagues, and appreciate the OUSF community.

My background and degrees are in French. I lived in three different parts of France at different times in my life - I am a big advocate for study abroad and international experiences since it was such a formative part of my life. I love Durham, but I'm still hunting for a good baguette in the Triangle!

Hometown: Topeka, Kansas

Passions and Interests Outside of Work: Cycling and Social Justice

Why Duke OUSF?

As an employee, my time at Duke has been a rewarding experience for me. 
You see and come into contact with students that really impress and give you hope for the world.

Fun Fact: I have been collecting comic books since the 6th grade. My collection contains over 12,000 books.

Hometown: McLean, Virginia, Fort Myers, Florida, and Durham, North Carolina

Hobbies and Interests: hiking, reading, crosswords and other puzzles, soccer, Duke sports, church

Why Duke?

I initially visited Duke in 1990 to interview for an AB Duke Scholarship, and fell in love with the school at first sight. After four wonderful years, I left Duke to embark on my graduate education. As I was finishing my PhD in 2001, I had the great fortune of being offered the opportunity to return to Duke, this time on the faculty. It is a joy to have been here ever since, and the highlight for me is the privilege of working with amazing students.

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

John Board is an Associate Professor of ECE and of Computer Science. He also serves as Associate Chief Information Officer for Duke University.  He received his D.Phil in 1986 from Oxford University. His research interests include: High performance scientific computing and simulation, novel computer architectures, cluster computing and parallel processing; ubiquitous computing.

Hometown: Santiago, Chile and Wilmington, North Carolina

Hobbies and Interests: mystery novels, cross stitch, cooking, reality shows

Why OUSF?

I was a B.N. Duke Scholar when I was an undergraduate at Duke from 1991-1995. I was very close to my faculty director and scholar cohort- they really helped make my time as an undergrad incredible.  After Duke, I went to law school and practiced immigration law for several years until I became a stay at home mom after my sons were born.  When my youngest was ten, I began to look for part time work, and found the job at OUSF of being an alumni coordinator.  Being an OUSF alum myself, I was super excited to apply, and the rest is history!  I love working here with the students and the staff; I really enjoy coming to work most days!

Hometown: San Diego, California

Hobbies: knitting, crocheting, baking, organ and choral music

Why Duke?

I  guess Duke chose me... I started with Duke Temporary Services and spent time with the Office of Durham and Community Affairs and the Law School before I landed at OUSF.

Tell us a fun fact about you:

Not many know this: I have a Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry. I consider myself a non-practicing chemist at this point. :) Also: I was part of the panel for the podcast, "The Secrets of Harry Potter." It was one of the most popular podcasts for the Star Quest Production Network in the early 2010s at one point in time.