Staff
Main Office, Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 201
Amy Howard
Executive Director
(804) 484-1600
ahoward3@richmond.edu
Dr. Amy Howard, executive director of the CCE, holds an A.B. with honors in history from Davidson College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in American studies from the College of William and Mary.
The theme of engaged citizenship runs through her work. Howard has taught courses on urban history and American studies and during the past three years has taught the "Urban Crisis in America" course as part of a curricular-based living-learning program called the "Civic Engagement House." Howard's current book project, More Than Shelter: Community, Identity, and Spatial Politics in San Francisco Public Housing, 1938-2000, explores the history of tenant activism, community building, and racial and ethnic alliances in San Francisco public housing. She serves on the board of the Better Housing Coalition and is a member of the City of Richmond Planning Commission.
Sylvia Gale
Associate Director
(804) 484-1603
sgale@richmond.edu
Dr. Sylvia Gale, associate director of the CCE, holds a B.A. in English from Reed College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English with a concentration in rhetoric and writing from the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the CCE in August 2009.
Forging mutually beneficial university-community partnerships, which extend liberal arts learning to diverse communities, has long been Gale's passion. At UT, she played a key role at the Humanities Institute, helping to develop Writing Austin's Lives: A Community Portrait, a publication representing diverse voices from across the area. She also helped to develop the Free Minds Project, which offers low-income students without college degrees an opportunity to take free college-level arts and literature courses, and the Community Sabbatical Program, which brings community partners to UT for a month to work with faculty and students on research questions with implications for local non-profit organizations. Gale serves on the national board for Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life, a consortium of colleges and universities committed to strengthening the public and civic purposes of humanities, arts, and design through mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships that advance democratic scholarship and practice.
Gale's current research examines the ongoing implications of liberal arts education at vocational institutions in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Theresa Dolson
Manager, Community-Based Learning
(804) 484-1607
tdolson@richmond.edu
Terry Dolson joined the CCE in June 2008 as the manager of the community-based learning program. Dolson earned a B.A. in English literature from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. in English literature from Virginia Commonwealth University.
As a participant for two summers with the National Writing Project, Dolson also became interested in composition theory, writing across the curriculum, and faculty development. Dolson has taught writing and composition theory courses at University of Richmond, along with Core courses and adjunct certification courses.
Before joining the CCE, Dolson worked in faculty development with the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. She is an active member of the Professional and Organizational Developers Network and a board member for the Henrico Education Foundation.
Cassie Price
Community Initiatives and Program Manager
(804) 484-1609
cprice@richmond.edu
Cassie Price, CCE community initiatives and program manager, holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in history from the College of William and Mary and has worked as an editor and writer. Before coming to the CCE in September 2007, she handled many aspects of the experiential-education curriculum for the University's Jepson School of Leadership Studies, forging some strong university-community partnerships in the process.
Price currently coordinates the Build It initiative, the David D. Burhans Civic Fellowship, and the Deborah L. Marsh Civic Fellowship for the CCE. She also serves as the staff advisor for the the student organization FAME (Future American Men of Excellence). She is an honorary member of the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Adrienne Piazza
Coordinator, Student Development and Educational Programming
(804) 484-1606
apiazza@richmond.edu
Adrienne Piazza coordinates events and student outreach for the CCE. She earned a B.A. in management from Georgetown University and an M.Ed. in education policy from George Washington University.
Before joining the CCE staff in May 2007, Piazza was an associate site manager for George Washington University's Jumpstart DC, a nonprofit organization that pairs college students with at-risk preschool children in a mentoring relationship aimed at achieving school success. Piazza is also a member of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).
Jess Hofbauer
Administrative Coordinator
(804) 484-1601
jess.hofbauer@richmond.edu
Jess Hofbauer supports many CCE programs and supervises the CCE student coordinators. An alumna of the University of Richmond, Hofbauer holds a B.A. in French and sociology. She is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in educational policy, planning and leadership at the College of William and Mary.
Before joining the CCE staff, Hofbauer coordinated volunteers for the Office of Admission's Alumni Recruitment Committee, a group of several hundred alumni who extend the reach of the University in their communities by attending college fairs and conducting interviews with prospective students.
John V. Moeser
Senior Fellow
(804) 484-1604
jmoeser@richmond.edu
Dr. John V. Moeser is a senior fellow at the CCE and professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught for more than 34 years. His academic pursuits focus on urban affairs and metropolitan and regional government and politics. His books and other publications concentrate on post-World War II racial politics in Richmond, demographic trends in central Virginia, and urban-suburban relationships.
Moeser received a B.A. from Texas Tech University, an M.A. from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. All three degrees are in political science. Moeser is active in public life and serves as an analyst for newspapers, television, and radio.
In 2003, Governor Mark Warner appointed Moeser to the Urban Policy Task Force, a group of state and local officials and urban analysts charged to study the challenges facing Virginia's cities and urban areas and to recommend actions designed to promote urban revitalization. He is currently a member of the Richmond City Charter Review Commission formed by the Richmond mayor and Richmond City Council to study and recommend changes to the Richmond Charter.
Moeser has also served with a variety of organizations in the community and is currently on the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. In October 2008, the Valentine Richmond History Center named Moeser a Richmond History Maker for his efforts to foster regional cooperation.
Bonner Scholars Program Office, Wilton Center, Room 207
Bryan Figura
Director, Bonner Scholars Program
(804) 484-1631
bfigura@richmond.edu
Bryan Figura serves as the director of the Bonner Scholars Program. He earned a B.A. with honors in English, a minor in history, and a Virginia teaching license from Longwood University.
Figura also holds an M.A. in college student personnel from Bowling Green University where he served as coordinator of leadership for Greek affairs and as house director for Phi Kappa Tau. Prior to joining the CCE in August 2008, he taught middle school English and history at P.S. 860 in Harlem for several years.
Debbie Collins
Administrative Assistant, Bonner Scholars Program
(804) 484-1630
dcollins@richmond.edu
Debbie Collins is the administrative assistant of the Bonner Scholars Program. Before joining the CCE staff in August 2007, Collins worked as an administrative assistant in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Collins is the past second vice president for the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Central Virginia. She still serves as a NAMI mentor and presenter.
Blake Stack
Coordinator, Bonner Scholars Program
(804) 484-1632
bstack@richmond.edu
University of Richmond Downtown, 626 E. Broad St.
Kimberly Dean
Director, Richmond Families Initiative and University of Richmond Downtown Program
(804) 955-4006
kimberly.dean@richmond.edu
Kimberly Dean, director of the Richmond Families Initiative (RFI) and UR Downtown Program, earned a B.S. in psychology with a minor in women's studies from the University of Richmond, where she also participated as a Bonner and CIGNA Scholar. She earned an M.Ed. in social foundations from the University of Virginia's Curry School. Dean joined the CCE in July 2007 as the director of the Bonner Scholars Program before assuming her current position as director of RFI and URD in February 2011.
Before joining the CCE staff, Dean was director of programs at Partnership for the Future (PFF), a Richmond-based nonprofit focusing on college access and transition. Dean is also a former trainer with Virginia Mentoring Project. She currently serves as a board of directors member with Virginia College Access Network and a member of the advisory board of the University's Women Involved in Living and Learning program and the Carole Weinstein International Center steering committee.
Alexandra Hunter
Events and Projects Coordinator, University of Richmond Downtown
(804) 955-4003
ahunter2@richmond.edu
Through innovative events and partnerships, Alexandra Hunter seeks to engage students, faculty, and the greater Richmond community at UR Downtown. She holds a B.A. with honors in English from the University of the South and an M.A. in art and museum studies from Georgetown University.
Before joining the CCE, she managed public programs at the Chrysler Museum of Art and taught the history of photography at Old Dominion University and Tidewater Community College’s Visual Arts Center. In our nation’s capitol, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution during the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian and the reopening of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Ebony Smith
Administrative Coordinator, University of Richmond Downtown
(804) 955-4010
esmithga@richmond.edu
Ebony Smith is the administrative coordinator for the University of Richmond Downtown. She earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Before joining the staff at UR Downtown, Smith worked at the T.C. Williams School of Law as an administrative assistant. There her interest in pro bono and nonprofit services grew by working closely with the Harry Carrico Center for Pro Bono Service. She has enjoyed working with local organizations such as HandsOn Greater Richmond, Habitat for Humanity, and Mentor Match.