Staff Listing
CCE Main Office, Tyler Haynes Commons 333
Amy Howard
Executive Director
(804) 484-1600
Dr. Amy Howard, executive director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, 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’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
Dr. Sylvia Gale, associate director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, holds a B.A. in English from Reed College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. 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. There she developed such notable projects as Writing Austin’s Lives: A Community Portrait, a publication representing diverse voices from across the area; 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 nonprofit organizations.
Gale's current book project examines liberal arts education at vocational institutions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Theresa Dolson
Community-Based Learning Manager
(804) 484-1607
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, she 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 the Core class and adjunct certification.
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.
John McCulla
Director of Community Relations
(804) 287-1973
John McCulla, director of community relations, represents the University in the Greater Richmond region, forming collaborative relations between the University and organizations in the business, civic, and nonprofit communities. Before joining the University, McCulla worked with leading corporations in his role as partner with Accenture, the global management and technology consultancy. McCulla earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, both in business administration, from the College of William and Mary.
McCulla currently serves with several organizations in the Richmond region, including as a member of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Chairman’s Circle; a member of the Capital Region Workforce Investment Board; a council commissioner and member of the executive board of the regional Council of the Boy Scouts of America; and as a member of the Executive Advisory Council for the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond.
John V. Moeser
Senior Fellow
(804) 484-1604
Dr. John V. Moeser is a senior fellow at the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement 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 city-suburban relationships.
He received his B.A. from Texas Tech University, M.A. from the University of Colorado, and 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, Gov. Mark Warner appointed him 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 City Charter Review Commission formed by the Richmond mayor and City Council to study and recommend changes to the Richmond Charter.
Moeser has also served with a variety of organizations in the community, including a current stint 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.
Adrienne Piazza
Coordinator, Events and Student Outreach
(804) 484-1606
Adrienne Piazza coordinates events and student outreach for the CCE. She earned a B.A. in management from Georgetown University and a M.A. 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 that pairs college students with at-risk preschool children in a mentoring relationship aimed at achieving school success. She currently serves as the campus advisor and chairwoman of the Advisory Committee for the UR chapter of APO, a national student service organization. She is a member of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).
Cassie Price
Community Initiatives and Program Manager
(804) 484-1609
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 has been a member of the National Society of Experiential Education since 2002. She currently coordinates the Build It initiative and the Burhans and Marsh Civic Fellowships for the CCE and serves as the staff advisor for the University of Richmond Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Dave Cosby
Driver, CCE
Dave Cosby joined the CCE staff in January 2008. He holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Richmond and an M.S. in counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the retired owner of Car America, a car dealership.
Dick Moschler
Driver, CCE
Dick Moschler joined the CCE staff in October 2006. A Richmond native and University of Richmond alumnus, Moschler retired from a position as director of planning for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Bob Mullin
Driver, CCE
Bob Mullin drove the Spider shuttle for Student Activities for five years before joining the CCE staff in September 2009. Mullin received a B.A. in history from Hampden Sydney College.
Bonner Scholars Program Office, Wilton Center 207
Kimberly Dean
Director, Bonner Scholars Program
(804) 484-1631
Kimberly Dean, director of the Bonner Scholars 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 Scholar, and a M.Ed. in social foundations at the University of Virginia’s Curry School.
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 also serves on the board of the Virginia College Access Network and the advisory board of the University’s WILL program.
Bryan Figura
Coordinator, Bonner Scholars Program
(804) 484-1632
Bryan Figura serves as the coordinator 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.
He 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
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. She is currently serving as second vice president for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Central Virginia Board of Directors and as the NAMI consumer programs coordinator.
UR Downtown, 626 E. Broad St.
Judy Mejia
Program Manager, Richmond Families Initiative (RFI)
(804) 955-4006
Judy Mejia joined the CCE in March 2008 as the Richmond Families Initiative program manager. She earned a B.A. with honors in communication with minors in Latin American studies and business management from George Mason University. She also holds an M.A. in education policy studies from Columbia University’s graduate school of education, Teachers College.
A Richmond native, Mejia worked in New York City in the education field for the five years prior to joining the CCE, including two years of experience working with university-community partnerships in the Bronx and Harlem. Mejia also served as a policy analyst for the New York City Council Education Committee and as a research specialist for policy and accountability at the New York State Education Department. She currently serves on the Board of the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN).
Liz Riggs
Coordinator, UR Downtown
(804) 955-4003
Liz Riggs is the coordinator of the University of Richmond Downtown (UR Downtown). She earned a B.A. in religious studies and a master's in public administration with a certificate in nonprofit management from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). During graduate school, she joined VCU's inaugural Wilder Scholars Fellowship class and served as president of VCU's Public Administration Student Association (PASA).
Before joining the CCE staff in November 2008, Riggs worked at the Virginia Department for the Aging, first as a Wilder Graduate Scholar assisting with Easy Access, the state's collaborative effort to streamline access to information and care for older adults and adults with disabilities. Later she served as the grant coordinator for Project 2025, which aims to improve access to legal assistance for older Virginians.
