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Want to contribute to a culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CPS? Send us your suggestions and ideas.
DEI Book Club
Jericho Brown’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize winning collection of poetry, The Tradition, has been selected as the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council Book Club Selection.
This publication is available as a free eBook through your Northeastern account.
DEI Committee Members
Magali Feruzi
Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
She, her, hers
Magali Feruzi currently serves as the Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the College of Professional Studies.
As CPS’ Interim Director of DEI, Magali will focus on recruitment for a DEI full time director, continued collaboration with CPS Human Resources and Senior Leadership to enhance and integrate DEI into goals and strategic plans, and the coordination and alignment of college-wide efforts with the broader university DEI goals.
Magali joined CPS as the Assistant Director of Finance in 2011, and since then, has held director positions in both CPS Finance and Northeastern’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society. As the Director of Operations and Partnerships, in collaboration with the Executive Director, she oversees the strategic plans, goals, and deliverables for all programs and ensures that the core competencies are organized and executed.
Magali focused on public health community development at the beginning of her career in the health field with positions in the Multicultural Affairs Office at Massachusetts General Hospital and Whittier Street Health Center. She developed deep roots within the traditionally marginalized communities and provided technical assistance to several grassroots start up youth development organizations within the city.
Magali holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Sociology from Gordon College.
William Martinez De Velasco
Vice-Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Bio coming soon.
Earlene Avalón, Ph.D., MPH
Lead Faculty and Associate Professor, Healthcare Administration, Health Sciences and Post-Baccalaureate/Pre-Health programs
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Earlene Avalón holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Health Professions Education. Dr. Avalón’s interest focuses on promoting healthcare equity for marginalized populations with an emphasis on supporting healthcare workforce diversity initiatives. Dr. Avalón has worked in healthcare and higher education for over 20 years and was featured as a “Women of Excellence” by Unity First Magazine and was named to the Honor Roll of Harvard Medical School’s Biomedical Sciences Careers Program. She has authored and co-authored various publications including a chapter for the Association for Nursing Professional Development 5th edition textbook as well as peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics and the Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA). Dr. Avalón is deeply committed to mentoring and is active within her community service.
Noor Ali, Ed.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor
Dr. Noor Ali is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, Graduate School of Education where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. Dr. Ali serves as the Concentration Lead for Transformative School Leadership in the Ed.D. Program at Northeastern University.
Dr. Ali also serves as a Commissioner for New England Association for Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Commission of Independent Schools. She is actively involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work with NEASC and the Town of Shrewsbury where she served on the DEI Taskforce. She has served as Board Member on the Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services and is often found actively engaged in inter-faith and community-based initiatives.
Adam Agostinelli
Academic and Professional Advisor
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Adam spent the past decade teaching English in the U.S. and Korea in both K-12 and higher education settings. His passion for teaching has led to an interest in researching and writing about language acquisition and student mobility in international contexts. He is is currently pursuing his PhD in Teaching, Curriculum and Society from Boston College.
Carl Barrows
Associate Director of Operations, Training, Community Partnerships and Events
Bio coming soon.
Mariah Hwedi
Executive Assistant to the Dean
In 2023, Mariah joined Northeastern University as Executive Assistant to the dean. Mariah is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she completed her undergraduate studies. During her time there, she pursued a major in English and a minor in Theater, graduating with Honors and Summa Cum Laude.
Before joining Northeastern, Mariah gained extensive experience in administrative roles across various industries including hospitality companies, wealth management firms, and in digital commerce.
Shannon Alpert
Assistant Teaching Professor
Dr. Shannon Alpert spent the first 15 years of her career leading projects and teams responsible for creating learning solutions in the telecommunications and financial services industries. She also consulted with K-8 and higher education organizations on project and portfolio management while also teaching online graduate courses at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
In addition to serving on a variety of committees and working groups across the University, Dr. Alpert has served as an elected member of the College of Professional Studies Faculty Academic Council, vice chair for the Professional Standards Committee, a member of the Faculty Elections Committee, and a member of the Financial Affairs Committee for the Faculty Senate.
Chu-Ling Chen
Title
Bio coming soon.
Youngbok Ryu, PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor, Professional Programs
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Dr. Ryu teaches Commerce and Economic Development courses and conducts research projects on supplier diversity and entrepreneurial resilience. He is also assisting small businesses, particularly diverse-owned ones, in scaling up as a founding member of the Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship. Before joining Northeastern University, he was a faculty member at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where he provided technical assistance to minority-owned small businesses along with Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. He also worked with RAND Corporation as an assistant policy researcher and with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow. While at think tanks, he studied various public policy issues ranging from environment and technology to health and transportation. After serving as a military officer in the Corps of Engineering, in addition, he worked as a patent data analyst and consultant for five years in South Korea.