DEI Faculty Fellows
Pictured (L–R) Heather Strempke-Durgin, Carlos Ortega-Amparan, Dawn Wood, Jim Trepka, Bryan Bennett, Jed Peterson.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Faculty Fellows are a dedicated group of Kirkwood full-time faculty representing a diverse range of academic departments in Academic Affairs, including both Liberal Arts and CTE programs. DEI Faculty Fellows will provide support to individual faculty, departments, and programs in their diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice efforts.
Each fellow will participate in professional development as a team; help create and implement a DEI strategic plan for Academic Affairs; support other faculty in DEI work; and identify DEI professional development opportunities and resources for Academic Affairs.
Kirkwood Community DEI Faculty Fellows program launched in Fall 2021. The mission is to promote inclusive excellence and remove barriers to equity in teaching and learning.
Kirkwood faculty needing support in promoting equity and inclusion in their teaching and learning are encouraged to email deifaculty@kirkwood.edu.
DEI Fellows
| Bryan Bennett | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Assistant Professor, Information Technology | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-5899 x4049 | |||||
| Email: | bryan.bennett@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | Room 221 Nielsen Hall | |||||
| Bio: | Bryan Bennett is an associate professor and program coordinator for the Computer Support Specialist Program at Kirkwood. He holds several professional certifications including CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, CompTIA Cloud Essentials, CompTIA Security Analytics Professional, CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist, CompTIA IT Operations Specialist, Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner, Amazon Web Services Solutions Architect, and Microsoft Azure Cloud Fundamentals. In addition, Dr. Bennett has received an A.A.S. (Computer Support Specialist) as well as a LAN Management Certificate and PC Technician Diploma from Kirkwood Community College. Dr. Bennett also serves as Administrator for Kirkwood’s NetlabVE platform. Prior to becoming a faculty member in 2016, Dr. Bennett spent 18 years on the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa where he taught courses for the School of Music. During this time, he was also a member of varied faculty chamber ensembles and several regional orchestras. Dr. Bennett holds a B.A. and M.M. from the University of Northern Iowa and a D.M.A. from the University of Iowa. Bryan joined the DEI Fellows because he is interested in finding ways to better incorporate DEI practices into the IT programs at Kirkwood. | |||||
| Carlos Ortega Amparán | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Professor, English Language Acquisition, Global Learning | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-5899 x5830 | |||||
| Email: | carlos.ortega-amparan@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | Room 3019 Cedar Hall | |||||
| Bio: | Carlos is an associate professor of English Language Acquisition in Global Learning. He holds a B.A. in Political Science (International Politics) and Economics, as well as an M.A. in Spanish and Portuguese Literature & Linguistics from the University of Iowa. Having lived abroad for several years, as well as traveled across numerous countries, he has gained invaluable insights into diverse cultures and societal norms. As an educator working with students from a variety of countries, Carlos has firsthand experience fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments. | |||||
| Jed Peterson | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Professor, History | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-5899 x5920 | |||||
| Email: | jed.peterson@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | Room 1047 Cedar Hall | |||||
| Bio: | Jed Q. Peterson is a professor of history. He started teaching part-time at Kirkwood in 2000, became a full-time faculty member in the Distance Learning department in 2003, and recently made the move to the Social Sciences department. He teaches the U.S. history survey courses and the "West and the World" series on campus, off-campus, and online. Born and raised in Ames, Jed received his bachelor’s degree in history from Iowa State University before earning master's degrees in history from both the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa. Jed is on the school board at College Community School District, on numerous boards in the community, speaks Portuguese, juggles, and between him and his wife have twelve children. He has been a lifelong advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion, and has dedicated much of his career to studying historically marginalized groups. Jed applied to be a DEI fellow to give him the tools and the platform to further his fierce advocacy for equity in education and his dedication to creating a robust curriculum at Kirkwood that reflects our diverse population. | |||||
| Heather Strempke-Durgin | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Associate Professor, English | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-5899 x1224 | |||||
| Email: | heather.strempke-durgin@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | Room 3017 Cedar Hall | |||||
| Bio: | Heather is an associate professor of English in the CEM department. She holds a B.A. in American and British Literature from Boise State University, as well as an M.A. in Literature and Culture from Oregon State University. Her interest in feminism, anti-racism, and equity inspire her teaching and research. She runs the Kirkwood Anti-Racist Book Club and hopes to continue serving Kirkwood students and faculty through her work as a DEI fellow. | |||||
| Jim Trepka | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Professor - Electronic Engineering Technology | |||||
| Email: | jim.trepka@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Bio: | Jim Trepka received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Iowa in 1993. Prior to that, he received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Grinnell College. Jim came to Kirkwood with 10 years of industry experience. Jim spent the 2023-2024 academic year teaching at Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College in St. Kitts as a Fulbright scholar. The experience of being a minority during that academic year has elevated his interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. | |||||
| Dawn Wood | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Dean, Global Learning / Distance Learning | |||||
| Phone: | 319-398-5443 | |||||
| Email: | dawn.wood@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Office: | 1154 Linn Hall | |||||
| Bio: | Dawn holds a PhD in Higher Education Internationalization, a M.A. in Intercultural Management, as well as a B.A. in Psychology and Business Administration. Dawn is committed to international education and enjoys helping students experience the world and its diversity. She has traveled and visited many countries and recognizes the value of learning about other cultures. | |||||
DEI Fellows Work Plan and Committee Opportunities
Lead:
Curtis Mitchell
Description
Maintains and updates inclusive syllabus resources; recommends changes to academic policies and procedures to support people from marginalized groups; and works to ensure that decision- and policy-making incorporate an equity lens.
Activity Examples
- Inclusive Syllabus
- Academic Policies review for DEI lens
Leads:
Dawn Wood, Bryan Bennett
Description
Promotes and communicates out the work of the DEI Faculty Fellows. The committee connects with the campus equity team and other departments on campus to promote inclusive teaching and learning. We seek to include and involve everyone in DEI work and opportunities.
Activity Examples
- Web page
- Engage ACUE participants
- Have You Heard Messages
Leads:
Jed Peterson, Erica Bernard
Description
Fosters collaborative relationships with community partners, harnessing our collective strengths and resources in order to address local and regional needs through a variety of programs and activities that maximize positive outcomes for our students and our community.
Activity Examples
- Events like Black Male Summit
- Native American Initiative
- Partner with Olive Harvey College in Chicago for best practices
Lead:
Laura Green
Description
Creates and evaluates strategies for serving our diverse student body. Members may participate in projects like assessing grade distributions, facilitating student focus groups, and designing instructor self-assessments for equity and inclusion.
Activity Examples
- Pilot Grade Distribution project
- Caring Campus Initiative ideas
- Design instructor self-assessment tools
- Student focus groups
Lead:
Tim Robbins
Description
Coordinates the institution’s equity-, inclusion-, and diversity- related professional development offerings for faculty, staff, and students. Members may contribute via courses, workshops, reading circles, self-guided learning, and open-access resources
Activity Examples
- Deliver workshops, book clubs, etc.
- Identify topics for workshops and other PD
Lead:
Jed Peterson
Description
Ensures current courses and programs connect with and support the diverse experiences and needs of our students, community, transfer institutions and local/regional employers by actively working to identify, develop and deliver new offerings and improve existing curriculum to address our evolving needs.
Activity Examples
- Review Diversity course requirement
- African-American courses