2022 Cincinnati Project Symposium

Roderick Pearson is a graduate student enrolled in the Department of Sociology. His research interests include finding solutions to the pervasive issues of gun violence, poverty, and segregation among African-Americans.​

Dr. Tia Sherèe Gaynor is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and the director of UC’s Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. Her research focuses on the varying ways administrative discretion and decision-making can lead to inequitable outcomes for people of color and those who identify as LGBTQIA. Most recently, Dr. Gaynor’s work explores the marginalizing experiences LGBTQIA people of color have when interacting with local law enforcement agencies. Her work is supported by the WEB DuBois Fellowship on Race and Crime (National Institute of Justice). Dr. Gaynor holds a Ph.D. and MPA from the School of Public Affairs and Administration, at Rutgers University – Newark.

Dr. Leila Rodriguez is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, and an affiliate of the Department of Africana Studies, Department of Sociology, and Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies Program. Her areas of interest are the local integration dynamics of immigrants, and the use of culture as judicial evidence in legal conflicts that involve immigrants and refugees. Regionally, she focuses on Central America and the United States.

Dr. Shaunak Sastry is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Cincinnati and an affiliate faculty at the Center for Culture-Centered Research and Evaluation. His areas of interest are global health communication, critical theory and culture-centered approaches to social change with a particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS campaigns in the global south

r. Kimberly H. Conger is an assistant professor- educator in the Department of Political Science. In this role, she is a faculty member in the Master of Public Administration program that focuses on social justice and equity. Her research focuses on the way religious advocacy makes an impact on American state and local politics. Her current projects investigate the role of religious activism in reducing political inequalities in the U.S.

Dr. Littisha A. Bates is Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Community Partnerships in the UC College of Arts & Sciences, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, and an affiliate faculty member of Africana Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She is also a co-founder and executive board member Black Faculty Association. Her areas of interests are stratification, education and race. Her current project examines the changes in the magnet school enrollment processes in the City of Cincinnati. This project focuses on the impact of the change from first-some first-serve enrollment to a district wide lottery system on parents and school.